One of the things I really appreciate about BASIC is the value we hold for a strong connection with local churches. However, too often it seems like the church doesn’t get to see enough of what is going on in BASIC groups because the meetings are held on campus. I’m not suggesting that we move meetings off campus.
The campus is our mission field and we need to be there. What I’m saying is that we should be doing things to regularly keep college students involved with the church and vice versa. There are some great ways to do this:
[li]Encourage your students to plug in by serving in different church ministries (children’s church, youth group, worship team, etc.)[/li]
[li]Have your students share testimonies at a Sunday service after the BASIC conference[/li]
[li]Set up a display in the back of the church highlighting all that the BASIC group is doing[/li]
[li]Hold a breakfast at the church before the service or a reception afterwards for students (this is a great way to welcome students back from break)[/li]
[li]Set up an adopt-a-student program for families to regularly have a student over for meals[/li]
[li]Have college students “adopt” students from the youth group to mentor them[/li]
[li]Set aside one Sunday for students to run the service – they can lead worship, give announcements, share testimonies, and even share what God has been putting on their hearts (similar to the Take 5 idea) or have the advisor preach[/li]
Along with these ideas advisors should be routinely meeting with the pastor to make sure they are staying informed about the ministry as well. These are all great ways to give the church opportunities to see what God is doing on the campus and encourage the students to not just attend the church, but also be actively involved in it. It’s always good for church members to be able to see what is going on in the ministries the church supports (especially if the BASIC group receives money from the church budget).