Summer has begun, graduations are complete, the campus is a ghost town…what?
Summer can be an interesting time in college ministry life. On my campus we have no in person classes on campus during the summer months, so I go from working with students throughout the week to very little student contact. Some campuses do have summer courses on their campuses, but even so, the ministry definitely changes in summer.
What’s a campus missionary to do for the next two months? Should summers be entirely focused on reflecting, resting, and planning for the upcoming school year? Or are there ways to stay actively engaged with college students despite the slower pace and quiet campus?
Here are six ways I’ve found to continue cultivating and maintaining relationships throughout the summer months.
Summer Missions Program
MBCollegiate offers an internship for college students called Summer Missions, made possible through the Missouri Missions Offering. For ten weeks, college students are paired with a mentor—which could be a pastor, church leader, camp team, or campus missionary—to serve in a variety of ways with local churches and ministries around Missouri.
I’ve participated in this program as a mentor for several years. I hand select 1-3 of my students to mentor during the summer through this program. This gives me ten weeks to pour into a few students and continue discipleship with them as they get hands-on ministry experience.
This program is perfect for growing next generational leaders in a practical way! It’s too late to recruit summer missionaries for this summer, but you can keep it in mind and evaluate what students you might recruit for next summer as you go through the school year.
Group Chats
Our BSU has a snap chat group that includes new, current, and former students. I will post verses and challenges and check in on students through this group. Any student can share their thoughts, prayers or prayer requests within the group, and I can let them know of any events, or opportunities within the app.
I suggest having this for your ministry as well. It’s a great way to maintain relationships and unity amongst your students even when they’re spread out for the summer. Plus students can add or remove themselves from the group if they wish.
Connect Individually
Make a plan to connect with different students individually. I will be traveling frequently this summer, so if I find myself driving through a town they are in, I will connect with them ahead of time and schedule a meeting. But you can also just message them once in a week and see how they are doing. They will appreciate you taking even a small amount of time to reach out!
“Make a plan to connect with students individually.”
Christina Boatright
Plan Summer Events
Plan a handful of summer events, especially if you have students staying on campus. It could be something as simple as a group hammock time, a hike, or a virtual game night. You could do a prayer outreach time on campus or a virtual campus prayer walk. Just finding simple ways for your group to connect and pray for the next school year can be effective.
"Just finding simple ways for your group to connect and pray for the next school year can be effective." -christinab017_ #collegiatedisciplemaker 6 Way to Stay Connected to Your College Students This Summer Click To TweetRead the Bible Together
I plan to challenge our group to read through Colossians with myself and my summer missionary this summer. We will do this virtually, but it gives us the opportunity to still talk about God’s Word and challenge each other. There are many different studies or ways you could do this. Zoom, in person, through the group chat, or on your social media pages. You can also use an app like Read Scripture together.
Post on Social Media
Take time this summer to post regularly on your social media pages. It takes but minutes and can be invaluable to not only your current students but to new incoming students already starting to check you out on social media. Technology can be a gift that we most definitely should utilize. It may seem like posting on social media isn’t worth the time and effort, but it keeps your ministry in front of students, and you never know what word of encouragement might resonate with them in their circumstances.
These are but a few ideas of ways to continue ministering to students this summer while still giving you time to vacation, enjoy your family, rest, and plan for next year. These simple things aren’t overly time consuming but can be invaluable in keeping connections healthy and open.
What other ideas do you have on how to minister to students during the summer months? Share them in the comments.
