Recently, I sat around a table at Moe’s talking with some of the youth ministry leaders from the church I attend and serve. They laughed as they shared stories stretching all the way back to the youngest days of current homegrown (students who ‘graduate’ from the youth ministry as the way into the college area) college students. As they recalled memories of 6th and 7th grade versions of current 22-23 year olds who reappear around the church regularly, I realized there’s a bittersweet reality of the ministry I’ve committed my life and career to these past few years.

To set the stage, in the average year of campus ministry, a student moves to town for college and eventually finds their way to the campus ministry where I serve as Campus Minister. If they find it a place where they want to commit themselves, they stick around and relationships begin to form. Over their time in school, they attend weekly meetings, mission trips, Bible studies, and community meals. Countless hours are spent laughing, praying, eating, and sometimes, crying. After a few years (generally 4-5), I watch as the student turns their tassel and walks across the stage, out of their campus ministry, and into the world beyond.

Thus creates the bittersweet scenario I’ve seen in my own ministry and in the ministries of those I serve with: while it’s exciting to see them step out into the world, to go and be the light of Christ, it’s also the last time we see many of them face-to-face. They move to towns, states, and even countries far away from where they attended college- many only returning a decade or two later, if even. After a few years, only we who worked closely with them remember the ‘stories.’ We find it difficult to locate others to sit around the table with 10 years later to laugh about memories because these students, so preciously critical to the ministry’s life during their college years, have moved on to find a new church home, build a family, and use the knowledge gained here- at the university as well as campus ministry- to change the world around them.

This is one of the many realities of collegiate ministry, both within the walls of the church as well as from the campus ministry perspective. It’s bittersweet, to be sure, but it’s also beautiful to see them move on and flourish (it should be our prayer, actually).

So, when you look at those ministers and volunteers working with collegiate aged students (church or on campus), remember this reality they face with each graduation ceremony. Pray for them as their closest relationships are stretched and changed year after year. Campus ministry is not unlike any other ministry in the institutional church in many ways but, at the same time, some of it’s realities don’t compare at all.

The challenge we face as we minister with college-aged young adults, is to strive forward: to continue to help them discern God’s call in their lives and then, at graduation, to send them to follow God’s voice in the world wherever they go. The hope being that they are better prepared to go because of their time with us.

Above all, we can’t give up on them because they’ve moved on. The students who leave after graduation still need our thoughts and prayers. They’ll ‘pop’ in from time to time and keep us updated and we’ll celebrate the life milestones they pass as their journey keeps moving forward, the stories continuing, even when we’re not a part of them directly.

We can never forget that though these relationships change and years later, you (the collegiate ministry leader), may be one of the only few in the area/ministry who remember the students who you’ve loved, celebrated and sent, you’re given the opportunity to keep fostering and growing with a new group who’ll come in each year remembering, with each new class, that the one who has called us remains faithful.