I am thinking about all the professional books released this fall which I have read. They are:
Souls in Transition, Christian Smith with Patricia Snell
It's All About Jesus! Faith as as Oppositional Collegiate Subculture, Peter Magolda and Kelsey Ebben Gross
To Transform the World: Vital United Methodist Campus Ministries, edited by Alice G. Knotts
College Ministry 101: A Guide to Working With 18 -25 Year Olds, Chuck Bomar
Reaching the Campus Tribes (An Opening Inquiry), Benson Hines
Each, in a different way, is bringing something to the collegiate ministry discussion. But they highlight a deficiency in current collegiate ministry thinking.
Who is doing the hard work of theology of collegiate ministry? Where is serious thought about "why" going on? There are an increasing number of "how" and "who" books about this student generation, but when it comes to theology they are light. That characterizes the above books. I'm not slamming them for their theology. I just want more meat! Is anyone working on the theology of collegiate ministry from a Reformed perspective?
Where is the face of theoretical collegiate ministry in the PC(USA)? For that matter, is there any face / name recognition the denomination has for collegiate, comparable to Roger Nishioka or Kenda Creasy Dean for youth ministry?
Maybe the denomination isn't taking collegiate ministry seriously enough because we have not taken our profession and calling seriously enough to write, wrestle, publish, and publically discuss it.
J. Cody Nielsen
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Hey all. So looking forward to being in connection with all of you in just
a few short weeks. My name is Cody Nielsen. I am an ordained United
Methodist c...
5 years ago
2 comments:
100% agreed!!! I've been asking the same question. Unfortunately, I don't think there's an answer. I believe that whatever we do will have to be grassroots. It will have to emerge out of conversation. And it will take a lot of intentional effort. Remember, the squeaky wheel...
I've wondered, too, where the mission in collegiate ministry can be found. I wonder where the passion can be found. Perhaps the denomination doesn't see the mission in collegiate ministries and doesn't see the passion. I'm not sure the mission and passion will be found in the study of religious questions. I think both may exist in Christian action in social justice and environmental rescue.
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