by Stephen Lutz
If you’re like me, you have conversations on a fairly regular basis where you explain to people why you value working with college students. I’ve used a simple acronym, PATHS, to remind myself and others why this ministry is so important. PATHS stands for Priority, Ambition, Trajectory, Heart, and Strategic.
Priority: During the college years, it seems everything is up for grabs. Students are confronted with hundreds of options about what to do for fun, what to study, who to be friends with, and more. We know that many students leave the church (and their faith) when they get to college, sometimes doing this emphatically and painfully. But many others simply put their faith on the shelf. It recedes in importance, getting crowded out and eventually strangled by the cares of this world (Matt 13:22). One of the best things we can do as campus ministers is to help our students prioritize their faith in Christ above all else in everyday life.
Ambition: Many students dream big, and many of those dreams center on themselves. This is, after all, what our culture has conditioned them to do. Our work as campus ministers must help them reimagine what true success, meaning, and fulfillment looks like, from God’s perspective. We must call students to let their lives be shaped by an abiding, driving, holy ambition for the Kingdom of God to come in everything they do. Even those who want to “change the world” must have their ambitions enlarged, to center on the infinite glory of God and what He is able to do, not our weak, small, self-centered dreams.
Trajectory: When a rocket takes flight, a navigational error of even a fraction of a degree can mean the rocket ends up in a radically different place than what was intended. Great care goes into plotting the early stages of flight, because they have a huge impact on the final destination. In the same way, college ministry must be concerned with the long-term direction of our students, not just the here-and-now. Our goal should be to see students equipped for lifelong faithfulness, not merely entertaining or sheltering them on the way to the rest of their lives. We take an active role in guiding students through the seemingly insignificant decisions during college that are profoundly formative for the rest of their lives.
Heart: College students (like many of us) don’t start out with a great deal of self-knowledge. Even for those who become serious about their faith, it can easily become an externally directed program of moral behavior modification. Campus ministers help students understand themselves at the heart level, and to embrace how the Gospel changes us from the inside-out. We are after far more than a pharisaical avoidance of certain 3D, HD sins common to the college years—we’re after full transformation, a transformation that starts with the heart and works its way out into every area of life.
Strategic: It’s my conviction that there is no more strategic area of ministry in the world than reaching college students. In college ministry, we get to engage with students during some of the most formative years of their lives. We reach them before the window of opportunity closes for many of them in the mid-20s. We get to lead future leaders, from virtually every tribe, tongue and nation from all around the world. We get to influence students amidst the unique marketplace of ideas that make up Higher Ed. In short, if we reach college students, we will reach the world. Virtually every other social and political movement in the world realizes this, and makes it a priority. So should we. The degree to which we reach college students now will have a profound effect on the future of Christianity in North America and the world.
I’ve found that all of these reasons, taken together, are compelling. Amidst the countless cups of coffee, pieces of pizza, texts, meetings, Facebook messages, gatherings, tweets, emails, and calls that make up everyday college ministry, PATHS reminds me of the big picture. God loves college students, and we have the privilege of serving them during this pivotal season of life.
::Stephen Lutz is a pastor, and a thinker and practitioner in campus ministry. He is the author of College Ministry in a Post-Christian Culture (The House Studio, Fall 2011). He has worked for churches and parachurch ministries, and served in urban and suburban campus contexts. He currently serves with Calvary Church and CCO (Coalition for Christian Outreach) at Penn State in University Park, PA. Before returning to Penn State (his alma mater) for ministry, he helped plant a church in Philadelphia, PA and worked with students at several Philly area schools. Steve received his M.Div from Westminster Theological Seminary. His interests include reaching college students, starting churches, innovation and entrepreneurship, and Penn State and Philly sports. He lives with his wife Jessica and their three children in Boalsburg, PA. He blogs at http://stevelutz.wordpress.com and tweets @stephenlutz.::
As a Penn State grad who connected with the CCO back in the early 80s, I'm just loving this. Because of the presence of the CCO in my life during those years, I just love connecting with college students near my church in Connecticut. Keep up the good work, and hail to the Lion!
Posted by: Nancy | 10/24/2011 at 11:53 AM
PATHS -- that's very helpful Steve! Thanks.
Posted by: Guy Chmieleski | 10/22/2011 at 03:43 PM