# starting a College Student class for summer - Need Advice



## jjraby (Apr 21, 2010)

I have been asked to teach a Sunday or Wednesday night class for returning college students at my church. My question is, are there any books on college ministry or material out there on teaching a class to college kids or please give me any and all advice you on!


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## nasa30 (Apr 21, 2010)

I would not worry so much about a "college ministry" material and just walk them through a great study. I see you are PCA so I would do a detailed study on the WCF. Really digging into it in a way that they can handle since they are used to it in college. Take a point a week and really study it.


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## au5t1n (Apr 21, 2010)

Just my 

I am a college student. I agree with no "college material." These are adults (or should be becoming so). They don't need patronizing "college material." Just teach them a good quality study. The level of prior knowledge (or lack thereof) in the group will become apparent and you can tailer the teaching based on that.


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## jjraby (Apr 21, 2010)

Good ideas, the book idea was more for me, but i guess i general book on ministry itself would be good.


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## au5t1n (Apr 21, 2010)

I thought you were looking for curriculum. You are looking for a book on college ministry? It seems to me that that might not be too helpful because the makeup of a college group will vary widely depending on where you are, who the students are, and how many of them there are. I would just suggest you get to know them and teach a Bible study, giving them the opportunity to ask questions and discuss.


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## Tim (Apr 21, 2010)

Make sure that this study doesn't have the effect of segregating these students from the rest of the congregation. That is, remember to encourage and provide lots of interaction with older adults, the elders, deacons, and their wives, young families with children, etc. If you are already married, it is an excellent idea that your wife (and children?) attend this study. Seriously!


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## Christopher88 (Apr 21, 2010)

As a college student, I despise college material. Were adults, not teens who want silly games and a small study. I want to be taught the word of God to the point I go home and cry at the fact my God is so deep and powerful. I want to leave in conviction not leave on a emotional high. Teach me. I would love to attend a class where the WCF was taught.


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## SolaScriptura (Apr 21, 2010)

Jeremy - I can't recommend John Piper's "Don't Waste Your Life" highly enough for your situation. While anyone could benefit from it, the book - and the sermons that spawned it - were originally intended for the college student audience... and college students are at the right point in their life to really consider what this book has to say. Please consider it!


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## Tim (Apr 21, 2010)

I kindly offer an alternative opinion.

I found "Don't Waste Your Life" to be tediously shallow and devoid of any of hint of the richness of Reformed systematics. In my opinion, any historical reformed work provides a much more solid framework to guide one's life and offer a righteous direction for our worldly endeavors. Go deep! Go deep!

EDIT: this post was not intended to stomp on Ben's above post.


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## SolaScriptura (Apr 21, 2010)

Tim said:


> I kindly offer an alternative opinion.
> 
> I found "Don't Waste Your Life" to be tediously shallow and devoid of any of hint of the richness of Reformed systematics. In my opinion, any historical reformed work provides a much more solid framework to guide one's life and offer a righteous direction for our worldly endeavors. Go deep! Go deep!



If one is accustomed to reading systematic theology texts, and old ones at that, then of course to that person anything less than that is going to be "shallow" - but really, the kind of person you describe is the exception rather than the rule. Most who have read Don't Waste Your Life agree that it is GREAT.

Jeremy - here is where you get to have a glimpse into leadership decision making. In a gesture to singlehandedly repudiate the shallowness of American Christianity and force deep thinking and critical reading skills do you pick the most profound, most alien to our culture, most heady, stuff you can find? Or do you pick something that is mainstream evangelical and hope to bring them to deeper thinking? Or do you find something that is solid without being cumbersome to the "uninitiated?" 

I humbly suggest the latter and if someone in your class is like some of the people who have commented above (very doubtful, in all likelihood...) then you can form a study group with them and parse Calvin's Institutes or Witsius, or whatever, til your heart's content.


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## au5t1n (Apr 21, 2010)

That's not fair, I didn't suggest Witsius or deny the value of Don't Waste Your Life. I just know that many college students dislike the patronizing nature of most "college study" material (I didn't think of Don't Waste Your Life).

