July 2008 Campus Ministry Update

 

The Ivy Jungle Network

Campus Ministry Update

Summer 2008

 

In a matter of weeks new Freshmen will arrive on campus and the 08-09 academic year will begin with the largest incoming class ever.  As women and men who reach out to this generation in the name of Christ and help them navigate the "Ivy Jungle" of the college campus, know that our prayers and thoughts are with you!

 

Trends in Student Ministry, Culture and Higher Education:

 

Drinking Problems:  The Associated Press recently released an analysis of more than 150 college age deaths related to alcohol poisoning from 1999-2005.  Among their findings were that such drinking deaths hit a peak of 35 in the final year of that period.  Students who drank themselves to death had an average blood alcohol content of .40 – five times the legal limit for driving.  Deaths spiked on weekends and after winter finals when students spend more time partying.  Of the 18 freshmen who died, 11 did so in the first semester.   Overall drinking rates in college are not significantly higher than those of the general population, however drinking until passing out is far more common and has researchers and college officials concerned by the number of alcohol poisoning deaths.  (Chicago Tribune July 8, 2008)

Virtual Drinking Games:  A Las Vegas based computer game company has changed the name of an upcoming video game to "Pong Toss" after coming under fire for marketing virtual "Beer Pong" for popular video game systems.  In the game, participants simulate the popular college drinking game.   The Connecticut Attorney General has criticized the video game rating board which approved "Beer Pong" for children as young as 13.  (AP July 8, 2008)

Students and Violence:  Almost half (45%) of all college students say they have experienced relationship violence during or prior to coming to college.   The study, published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, looked at students from three urban campuses – a community college, Ivy League school, and a Catholic school.  The most common kind of violence reported was emotional, followed by sexual and then physical.  All students reported a higher prevalence of relationship violence before entering college than during college.  Women reported being victims at a much higher rate than men (53% compared to 27%).  However, the percent of men who reported being victims was much higher than expected and may speak to a need to do more to address the issue for men as victims (Inside Higher Ed July 8, 2008)

Diversity Not as Common as the Catalogue:  A recent study of college view books by a sociologist at Amherst has found that promotional photos often over represent diversity on campus.  None were as embarrassing as the University of Wisconsin and the University of Idaho incidents where the schools admitted photoshopping the catalogue to add non-white faces to photos of all white student groups.  However, they did show that more than 75% of colleges over represent black students in their view books.  While black students made up just under 8% of the student populations in the hundreds of schools in the study, they made up over 12% in the photos.  Asian students were also over-represented, showing up as 5.1% of students pictured, but only 3.3% in reality on campus.  Latinos appeared underrepresented in the photos but the methodology only counted those students clearly racially identifiable in the pictures.   Timothy Pippert, who led the study, believes that schools want to show a more diverse community in order to draw more minority students to their schools.  However the fear is that students may find the school very different in reality from the image promoted.  The researchers also noted that promotional materials generally feature attractive students.  One student who helped with the research summarized their findings saying that the photos primarily consist of "hot chicks and minorities."  (Inside Higher Ed July 2, 2008)

Cost of Books:  The cost of college textbooks has increased at a rate more than double inflation over the last 20 years.  Textbooks now account for more than one-quarter of tuition and fees at a public four year institution and nearly 75% of expenses at a commuter campus.  The rising costs have led several entrepreneurs to pursue publishing "open textbooks" which would make use of free online content that can be downloaded or bound for a small fee.  (USA Today July 9, 2008).

Dobson vs. Obama:  Dr. James Dobson has drawn fire for his criticism of Sen. Barack Obama.  Less than 24 hours after Dobson's remarks criticizing a 2006 speech by the Senator had aired, another group of Christians launched the site, www.jamesdobsondoesntspeakforme.com.   Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell, who gave the benediction at George W. Bush's first inauguration, leads the group which objects to the use of faith as a political wedge.  The group is one of several that indicate evangelicals and other Christian groups may be less inclined toward the Republican Party than in previous elections.  (Time.com June 26, 2008)

