3 Words go a long way in your college ministry touching students lives and being involved in God's transformation of students' lives. The 3 words are Ownership, Identity, and Example.
1. OWNERSHIP-If students feel their ideas, thoughts, service matters, they will invest most of themselves in the ministry. Are they a part of key decisions that are made? Does what they think and do matter? If they think so, they will feel ownership and that is huge!
2.IDENTITY-One of the things that alums out of our ministry say again and again, "I found out who I was as a part of that ministry." One of our tasks is to help students as they work thru the process of working out who they are, why they have value and what they have to offer in life (spiritual gifts God has given them). An alum from many years ago shared with me the other day that he credited me with knowing who he was. That is not a compliment to me, but just points to the strategic place we serve in that time in their life.
3. EXAMPLE-The most powerful influencing agent to students' lives is the example they see....YOURS and other students particularly uppperclassmen. There is nothing that is more valuable than students seeing someone model what it means to live as godly, mature people. Bringing students into a healthy Christian group where they can see students model servanthood, leadership, competency, integrity....the list can go on. The power of Example is irrereplaceable!!