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Are You New Here? Four Thoughtful Assimilation Practices For Your College Ministry

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Are You New Here? Four Thoughtful Assimilation Practices For Your College Ministry

A new student sits in the car outside a college ministry gathering, trying to gather the strength to go inside while thinking…

Who will I know in there?

Will that friend who invited me be there?

Will I fit in?

Will I be put on the spot in any way?

Will I be judged?

Is this the group where I’ll finally find a friend?

These aren’t the sort of questions usually asked out loud, but we all know they’re the sort of questions students ask as they take the step to get involved in a campus ministry or church. Students are looking for a place to belong, and this isn’t just a need they have for the first few weeks of school. 

One of the things I’ve noticed lately is that students often straggle into our ministry many weeks into the semester. Maybe they’ve already tried other groups or clubs on campus and just haven’t found a place that clicks. Maybe they’ve been pushed to get involved by a friend or family member back home. Or maybe they’ve just now received an invite because a faithful member of our ministry has invited them to come. Regardless of the why, that student is finally here. They’ve crossed the threshold and shown up at a Bible study or large group worship gathering. 

What happens next? Will this student actually be assimilated into our community, or will they make sure this visit is their last? Over the years, I have watched many students find the courage to come to a campus ministry gathering but not really get plugged into the life of the community. What can we do to make it easier for new folks to feel welcome and get involved? 

What follows are a few quick ideas that have helped our ministry over the years. Walking through these ideas with your student leaders at your next meeting might be an effective use of time!

Cultivate an Invitation Culture

It’s always easiest to hang out with old friends. It takes less effort. You already know so much about one another. There are inside jokes and lots of memories. Unfortunately, a group of old friends doesn’t naturally invite new friends to join them because a new person changes the group’s dynamic. 

Because of this, cultivating a culture of invitation will require intentionally building the habit of inviting new people to join your group and striving to include them once they’ve joined. We use the hashtags #youbelonghere and #bettertogether in our social media presence, and we work hard to make those true in our community.

Student Challenges:

  • Work hard to bring new friends up to speed (e.g., explain inside jokes, help them get to know your friends’ names and stories, etc.)
  • Don’t just invite them to next week’s event. Invite them to the impromptu hangout at your place tonight. 
  • Add them to your group chat. 
  • Invite them into the flow of your life and the life of your group. 

Watch for Someone Sitting Alone 

It’s a miserable feeling to be all alone in the midst of a crowd of people who all seem to know each other. We work hard to notice this! Sometimes, especially if the person is of the opposite gender, it may be awkward or even inappropriate for one person to go by themselves to befriend the person who is all alone.

Student Challenge:

When you see someone sitting alone, find a friend you think would connect well and encourage them to go over and strike up a conversation, or go together so you both can participate.

Introduce Your New Friend 

Sometimes I feel that the most important thing I can do after meeting a new student at our ministry is to introduce them to a student or group of students who are already part of the core membership of our group. As one of the adult leaders in our ministry, I know my friendship is not what a new student most needs. They’re looking for friends, and sometimes after just a short conversation I’ll have an idea of who this new student most needs to meet. I do my best to quickly make that introduction and then politely walk away.  

Student Challenge:

When you meet someone new, make it a point to introduce them to at least one other person before they leave.

Fun Events Matter

Our ministry is deeply committed to making disciples, but we don’t think that excludes fun events that are not Bible studies. We have been blessed by God to have a few leaders who are naturally gifted in creating events other students want to come to. Sports, crafts, trips to a bigger city, coffee, video games, and Chick-Fil-A have often been a crucial part of getting a student connected and willing to have a spiritual conversation. We work hard to genuinely love people, have fun together, and pray for the Lord to change lives along the way. 

"We work hard to genuinely love people, have fun together, and pray for the Lord to change lives along the way." -@pdamery #collegiatedisciplemaker #invitationculture #discipleship Click To Tweet

Student Challenge:

If you have friends you want to see get connected to your college ministry, why not plan and host a fun event that you know both your Non-Christian and your college ministry friends will want to come to? 

These ideas are pretty simple, but they can go a long way toward helping new students be thankful they had the courage to walk through the door. These are just four of many best practices on this topic. What would you add to the list?

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Equipping You to Make Disciples of Collegians & Young Adults

The Collegiate DiscipleMaker is an online publication providing practical encouragement and disciplemaking tools to those making disciples among college students and young adults. Our weekly articles are theologically rich, biblically grounded, pragmatically applicable, and college ministry oriented.

Our Team

We are people just like you— campus missionaries, ministry wives, young adult pastors, and more—who simply have a passion to make Gen Z disciples on college campuses and beyond.

Contributors:

Austin Pfrimmer (Campus Missionary)

Christina Boatright (Campus Missionary)

Paul Damery (Campus Missionary)

Reese Hammond (Campus Missionary)

Jon Smith (Campus Missionary)

Jerome Stockert (Campus Missionary) 

Karin Yarnell (College Ministry Wife)

Editor in Chief:

Britney Lyn Hamm (College Ministry Wife)

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