Catch Up: Emerging Adulthood

So. Apparently I don’t really pay attention in class. My collegiate ministry blog/journal assignment is more in depth than I thought. Looks like I am supposed to write a blog entry every time we have a class meeting. That is once a week since August 23. That is 12 weeks ago. That means that I am supposed to have at least 12 entries that pertain to each day of class. So, now I am going to have to catch up considering I did not really know that it was suppose to be that much. Luckily I have a week to write all of these. Which means almost two blogs a day. Which is good for me, because I can now review all that we have talked about throughout the year and see how much I have learned. I hate that I waited so long because it adds to my stress which is not good at all, but I think it is going to end up being a good thing! So that is my introductory paragraph. Now I am going to begin the onslaught of blog entries that hopefully you will read all of instead of stopping now.
This first blog is just going to be about my first day of class. The class is called Guiding Collegians in their Faith Pilgrimage. Obviously it is a class geared towards teaching us how to teach and disciple college students. The first day of class we defined most collegiate students into the emerging adult category. We first looked at the definitions of adulthood as defined by sociologists and then as defined by college students. Sociologist use actual events as meaning a person has entered into adulthood. These events are finishing education, entering full time work, getting married and becoming parents. College students define adulthood quite differently. According to students they are adults when they begin taking responsibility for one’s actions, making independent decisions, and becoming financially independent. Well for me, I am not an adult based on either one of these definitions. I am single, still in school, working full time and nowhere near having children. I am happy to admit my mistakes, I make all my own decisions, but I still rely heavily on my parents when it comes to money. But I am a seminary student, so that is okay, right? Speaking of which, rent is due in a couple days….. Anyways, according to Reifman, Arnett, and Colwell, there are five stages of emerging adulthood. It is the age of identity exploration, the age of instability, the age where a person is most self focused, the age where one is not really an adolescent but not an adult, and the age of possibilities where a person’s life can be completely up to them. Along with these five stages are four sub cultures of college students. There are college students who want fellowship and partying, vocational students who are seeking success, academic students who genuinely want to gain knowledge, and the rebel students who are completely against conformity.
An important aspect to remember when ministering to college students is the idea of personal growth. There are many aspects that students want to grow in when they come to college. When I started college I wanted to make friends, wanted to get my life started, wanted to find a girlfriend and get married, and do something to be recognized by people. Well I ended up making friends. That is about all of the goals I met while in college. It is very important as a minister to keep these needs in mind, no matter how selfish they are. Every student has desires and these cannot be ignored. Whether a student wants to be successful, wants to party, wants to gain knowledge, or just wants to live life, all these wants are very important. How can college ministers cater to these needs? That is a very complicated question. Each person is different. That is why one of the most important things as ministers is to know your students. It is important to have events that everyone can relate to. One thing that we have had pounded in our head all semester is that the context of where a ministry is has a huge impact on what how a minister should arrange the ministry itself. The first step that is necessary is gaining students’ trust. In order to do this we must know them and know how they think. Important aspects in a student’s faith pilgrimage are worship services, bible reading, friends, and prayer. There are many more, these are just a few. As a college minister, I am going to be responsible to hold students accountable and lead them to higher standards in their faith journey. The thresholds mentioned above become very important when thinking of practical aspects of ministry. These stages must be considered when planning events and thinking of how to arrange a ministry to minister to many people of many different backgrounds. Emerging adulthood is a very complicated stage of life that we all have to go through at some point. College ministers have been where college students are now. Having been there, the most important in a minister’s guidance can be the experiences that they have that are similar to those in college now. If a college student knows that a minister has gone through the same things that they are going through now, the student is more likely to relate and trust the minister. Without this initial trust, there can be no discipleship.

Worship

This particular blog is in an attempt to catch up with some work that I need to do for my College Ministry class. In the past few weeks we have discussed a lot of things. We had one special guest that came and spoke about worship and we are supposed to journal (blog) about some practical applications to some of the things that we talked about regarding worship. The first thing that is the most important thing is that worship does not only take place in a church building on Sunday morning. Worship should encompass everything in everyday life. Worship is not singing. Singing can, however, be worship. Worship is prayer, song, life, and everything that can possibly get you closer to God (which should be everything). Worship should not just be on a Sunday morning, or even an everyday quiet time. Worship has to become more than this. It has to be putting God above yourself in every aspect of your life. What are some ways that we can make everyday decisions and everyday life into constant worship? We have to realize that all the things we have and do everyday are less important than bringing glory to God. Every act can be an act of worship if done with the right motives. And by every act I mean there are some exceptions. But most things can be used to glorify God. Holding a door for someone, smiling at someone, buying someone flowers for no reason at all. All of these things can be acts of worship. We have to make them acts of worship though. At some point doing all of these things joyfully will create an attitude in us that makes them second nature. Worship can become a part of everyday life without us even realizing it. Worship is a way for us to get closer to God. It is a never ending process that we need to remain diligent in. Worship is more important to our spiritual lives than food is for our physical bodies. Even with all this in mind, it is important to remember that worship on Sunday morning or in a worship service is as important also. We have to keep in mind that there are many people that attend the worship services and it is important to make this worship a great experience for everyone present, especially those who may not know the Lord. This is a complicated task and is going to vary depending on location. However, it is a task that can absolutely be accomplished. Young people often want contemporary music and upbeat sermons; where as older people typically want more traditional music (if it can be called music!! I’m just kidding!!!) and fire and brimstone sermons. If a church has a combination of both, having two services catering to both wants could be a possibility. The question that I asked in class, however, is that when does worship become more important than God? Because although worship is important and vital for our spiritual lives, God is still more important, and we cannot let worship itself become an idol. My point is, it should not really matter what kind of music there is, or what the sermon is about (as long as it is biblical). Worship does not need specifications. Worship is about a relationship between every individual person and God. If the type of music comes between you and God, you should probably reevaluate your relationship. Worship needs to be worship. Worship should not be music. Worship IS God. Without God, there can be no true worship. Lights, sounds, an amazing worship leader, and an awesome speaker are simply a means for a type of worship, but should not be necessary. If they are necessary, something is wrong with your worship. The church I have been attending is simply a guy with a guitar singing. I didn’t think that I would like it at first, but then I realized that it does not matter. God is God no matter how we sing about him. Old people give up your traditions, and young people be considerate of your elders. We all need worship, and we can all get worship in many ways. We should not need to put parameters on acts of worship. Trust God, and love God and worship will be part of your nature.