Promoting EveryStudent.com November 17, 2008
Posted by Gilbert Kingsley in Evangelism.add a comment
You know about http://EveryStudent.com. But did you know about http://www.EveryStudentPromotion.com/?
This page has some great ways for letting others know about EveryStudent.com. Naturally, you can find all the posters and articles for each of the topics that EveryStudent addresses. But you can also find out about the new Facebook application, “Life Questions,” see the Facebook ads and learn how to place them, and even how to order EveryStudent business cards and postcards.
One very interesting way to promote EveryStudent is the “Social bookmarks” application.
It explains a step by step way to post EveryStudent.com articles to your Facebook profile. I have done it, so it is not that hard. Here is all you need to know.
- Go to EveryStudent.com and go to an article that you like.
- Either in the left-hand margin, or at the bottom of the page, find the “Share” icon
- Scroll over it and click on the Facebook option that appears.
- You’ll see a popup box and two tabs at the top: send a message (email it to someone) or to post it to your Facebook profile page.
- Click on post to profile. It’s fun. Try it!!!
The EveryStudent strategy director, Marilyn Adamson, recently sent this video to some of us. It was done in Singapore and describes online intentional conversations. It’s kinda fun, even though the quality is so so. Take a look. That video can also be found on the promotions page at the Online Conversations link.
We know that with the pervasive use of the internet by students that some of you may have already started movements using EveryStudent.com, StartingwithGod.com, or Facebook. If you have or you have attempted to launch movements using the internet, please let me know.
Here are a few other ideas for letting others know about EveryStudent.com
- Add “Life Questions” application to your Facebook profile.
- Create a Facebook group for each campus. For example EveryStudent.com at Boston University. You can add a link to it at the end of your emails.
- Sing up for Live Chat on EveryStudent.com.
- Create a “value God” page. Then add that link to your Facebook profile.
January Transition to new Leadership November 10, 2008
Posted by Gilbert Kingsley in Leadership, Student Ownership.add a comment
Our middle son, Will, is in his final semester at Florida State University. Last year, when he was home for the Thanksgiving weekend, we talked about what would happen to the ministry when he and the fairly active group of leaders that he was a part of would graduate. Obviously, they needed to pass the baton on to the next group of leaders, but to whom, when and how?
Selection
Why think about selection now? We still have more than a semester left. I don’t think there is anyone better to cheer on and encourage new leadership, as well as to offer help if they stumble, than those who just handed off leadership? They have a vested interest in their success. Leadership development and selection must be intentional.
Take time to think through those who demonstrate spiritual leadership. Such leadership does not happen just by showing up or having a great personality. Leaders are developed. That happens as you delegate responsibility and watch how they bring their own vision and faith to the task. One way to make this more concrete is by considering the visibility/risk grid. Here is a very simple exercise for using the grid. Leadership naturally involves both high risk and high visibility.
Delegation
One concern Will had about turning responsibility over to new leadership was their readiness. In general, I believe that we wait too long before giving responsibility to others. Yes, there are qualifications necessary for leadership. But often we neglect how much the new leader must trust God. The faith factor is necessary for growth. Nearly everyone feels inadequate when they first step into a leadership position. What better place to be than to really have to trust God for wisdom and direction.
Eric Swanson’s excellent article on Effective Delegation, offers some simple steps in delegating responsibility:
- Decide what needs to be done.
- Select the best person for the job. Let him/her know you believe he/she can do it. Trust is one of the highest forms of motivation.
- Clarify and agree upon the desired result and deadline. Major on what, not how–results, not methods.
- Define guidelines and potential pitfalls. Let him/her learn from your mistakes and the mistakes of others.
- Establish level of authority, accountability, and method of evaluation.
- Identify resources–financial, human, technical, and organizational resources that he/she can draw from.
- Establish consequences.
Passing the baton
I suggested to Will that their leadership team sit down now before the end of this semester and determine a game plan for passing the baton of leadership early next semester. We typically wait until the end of the year to hand off leadership. Those new leaders wait until next August to begin leading. That can be a rather difficult handicap to overcome given the spiritually challenging summers for many. Why not install them as leaders early in the spring when the example of the present team is still fresh in their minds. The old leadership can be there to encourage and answer questions.
