It is a bit of a paradox for someone who writes and speaks on College Ministry to say, "Beware of College Ministry Experts!". But, sometimes we confuse fame with expertise.....or proximity to fame. A friend said he had just read an article on College Ministry by a person I had never heard of. When I asked about the writer, my friend explained that he was College Minister at a famous preacher's church.
Several years ago I was visiting with a pastor friend who was frustrated by all the pastor conferences he went to that would have the latest pastor who was at a booming church in a booming suburb of a large city to speak on how to grow a church. He said, "They know nothing about how to grow a church like the one I pastor.". A year or two ago a well known pastor who had briefly served as a Church College Minister wrote an article on College Ministry that was widely circulated. I disagreed with his basic premise and I wrote him an email about it. He was gracious enough to respond and said, "I didn't think about that.". But, the article continued to be passed about.
Here's the point. Sometimes the best person to help you and who you can learn from is not somebody famous. Rather, it is someone who is working in a similar situation to yours. Their ministry may not be large and they may not be the speaker at conferences, but they have dealt with the same issues that you face. I recently was visiting with someone who is leading a very successful College Ministry and many would correctly call him an expert. In the midst of our conversation he told me he had 24 staff members.....most College Ministries I know are 23 short of that. His ministry is to be admired and you probably will hear him at a conference....but someone else may likely be YOUR most helpful "expert".
This is soooo true. A native American proverb says, unless you walk a mile in his/her moccasins you can NOT know his/her cares.
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