Sermon Series Ideas for College Ministry

All teaching has a purpose, and that is to bring our listeners into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. In college ministry, our listeners are at a very integral part of their lives. They are figuring out what they believe and why they believe it. If they are attending a Bible college, then their classes are filled with biblical teaching and, let’s face it, they are going to be critiquing every word we say. If they attend a secular college, their classes are filled with anti-biblical worldviews and our sermons/lessons are their main source for biblical teaching. So what does this mean? This means that we must strive our hardest to be the most accurate theologians we can be. College students want answers, and we have to be able to give them to them. I believe a part of this is understanding what they need to learn about and presenting it to them in a very theological, yet understandable and practical, way.

I want to list a few ideas for teaching series in case you are looking for something to teach on.

1. Gospel - Paul states in 1 Corinthians that the Gospel is of utmost importance. It should be no different in our ministries. We need to help our students understand the Gospel as more than just a few facts about Christ, but as the truth that has been rocking the world for thousands of years.
2. Humility - Arrogance and pride are two things that have invaded the local church, and they must be replaced with a spirit of humility. We don’t need to simply condemn being arrogant, we need to teach our students how to be humble in heart, soul, and mind.
3. Discipline - Learning personal discipline is more than just making yourself read the Bible. It involves money, time, relationships, priorities, commitment, school work, and just about every other part of life. College students want to succeed, and the only way to be successful at anything, secular or sacred, is to have personal discipline.
4. Leadership - Every student in our ministries leads other people. Whether they lead a few friends or a large group, they lead others. We need to teach them how to use their influence for the work of Christ. This series can easily be used to discuss family leadership.
5. Relationships - Most college students are looking for, or at least thinking about, their future spouse. We should teach our guys how to be a man, what to look for in a lady, how to lead her, and how to love like Christ loves the church. We should teach our ladies how to be godly women, what to look for in a man, how to support him, and how to respect Him as the Bible teaches.
6. Book Studies - It is always good to simply take your students through a book of the Bible and drive home to points that the biblical author was making. The Bible will bring up important topics and you can discuss them as they come up in Scripture.

I sincerely hope this list gives you some ideas for teaching college students. My encouragement for you is two-fold. First, always keep it biblical. Never let your opinions and illustrations take away from the teaching of Scripture. Second, always be prepared to teach. Never let it get you by surprise but study hard and be ready to bring the Word with passion.

Practical Outreach Ideas

College students are everywhere. They wait our tables, run the cash register at Walmart, and watch our kids in after-school programs. We claim to love them, but we refuse to build an intentional relationship with them. Reaching out to college students is something that is desperately needed but can be rather difficult to do. We must remember that all out reach MUST be intentional. We should not do anything unless it will help us build a relationship with the goal of reaching them with the Gospel. Here are a few ideas that you can adapt to reach students in your area.

1. Homecooked Meal – Any college student that has moved away from home probably gets tired of fast food and the cafeteria. Have them and some of their friends over to the house to just eat and relax.
2. Send Them A Care Package – Even if their school is close to where you live, just drop them a package with some goodies in it. I speak from experience when I say that it will make their day.
3. Adopt A Student – Choose a college student that has moved away from home and adopt them as your own. Not literally, but treat them like it. Have them over to your house often. Stock your fridge with their favorite foods. Buy them gifts on their birthday and Christmas. Just treat them as you would your own child.

Each of these ideas has a couple things in common. First, they all depend on a relationship. They are methods of building a relationship, but you must get the ball rolling by simply introducing yourself and getting to know them. Second, they all require money. Reaching people doesn’t have to be expensive, but it isn’t free. We must be willing to sacrifice of ourselves so that we can show others that we love them and ultimately that Christ loves them.

Survey: What Young Adults Look For

Perspective. Everybody has one, and I doubt that any two are identical. Our perspectives are based on things we have learned, people we associate with, and experiences we have. One thing I struggle with, and you may too, is trying to determine how ministry needs to operate without looking beyond my perspective. But here’s the deal. The people I am trying to reach are not necessarily just like me. Because of this, I wanted to see what young adults really look for in a church.

I recently took a survey on Facebook in which I asked quite a few young adults two questions. Before I tell you the questions, please understand that the young adults I asked cover a wide variety of people. The questions were asked to Bible college students, college students at secular schools, those who grew up in Christian homes and those who did not, and young professionals including soldiers. These are people who have vastly different perspectives because their lives are vastly different. The two questions I asked were.

1. What are some important things to you in a local church?
2. How important is church media (powerpoint, sermon videos, and welcome videos) to you?

In response to the first question, I found an overwhelming response of solid biblical teaching and emphasis on the Gospel. Young adults want a church that knows where they stand in accordance with Scripture, and that stresses the truth of the Gospel. It is clear that they want a church where the Gospel is taught and taken to the lost. They want to be a part of  something that is taking hope to the lost. There is also a strong desire for fellowship. As one person put it, “I look for a family. Not just fellow church members, but an actual body of believers that I can look at and love as family.” Another stated that he prefers a church with members of all ages. It is a desire of his for the older generation to be involved in the young adult ministry to share their wisdom with them. What do I see in this? I see a group of young adults who want to follow Jesus with their whole heart. They want biblical teaching. They want the Gospel to be of highest priority. They want to be part of a family.

Regarding the second question, the whole reason I asked it was because it seems to be the modern mindset that young adults only go to high-tech churches. However, the survey answers reveal something entirely different.I found that young adults like when media is used, but only if it is done well. They do not want to look at a mediocre powerpoint or a cheesy video. According to the survey, they only want us to use media if we are going to make it excellent. But none of those surveyed said it was highly important to them.