No one could say a simple Bible study with questions and student interaction is "heady."


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## Theoretical (Apr 21, 2010)

Sonny said:


> As a college student, I despise college material. Were adults, not teens who want silly games and a small study. I want to be taught the word of God to the point I go home and cry at the fact my God is so deep and powerful. I want to leave in conviction not leave on a emotional high. Teach me. I would love to attend a class where the WCF was taught.


 
 

There's no need to look for "college-focused" material for students, even those lacking sound foundations. I taught a pretty decent class using Paul Tripp's Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands. My church just went through this book Amazon.com: Golden Booklet of the True Christian Life (9780801065286): John Calvin: Books for our evening Bible study and we had all kinds of people show up, including from very-new-to-reformed backgrounds. It'd be great for college students. Or look at one of the Puritan paperbacks. 

I also liked Amazon.com: Loving God With All Your Mind: Thinking as a Christian in the Postmodern World (9781581345124): Gene Edward, Jr. Veith: Books by Gene Edward Veith, a quality Lutheran writer.

In my campus's RUF, the main book study is going through Reason for God and it's been a fairly fruitful study.


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## jjraby (Apr 21, 2010)

Theoretical said:


> Sonny said:
> 
> 
> > As a college student, I despise college material. Were adults, not teens who want silly games and a small study. I want to be taught the word of God to the point I go home and cry at the fact my God is so deep and powerful. I want to leave in conviction not leave on a emotional high. Teach me. I would love to attend a class where the WCF was taught.
> ...


 
I was actually thinking of going through Reasons for God, I just finished an Apologetics class where that was a book we used so the material is fresh in my head. Also, what would be the consensus on a book like Piper's Desiring God? We are reading that now for our Sanctification class and i find it to be a refreshing take on service, joy, and happiness.


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## yoyoceramic (Apr 21, 2010)

I think college students could benefit from a good study of apologetics.


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## Theoretical (Apr 21, 2010)

jjraby said:


> Theoretical said:
> 
> 
> > Sonny said:
> ...


 


yoyoceramic said:


> I think college students could benefit from a good study of apologetics.


 
You might also try K. Scott Oliphint's _The Battle Belongs to the Lord_ which is heavily Scripture-based, has discussion questions at the end of each chapter, and is written as an introduction to apologetics.


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## SolaScriptura (Apr 21, 2010)

Apologetics. Nice. I remember in high school youth group...seems like they gave us a class on apologetics every few months. And when I was a youth pastor guess what? I did a class on apologetics.


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## Theoretical (Apr 22, 2010)

SolaScriptura said:


> Apologetics. Nice. I remember in high school youth group...seems like they gave us a class on apologetics every few months. And when I was a youth pastor guess what? I did a class on apologetics.



Interesting point. It's funny how much of my liberal high school youth group I blot out from my memory, but you're right, even we talked about a lot. And as your sarcasm correctly implies, it didn't do a whole lot of good.


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## Tim (Apr 22, 2010)

SolaScriptura said:


> Tim said:
> 
> 
> > I kindly offer an alternative opinion.
> ...


 
Good comments, Ben. If you found my tone harsh, please forgive me. I didn't mean to stomp on your previous comment. Please forgive that. I was trying to articulate my thoughts about Piper's book as I was exposed to it in a college-age home group. At the time, I had only about 2-3 years of sitting under a reformed pulpit. And I found it shallow. Perhaps I am the exception. I don't know. But if you have college students who have grown up in a PCA church (there would be at least a few in said group?), would they not be even more dissatisfied?

I guess one of my observations would be that there is a great discrepancy between the depth of books that college students read in college and the depth of books they read in church! Since college students, by category, for the most part the most intelligent part of their age group (not intended to be condescending to people in trades), why should they not be given challenging theological material? If you mine for gold, you will find great treasure.

I think you want something that is in line with the historical theological heritage of the PCA (since this is the denomination of our brother and his college group), that opens up for the students the richness of Biblical scholarship.


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