The Cool Dude or Best Friend is defined as one being very trendy in speech and dress, often dresses like the students and is usually very tech savvy. This Campus Minister tends to operate as a buddy or best friend to students and can be a style demonstrated by either male or female Campus Ministers. The strength of this style is the ability to relate to students and particularly perhaps those turned off to faith. Another strength is the ability to build deeply into the life of a few due to the close personal relationships.
A weakness of this style is the possibility of students feeling like there is an inner circle and the rest are left out due to not being in the best buddy category. There is the feeling the Campus Minister plays favorites. Second is the danger that the Cool Dude or Best Friend builds the ministry entirely around their personality. When that Campus Minister is gone, the ministry often does not survive.
If this is the style you are gifted with, the challenge is to broaden the ministry past just those students with whom you are close. Plus, develop a structure that will leave an on-going ministry when you are gone or have "aged out" of the Cool Dude or Best Friend category. There is the mistaken assumption by some that you only do college ministry as long as you are cool.
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