In summary, I think we need to consider something. What was the purpose of the early church? Acts says that the church met to hear the apostles teaching, fellowship with each other, partake of the Lord’s Supper, and pray. I find it interesting that the young adults surveyed claim that what they most desire are the first two things. Even though prayer and the Lord’s Supper were never mentioned in the survey answers, a proper teaching and understanding of Scripture will bring about each. Thus, I would say that young adults most desire for the church to fulfill its biblical purpose. It is clear from the answers given that these people want to be a part of something incredible, and I cannot think of any era of church history in which the local church has turned the world upside down as it did in Acts. Maybe the best way to attract young adults is to institute and stress the biblical purposes for the church.

3 Things to Remember When Teaching Young Adults

Let’s face it. We’ve all sat through boring lectures that result in feeling like we lost brain cells during the lesson. I must confess that I am guilty of being the boring speaker at times. In order to really teach young adults the truth of Scripture we need to keep a few things in mind.

• Know Your Stuff. Young adults, especially college students, are loaded with questions. They sit through classes that are directly opposed to the Word of God, and we need to be able to help them see why the Bible is right instead of their professor. As their teachers, we need to be able to answer the questions that they have. If you don’t know the answer, let them know that you will research it and get back to them ASAP. If you have the time and money, I would suggest taking grad level courses to prepare yourself for the questions they will ask. Remember, the worst kind of teacher is the ignorant one.

• Be Genuine. Young adults can see right through us. They know when we are genuine and they know when we are fake. In our teaching, we need to be real with them. Using personal illustrations, even of some failures, will go the extra mile in showing them that we had to learn lessons in life just like them. They know we’re not perfect but they also need to hear it from us. After our teaching, when the class/ministry is dismissed, our lifestyle is what they see. Your lifestyle speaks louder than your words. The best leader is the one who people imitate without being told to. We need to take the lessons we are teaching and apply them to ourselves. As they see the truth become real in us, they will be more likely to practice it themselves.

• Stick To The Text. This is something that needs to be remembered in teaching all age groups, but especially young adults. We need to study enough to know the main point of what we are teaching and stick to that point at all costs. Everything we say needs to flow from that point. Whether we are teaching through a passage or a topic, no word should be careless. I’m not saying to never use illustrations or make jokes; I’m simply saying to always be able to tie them into the main point. Young adults crave the truth, and random rabbit trails will not benefit them.

Teaching young adults is an extremely important task. I am thankful that so many have stepped up the plate, and if you are one of them, I encourage you to pour your heart into this age group, pray for them daily, and teach to this best of your ability.

Young Adults and Church Ministry

Young adults (college students, singles, and young married couples) are a reservoir of leadership and service that the church is failing to tap into. Often, we are tempted to run from this age group thinking that surely they are not yet qualified to lead and certainly are not capable of doing anything more than tearing down tables, but the secular world apparently sees it very differently.

The United States military is not a mediocre organization. It is powerful force of men and women who protect the rights and freedoms of U.S. citizens. They leave their loved ones, travel around the world to do a daunting task. We trust the soldiers to run into battle and win the victory but we don’t trust them to teach a Sunday school class. Let’s take Apple Inc. as an example. A quick search of their website will reveal numerous job positions for college students and college graduates. And I’m not talking about answering phones. They offer college students the ability to work in their stores to present their company and sell their products. College graduates have the chance to enter their “Apple Store Leader Program” to be trained to lead an Apple store. These people are responsible for millions of dollars worth of merchandise, but they are what we would consider “young adults”. Apple trusts them with millions of dollars of products, but we get nervous when they want to lead a Bible study.

Here is what I’m finding. The military and Apple trust young adults to do incredible things, because they trained them the right way. They know that these people are capable of doing amazing things because the organization helped them develop the skills they need. The church gets nervous, because we have failed to train them. We have failed to disciple them to help them discover and develop their spiritual gifts.

Sadly, young adults can find more trust and opportunities to do great things through a secular organization than they can through the church. It’s not their fault, it’ ours.

Should We Be Scared

I read an article the other day by Adam Copeland in which I found an interesting quote. I would certainly not agree with everything the article says but this quote is very thought-provoking. Copeland said, “While many churches say ‘we want young people’ they don’t really. If young adults actually showed up and joined their church for good, the change they’d naturally bring with them would be stark, even off-putting. In fact, making a congregation welcoming for young adults necessarily means it will become less comfortable for the current members.”

I believe that what Copeland says here is partly, but not completely, true.

He brings up a very good point that most churches will claim to want young adults, but don’t really because they don’t want the change that comes with them. Most of the time, young adults are automatically associated with wild music, jeans and tee shirts, and having a coffee shop in the welcome center. We get scared of this idea. We think that if they come to our church they are going to try to change us and make us more contemporary, so we claim to want them, but we really don’t.

Copeland goes on to say that young adults do bring extreme change and that bringing them in requires that church become “less comfortable”. However, what I have learned in working with young adults is that they often do bring change, but not the way we think of it. We think it means lots of external changes, but really what they want is internal change. Young adults are naturally going to be drawn to churches they can associate with. They can be traditional, contemporary, or anywhere in between. They are not going to join a church with the purpose of working like crazy to change it. They are going to join a church because they like it, and want to grow in their walk with Christ at that church. Young adults are likely to get excited about Christ, and that’s what we should want!

We are scared of their excitement because we think they are trying to change us when in reality they are just trying to be like Jesus. We don’t need to be scared of them, we need to embrace them. We don’t need to hinder their excitement, we need to utilize it for the work of Christ.

The Gospel: 3,2,1

A great explanation and illustration of the Gospel!