Building community, authentic relationships and focus on vocational ministry draws new Bible majors
When it comes to attracting today’s young people to ministry, as a career or as a lifestyle, relationships are proving to be the key.
“Cultivating relationships is something we do very well,” said Steve Bonner (’01, MA ’02, MDiv ’04, MA ’20), assistant dean of undergraduate Bible.
After his team’s first season recruiting for the fall 2018 semester, the number of undergraduate Bible majors increased by 40% and has held relatively steady for the last two academic years.
He attributes much of that increase to the intentional, personal, and consistent contact made between the Bible department and both prospective and current students.
Katlyn Nowers (’11, MS ’15), who works as the program coordinator for the college, said the boost in numbers was largely due to Bonner’s ability to connect with potential Bible majors. “He really becomes an ally for them. He wants to help walk them through the discernment process regardless of the outcome. They feel seen and heard, and they are confident in his support. That’s why that initial class of fall 2018 was so big.”
Bonner, who has a research background in adolescent psychosocial and moral development, says the key to talking with prospective students and their families is simple: be authentic.
“We don’t talk poorly about other schools. We emphasize our own community and note the value of it—are they getting what they pay for? We try to be straightforward about who we are,” he said, and also about who the students can be. “We are here to prepare, equip and train ministers for the Kingdom of God. Why do they feel called to be a part of that? What does ministry look like for them?”
Ministry for an increasing number of students does not look like a traditional preacher or youth minister role. Many feel called into vocational ministry. “It’s the notion that what you do [for your livelihood] is actually part of the Kingdom of God because you are part of the Kingdom of God,” said Bonner. They are able to pursue a vocational ministry degree along with another major, “and that’s attractive to a lot of students.”
“We worked closely with admissions to develop processes for recruitment,” said Nowers. An integral part of the process is a database of “touch points” with potential students, including emails from Bible faculty, texts from current students, letters to parents from the chair, and campus visits.
One effective method of the recruitment process did not come from Lipscomb recruiting officials at all: it came from the students themselves. The fall 2018 Bible majors created their own group on GroupMe, a popular messaging platform.
“Bible majors were added to the GroupMe so they would already know each other when they arrived on campus. It really took off! Now we set up a GroupMe every fall for our majors so they have a way to contact each other. We organize it, but the students themselves have ownership of it so they are more likely to participate [in that virtual community],” said Nowers.
Providing Bible majors with opportunities for authentic relationships continues from recruitment into the classroom. Bonner created Bible major-only sections of the required courses, Story of Israel, Story of Jesus and Story of the Church, to enable a cohort model of learning. “Taking all three of these classes with the same people back to back solidifies the community feel of being in this college. They get to learn all the foundational things together,” said Nowers.
“They joy, suffer, learn and relationship together,” Bonner added.
“Particularly in theological education, students are learning so many things that are integral to who they are, so much is tied to foundational beliefs. That kind of education can rock you, so community is important,” Nowers noted.
“I like to use a bowling alley metaphor,” said Bonner. “Students are the ball and the pins are who we want our students to be when they leave us—ministers prepared to be faithful in God’s mission.” The lane is the curriculum or the path the students will travel to get them to the goal. To keep students on the lane, “our co-curriculars are the bumpers: high touch practices, engagement with faculty, forums, lunches, intentional vocation discernment throughout their time here, intentional spiritual formation, spiritual direction and small groups.”
While community development outside of the classroom is part of Nowers’ role, she admits that it can be “a bit of a moving target, especially during this semester [fall 2020]. What do the students need and how do we meet that need?”
One person who helps her hit the target is Sydney Cipriani, a student worker for the college who is also a Bible major. “She is integral to what we do. It makes a huge difference to have someone who is in it who can report needs, provide invaluable perspective and,” Katlyn added, “be our social media expert.”
Cipriani is not the only student to report needs, however. “Earlier this semester a handful of our upperclassmen said they wanted to meet our new freshmen either in small groups or in a mentorship capacity. We are setting up a system to match them in groups of three. Our upperclassmen want to bless the students coming after them with the same intentional care they received. I’m continually impressed with our students’ intentionality. They want to be in community with each other. They want to process the things they are learning in class together. It’s something they value.”
It is a value Nowers shares. “One thing I have been able to maintain in all of the restrictions of this semester is individual student support. My calling, my purpose is to walk through the process of theological education with our students.”
Even though they can’t come into her office, her metaphorical door has remained open. “We’ve talked through email and phone calls. I feel honored when they share their stories with me.”
“I feel so encouraged and empowered to nurture our students,” said Nowers. “It’s the culture here. There’s a sense that this is a place where God creates opportunities and our job is to faithfully step into them.”