 "Less Political" Christian Colleges:  Eastern Mennonite University in Virginia has begun calling itself a "socially progressive" Christian college with a heritage of addressing social justice issues.  The school believes faith is best lived out by having a more global perspective, less nationalism, and care for creation.  Emphasizing social as well as personal piety, they say they may be different from others schools in that they don't consider their institution a "bastion of social conservatism", but say they have not given up on the meaning of the gospel either.  Messiah College, a member of the Coalition of Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU), describes their teaching as "gracious Christianity," hoping to move beyond binary political labels.  The school drew fire from both sides this past year when they hosted a debate during the Democrat primary.  David Gushee, professor of Christian ethics at Mercer University who wrote a chapter in the book, The Future of Baptist Higher Education, believes Christian schools have a challenging balancing act, as many in the church do not want their colleges to be centers of critique for "American capitalism, consumerism, nationalism, and militarism."  He believes that more colleges will continue to move toward the center, using terms like "evangelical" and "progressive."  (Inside Higher Education June 30, 2008)

Campaigning on Campus:  With more students in college than ever before, both political parties recognize the importance of campaigning on campus.  However, Barack Obama has dedicated considerably more time thus far on the "campus and career" demographic.  According to the Christian Science Monitor, Obama has made 27 visits to locations in that category – roughly 11% of his campaign visits.  By contrast, McCain has only made 2 such visits (1%).  However, the McCain campaign has begun to target disaffected Hillary supporters among college students as part of his strategy (Inside Higher Ed June 28 2008).

God Gap Diminishing:  In the past number of elections, if you were religious, the chances were you voted Republican.  However, that does not appear to be the case as the election for the 44^th president draws near.  Among those who attend church regularly, 43% identify themselves as Republicans, 40% as Democrats.  But among those who pray daily, the percentages reverse, in favor of Democrats.  Catholics who attend mass weekly favor Democrats 46% to 35%.  Evangelicals and Mormons remain the truest Republican supporters.  (Wall Street Journal June 24, 2008)

Obamagelicals:  A number of political commentators have remarked that evangelicals may be a group from whom Obama can win votes, especially among the younger voters.   Most evangelicals call themselves "conservative" and are committed to John McCain.  However, among evangelicals, 30% consider themselves "moderate" and 11% "liberal."  Those folks are of interest to the Obama campaign. While evangelicals remain solidly conservative on issues of homosexuality and abortion, only 29% believe the country is heading in the right direction.  57% believe the country should go deeper into debt to help the poor, 48% want bigger government, and 54% favor stricter environmental laws.  (Wall Street Journal June 24, 2008)

Impact of Religion:  Although only 14% of people say religion is the main factor in their political thinking, researchers show "strong links between Americans' views on political issues and their religious affiliation, beliefs, and practices.  The results, published by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, confirm a strong correlation between religion and stances on issues like abortion and homosexual marriage.  Issues such as the economy, foreign affairs, and the environment tend to span the spectrum.  The survey, conducted prior to the Democratic primary and the political issue surrounding Rev. Jeremiah Wright, show that most respondents thought that faith communities should be free to express views on political issues.  This was particularly true for members of historically black churches (69% support) and evangelical churches (64%).  (Minneapolis Star Tribune June 23, 2008)

Inconsistent Religion:  Although the US is one of the most religious nations in the world, a survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life shows many believe things which contradict their stated faith.  70% of those who claim religious affiliation believe multiple religions can lead to salvation and 68% believe in multiple interpretations of their own religion.  57% of self-identified evangelicals believe multiple religions can lead to salvation.  21% of self-identified atheists believe that some kind of God exists.  80% of respondents believe in moral standards of right and wrong, but only 29% claim their religious teachings help them determine those standards. A copy of the report can be read at www.pewforum.com  (SFGate.com June 23, 2008)

Emerging Adulthood:  Sociologists have remarked that being 35 today is much like being 35 in previous generations: career, family, marriage are part of most lives.   However, being 25 today has changed significantly.  In 1970 only 21% of 25 year olds had never been married.  In 2005, that was true of 60% of 25 year olds.  When asked what marked entering "adulthood," 96% of young adults identified having a full-time job.  Less than half said being married.  Jeffery Arnett, author of Emerging Adulthood:  The Winding Road from Late Teens through Twenties has remarked on the very amorphous definition of entering adulthood.  For most it meant "accepting responsibility for the consequences of one's actions."  Often, parents are discouraging their young adult children from getting married to soon.  Rather they encourage establishing a career and finishing graduate school before taking such a "destabilizing" step.  Young adulthoods often enter a path of serial monogamy, living with partner after partner before marriage.  65% of young adults cohabitated at least once prior to marriage.  However, research shows that those living with a boyfriend or girlfriend live lives much more similar to singles than to married couples.  (UnMarried, Still Children in Touchstone June 2008 p. 15-18)

