One of the ways we, Campus Renewal Ministries, teach students how to live on mission and to get out of their Christian bubbles is to change some simple patterns in their lives.  We call these “missional rhythms.” I shared four simple rhythms last week and will share four more this week.

Rhythm

“A movement or procedure with uniform or patterned recurrence of a beat, accent, or the like.”

If simple changes become a “patterned recurrence,” students will be able to engage more and more of their peers with the gospel. Here are a few simple missional rhythms that we encourage students to consider.

Do Nothing Alone

Don’t do anything alone. If you’re going to go study, invite others to join you. If you’re going to work out, invite others to join you. If you’re going to the movies, invite someone to join you. If you’re going to the cafeteria, invite someone to join you. If you’re going to the grocery store, invite someone to join you. You get the idea. Do the normal things you do in a week, but do them with others.

Talk to Everyone

Now this certainly sounds simple, maybe even silly. Talk to people. Every single time you see someone, try to start a conversation with them. Don’t walk in and out of class without talking to someone. Don’t walk past people while walking home to your dorm or apartment. Take your headphones out of your ears and start conversations.

Look for the Lonely

In every community there are the folks that seem to be on the fringes. Find the nerdy guy in class that no one talks to. Look for the girl in the cafeteria that is eating alone. Seek out the guy in the fraternity seems to be less included. Go meet the neighbor who seems the most reclusive. People need relationships, so pay attention to those that seem to have none.

Ask Questions

Once you get talking with folks, ask a lot of questions. People like to talk abut themselves. By asking questions, you show that you want to get to know them and you actually do get to know them. Did you know Jesus asked about ten times as many questions as he answered? Get to know people by asking questions about their interests, job, family, etc.

 

Justin Christopher is the national campus director for Campus Renewal Ministries and the author of Campus Renewal: A Practical Plan for Uniting Campus Ministries in Prayer and Mission. He facilitates CRM’s Partnering Campus Project and also gives leadership to the Campus House of Prayer and the missional community movement at the University of Texas.