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When I began working with BASIC in 2009, my wife and I were tasked with starting a college ministry at SUNY Geneseo and Monroe Community College (MCC). These two colleges couldn’t be more different. SUNY Geneseo is set among corn fields in a small rural town, while MCC is positioned on the south side of Rochester and boasts an enrollment twice the size of the entire city of Geneseo.
It didn’t take us long to figure out that what worked on one of those campuses didn’t always work on the other. The apostle Paul gave us an incredible strategy for evangelism when he wrote to the Corinthian church saying,
[su_quote cite=””]To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.[/su_quote]
Paul realized the importance of studying your current context and tailoring your message in a way that will reach that context. Missionaries do the same thing when they go to a new country. They must learn the culture and the people; the tribe they want to reach. Since your college campus is a mission field, and knowing that campuses can vary widely from one to another, how can you best reach your campus context? Let’s look at it in three steps.
Experience Your “Tribe”
Observation is the first step in determining your campus context. Walk around campus to see where students are hanging out. Eat meals with students on campus and spend time in the dorms. Go to athletic events. Work out with students at the campus gym and attend events at the college. Observing the culture firsthand is always the best way to pick up on what’s going on and what the student body is like.
Learn Your “Tribe”
As you spend time with students on campus start asking questions that will help you learn more about them. Here’s a bunch of good questions to get you started:
- How many students live in dorms/commute?
- What are the most common majors?
- What are the most popular activities/events with students?
- Do students spend a lot of time studying?
- What groups are the most influential on campus?
- What is the overarching perspective of Christianity on the campus?
- What percentage of each ethnicity is represented?
- How many international students are there?
- What are the biggest struggles people deal with (ask counseling services)?
- What are other clubs/ministries doing on your campus that are successful and what can you learn from them?
If possible, you could also go on the freshman or incoming students tour to learn more about the campus. You can also put together brief surveys to do among students that will help you gather information so you can better serve the campus.
Reach Your “Tribe”
This is when you take what you’ve learned and apply it. Look at the current context of your group and what you’ve learned about your campus context to decide how to plan events/activities and advertising that will reach that context.
For example, when I was at Oswego I came across an event put on by the Black Student Union called Casino Night. The place was packed and people were having a great time. I happened to walk through a couple hours later and not only was the event still going, but many of the same people were there.
Now, I’m not advocating that you do a casino night, but people loved this event because they got to hang out, play fun games and they had the chance of winning big prizes. You can easily take away ideas from an event like this and implement them into your own activities.
Before I wrap this up let me offer two more words of advice on studying your context. First, make sure that you don’t let your personal background inform your observations of the campus. You can’t avoid this entirely, but as much as possible try to view the campus through fresh eyes.
Second, remember that you can’t reach every people group on campus at the same time. If there are other Christian groups on campus it could be helpful to see who they’re targeting and then find your niche based on what you’ve learned. Your group might be best positioned to attract the intellectuals or the international students. It’s also likely that the audience you attract will change as time goes on and the campus climate adapts.
Now I want to hear from you! What are some things you’ve already observed about your campus context?
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