Facebook Passes MySpace:  Facebook passed MySpace, recording more than 124 million users globally in May, surpassing MySpace who reported 114.6 million users.  The statistics show the difference a year makes.  In May 2007, Facebook reported just 47 million visitors, compared with 109 million for MySpace.  Much of the growth has been internationally.  In the US MySpace recorded 73.7 million users this May compared to Facebook's 35.6 million.   (SFGate.com June 20, 2008)

SAT Longer but Not Better:  In 2005 the SAT underwent a significant overhaul, which included the demise of the dreaded analogy section and the addition of an essay.  Three years later, researchers who look at the correlation between SAT scores and first year performance in college (the SAT claims to predict the first year grades – not long term success in college), say that there is no substantial improvement in the test's ability to predict first year success.  Researchers say that high school grades show greater predictive value for a freshman's grades.  The test tends to over predict performance for black, Latino, and American Indian students, while accurately predicting or under predicting those of white and Asian students.  (Inside Higher Ed June 18, 2008)

Millennial Views on Family Values:  Millennials (now in their 20's) have fairly strong traditional values.  In a survey by one advertising group they found that 94% respect monogamy and parenthood.  84% revere marriage.   88% say they respect the US Constitution and 84% respect the military.  (Touchstone June 2008)

Christianity in China:  2.8% of the Chinese population claimed to be Christian in a survey of Religious Experience in Contemporary China.  However 5% had attended a Christian service in the last year.   After Buddhists, the study found that "Christians, overwhelmingly Protestant, are the largest group to lay claim to a religious faith." Nearly 75% of those who said they are Christians were women.  (Touchstone June 2008)

Colleges Going Green:  Montclair State University in New Jersey is the first college to enter into a formal agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency to pledge to meet environmental standards for construction and operation of its facilities.  (Inside Higher Ed June 18, 2008)

 

 

 

   *** Events, Resources and Jobs ***

 

           

Converge:  Make plans to attend a 2 day conference by Alpha USA designed to energize your soul and equip you to transform your community.  Speakers include:  Donald Miller, Tim Hughes, Dan Kimball and Nicky Gumbel.   Chicago Conference June 23-24, 2008 or Seattle Conference November 7-8, 2008.  www.alphausa.org/converge for more information.

 

 

 

*** Resources: ***

 

**Christian Education Journal highlights articles on College and Young Adult Ministry.   Authors include Kara Powell (Fuller Center for Youth and Family Ministry); Chris Kiesling (Asbury) David Setran (Wheaton); Wesley Black (Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary); Evan Hunter (Ivy Jungle).  Links to the articles can be found at:  http://wisdom.biola.edu/cej/issue/

** Join the Ivy Jungle Network Group on Facebook**   Right now check out a link to 90 titles Campus Ministers have been reading this year:   http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=13424091882

Resources from ProActive Faith for your campus ministry:

• God Moments In Time:

• Each chapter has five discussion questions.
• Ideal for small groups!
• Will challenge your students to live a life in such a way that God can open doors of opportunity in their life where they can experience God Moments In Time.
• Read the customer reviews @ Amazon.com & BarnesandNoble.com
• Order 20 copies or more for the bulk price of $5.00 each

• CRUNCH Time:

•·         A five session evangelism resource written for students on the collegiate campus.

Revival or Retreat Needs:

• Please contact Thomas, a former campus minister, and current full-time evangelist and law enforcement chaplain to speak at your ministry event. He speaks with boldness and compassion as he points individuals to the Cross! He is available for one or multiple nights. Thomas@proactivefaith.org or Cell: (405)833-7229

Evangelism Training:

• Evangelism training is done through resources such as CRUNCH Time or The CROSS Training

 

Visit our website www.proactivefaith.org to discover how these resources will impact the lives of your students and their campus.  You can also call our office at (405)607-0722 if you have any questions.

