Collegiate Collective

Commuter students pose a difficult challenge to many college ministries. They are there one minute, and then they are not. Zipping in for class, but then not being available on campus during the times that events and gatherings take place. But hard to reach should not stop us. These ministry leaders reveal some of the strategies that have worked reaching commuter students on their campuses.

Participants:

Aaron Rodgers (Grand Avenue Baptist Church – Fort Smith Arkansas)
Gus Hernandez (Christ Fellowship Church- Miami FL)
David Worcester ( San Diego State Christian Challenge – San Diego, CA)

Key Points:

• Commuter students come with a number of barriers; time, transportation, and transition.
• Using strategic timing of events to reach students while they are already on campus
• Building authentic community and connecting with others is challenging for these students. Tag on events after the main gathering to help foster community
• “Make is easy, and Make it worth it”.
• Decentralized small groups, basing them where students are living.
• Commuters are commuting because they live there, helping them get plugged into a community is vital.

Questions to consider:

• How many commuter students are on your campus?
• Is your current ministry model reaching them?
• What changes could be made to be more accessible to the commuting students?

Links and additional resources:

https://cfmiami.org/

http://www.challengesdsu.com/

http://www.grandfamily.net/