Also, August is typically a high risk, high visibility time for the ministry. It is when you want your ministries to be firing on all cylinders. You must hit the ground running in order to take advantage of that once a year opportunity of connecting with as many incoming freshman as possible. Why not use the Spring semester to help the new team function together and develop the plans that they will implement in August.
Visibility/Risk Grid with Examples November 10, 2008
Posted by Gilbert Kingsley in Leadership, Student Ownership.add a comment
Questions Leading into Spiritual Conversations November 3, 2008
Posted by Gilbert Kingsley in Evangelism.2 comments
A good friend of mine has three of his campuses doing a “Kill the Giants” Week over the next couple of weeks. It is events like that that encourages us to trust the Lord by demonstrating big faith to “kill” some personal and ministry giants in their lives. We know that for many students, personal evangelism is a significant giant that truly demands big faith. With that in mind, here are 31 conversation “starters” compiled by Patty Burgin and Bobb Biehl.
- Where are you in your spiritual pilgrimage?
- In your opinion, how does one become a Christian?
- What single thing would you like to make absolutely certain you do (if at all possible) during your lifetime?
- How do you think a person can keep from becoming a workaholic?
- What character can you imagine yourself to be? (any period of history)
- What are you reading that is not an assignment or required by your work?
- How do you know you’ll go to heaven when you die?
- How are your growing personally?
- In a conversation with someone who has never heard about God, what would you say about Him from your experience?
- In your opinion, how does one become a Christian?
- How would you describe your father and his impact on your life?
- Tell me about your mentor and his/her impact on your life.
- What do you think would probably surprise most people about you? Why?
- What is your greatest strength, and what are you doing to develop it?
- Why do people do what they do? What are the assumptions you make about people?
- How do you handle pressure? When the pressure is really on, what do you need from your friends?
- Has anything ever happened to you that was dramatic, personal or spectacular enough to cause you to be certain there is a God who is both infinite and personally caring?
- What do you consider to be two major turning points in your life?
- What is something you consider to be a great personal success? Why was it so significant?
- What is the key to maintaining balance in your life?
- What are 2 or 3 major truths upon which you have based your decision-making?
- Tell me about two of your life-long friends and why they have such an impact on your life. What made you choose them?
- Have you dealt with the questions? “How much money is enough, and what do I do with the rest?”
- How would you describe your mother and the impact she has had on your life?
- In your opinion, who was/is Jesus Christ?
- If you could know God personally, would you be interested?
- How would you define materialism, and how do you deal with it in your life?
- What have you found to be the best way of absorbing disappointment, rejection, distress and discouragement?
- When you get to heaven, what will be the first three questions you will ask God?
- If you were to inherit a million dollars today, and couldn’t spend it on your own enterprise or keep it for yourself, what would you do with it and why?
- What do you find most attractive about Christianity/the person of Christ? What do you find least attractive about Christianity/the person of Christ?
And here is a list of questions intended to break through barriers in sharing the gospel compiled in the NorthEast several years ago.
- Do you consider yourself a seeker of the truth?
- What is your spiritual background?
- Have you ever read the Bible?
- Have your views on religion changed since you started college? How?
- Have you ever discussed what Biblical Christianity is?
- Why do you think you feel the way you do toward Jesus Christ and his message of love and forgiveness?
- What is your philosophy of life based on?
- Do you believe what you’ve been brought up with?
- Why do you think Christianity isn’t relevant to your life?
- If Christ was who He claimed to be, how would that affect your life?
- What are you living for? What do you value most?
- If your questions could be answered in a way that would satisfy you, would you then believe in Christ?
- The Kennedy questions: First ask–”If you died today, do you know for sure you’d go to heaven?” Then ask–”If you died and stood before God and He asked you ‘Why should I let you into Heaven?’ What would you say?”
The key here is simply to begin conversations and then to listen to the heart of the one we are talking with. Sometimes it is hardest bringing up the gospel with our friends. We just need to keep asking questions that will reveal who they are.