 

Free shipping when you enter ivy jungle in the discount code box.

 

After you place your order you will receive a personal call from our office to confirm your order before any charges are made to your credit card.

 

Preparing High School Seniors for College:  Each year thousands of our youth will fall away from their faith after their first year of college.  The two major reasons for this have been linked to lack of preparation and not getting connected to a campus ministry.  TransitionsMSM is a web-based tool created to help in this transition.  It comes with interactive scripts, video resources and more that anyone can teach.  Take a look at www.transitionsmsm.org  for a great resource to help prepare and connect our youth!  For more info, e-mail info@transitionsmsm.org

 

Fellowships for College Graduates:  The John Jay Institute is awarding academic Fellowships for 2009 to college graduates interested in exploring the nexus of religion and public life. Fellowships entail an academic residency at the Institute in Colorado Springs followed by an externship field placement in a public policy organization. For more information please visit: www.johnjayinstitute.org

 

*** Jobs: ***

 

CCO Leadership in the State of Indiana:  We are currently looking for strong initiator types (entrepreneurs) who are interested in taking the CCO to the state of Indiana. The two positions that are currently available are for an Area Director and a Development Associate. A passion for campus ministry and a desire to see this generation of college students transformed by the Gospel required. Each position is funded by half salary, benefits and expenses. There is a possibility for having at least two campus staff positions on the ground for the fall of 2009.
For more information, contact Tom Rapchak, CCO Central Region VP (724-657-7363 or trapchak@ccojubilee.org) or check out our website at www.ccojubilee.org . Job descriptions available upon request.

Working with Artists:  All Angels' seeks a full-time Director of Worship Arts to provide leadership in cultivating and deepening the worship life of the congregation and developing worship leaders and artists within the community.  Email resume and cover letter or send inquiry for fuller job description to jobs@allangelschurch.com.

United Campus Ministry:  United Campus Ministry located at East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma is currently seeking an outgoing, self motivated director to lead an ecumenical campus ministry made up of mainline and nondenominational churches. We are seeking a person who is theologically competent, an effective communicator, with strong relational and administrative skills, and with a heart for campus ministry. Salary based on experience and qualifications. Qualified candidates can submit a resume' to Rev. Steve Taylor, 1709 E 17^th, Ada, OK 74820 or if you have questions contact Rev. Steve Taylor at 580-320-2692 or email sttaylor@cableone.net, or Hannah McCann at (580-399-3095) or by email at hmccann@ecok.edu.  Deadline is August 1st 

 

InterVarsity Area Directors—Looking for a Challenge?   InterVarsity Christian Fellowship is looking for Area Directors who will lead staff teams to grow vibrant, cross-cultural, interdenominational, groups on college campuses across Illinois and Indiana.

 

The college campus is a strategic entry point for the gospel. Students, open to new ideas, away from home and searching for the truth, often find Jesus through groups of believers who are being a witness on the college campus. InterVarsity has been engaging the university for Jesus for over 60 years and has a vibrant ministry throughout the United States, and strength in the Midwest region. In order to be able to continue to grow and serve more campuses we are seeking to add Area Directors.

 

Area Directors are the front line supervisors of our campus staff. An Area Director provides supervision and support for 5 – 8 Campus Staff Workers usually on several different campuses. Working within the framework of established InterVarsity systems, the Area Director oversees the staff in his/her area. They are responsible to recruit, train, deploy, monitor and nurture these staff. An Area Director knows that he/she is successful when they see the groups on campus growing and the staff they are supervising making an impact.

 

This is a high-energy position, with new challenges every day. It requires commitment to the job, your team, and the calling of God to succeed, but the reward is equally great; see students and faculty transformed, campuses renewed and world changers developed. If you have a call to ministry, 5 or more years experience in leading ministry in a church or para-church organization, (or substantial management experience outside the church) and have a heart for college students and the university we'd like to talk to you. We have multiple positions throughout Northern Illinois, Chicagoland, and Indiana (including Indianapolis, Bloomington and NW Indiana).

 

We offer substantial training and support, from an experienced team of professionals who have been doing this for many years. You will be required to raise your own support, but could earn a salary of $40,000 – $75,000. We also offer a full benefits package.

 

Still interested? Visit www.new-hire.com Job # 2203 to apply. Or visit http://www.new-hire.com/jobs/availablejobs.asp?job=2203

 

College Pastor:  Pleasant Valley Church, a congregation of about 850 active worshipers, has a vibrant and thriving college ministry that draws students from the three local colleges and universities. Our church is currently looking for a full-time Pastor of College & Young Adult Ministries who has a passion to see young adults come to love God, grow in community with other believers and serve the world.  We seek an individual who has an understanding and experience of Christian education within the local church; displays the spiritual gifts of leadership and teaching; and has strong oral and written communication skills; and is creative and proficient in applying technology to the ministry. The ideal candidate will have 3 to 5 years experience in young adult ministry.  A baccalaureate degree is desirable. Contact:  Rick Iglesias

1363 Homer Road Winona, MN 55987 507.452.5518  rick@pvefc.org

 

Campus Minister:  Iowa Wesleyan College is accepting applications for a full-time Campus Minister beginning in the summer of 2008.

 

RESPONSIBILITIES

 

Spiritual Life/Formation

Organize and lead regular chapel service, worship opportunities and mission trips.

Facilitate bible study groups.

Assist in providing Leadership opportunities for Religion majors and minors.

Organize special events: Conferences, retreats, seminars

Counseling

Provide spiritual and personal counseling for students.

Identify and coordinate community mental health resources for students.

Social Involvement

Foster campus awareness involving human justice issues.

Coordinate activities with RSI, Field Experience and community service activities on campus

Church Relations

Serve as liaison between Iowa Wesleyan College and the Iowa Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Foster relationships with clergy and churches in Southeast Iowa.

Campus life

Coordinate activities / provide support to the Offices of Admission and Student Life

 

QUALIFICATIONS

 

Ordained (United Methodist Elder or equivalent preferred)

Master of Divinity degree or equivalent

Proven ability to provide spiritual leadership to college aged students

Iowa Wesleyan College

Attn: Bonny Charleston

Director of Human Resources

601 North Main Street

Mt. Pleasant, IA 52641

 

 

 

College Pastor:  Mountain Brook Community Church in Birmingham, Alabama is seeking a College Pastor to provide dedicated pastoral leadership, oversight and direction to the MBCC College Ministry (University Christian Fellowship/UCF), including the development, implementation and evaluation of a variety of ministries directed to the teaching, shepherding, equipping and care of students attending college in the Birmingham area and to college students of families that attend MBCC whether they are attending college in the Birmingham area or in other areas of the country. The scope of this position includes preaching, teaching, counseling and discipleship of college students; direction of all college ministries; leadership and oversight of the MBCC College staff; management of the UCF House; and other pastoral duties.  Please send resume to: Peter J. Wright, Chairman of Personnel, Mountain Brook Community Church, 3001 Highway 280 East, Birmingham, AL 35243 or email petefpc@yahoo.com. Detailed job description available upon request.

             

Front Porch Director: The thriving college ministry of the Presbytery of Santa Barbara at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo invites applicants for the position of director.   The mission of Front Porch is to provide university students with personal encouragement, programs, and resources to foster development of a Christian world view, a perspective on life and thought that meets the intellectual challenges of university life and the personal challenges of contemporary culture with hope and empowerment centered in the person of Jesus Christ. Front Porch provides a hospitable place in the diverse university environment for open and constructive discussion of truth claims; where the integration of faith, learning, and life is explored in ways that honor the highest value of each person.

A core group of about twenty-five students is in place to offer continuity and leadership from the current successful program.  An experienced board devoted to the mission, with the support of the presbytery and the majority of its churches, ensure the continuity of the Front Porch mission.  The board has launched a major building project on presbytery-owned property adjacent to campus to provide student housing and a ministry center which will be ready for occupancy fall 2009.  For more information (requirements, responsibilities, salary, etc.) go to: 

https://clc.pcusa.org/aspx/CIFViewQuery.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2faspx%2fOpportunitySearchResults.aspx&cif=74025.AB    or www.frontporchonline.org  

Applicants should direct questions concerning the position or application materials (a cover letter not to exceed 500 words, a resume, and email contact information for three references: pastoral, academic, personal)  to search committee chair Dr. Thomas Schmidt: at tomschmidt@cox.net. Apply by email only, application deadline is 15 May 2008.

 

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