Campus Ministry in Australia in 2022 and beyond PART 1: accelerated change

The COVID19 pandemic caused massive disruption for universities and university student ministry in Australia of which we are still feeling the effects. We are still in a tertiary education context with much, much smaller numbers of international students Many school-leaver university students have had their early adulthood shaped by lockdowns, isolations and COVIDsafe measures that include caps on room capacity and availability of online options. Universities continue to have COVIDsafe measures in place, many of which are still quite restrictive, all of which make online learning an ongoing feature.

COVID19 accelerated pre-existing trajectories

In some of this, COVID19 accelerated trajectories which were already observable prior to the pandemic: online learning, students spending less time on campus, working more hours in addition to their studies, decline in voluntary student activities and groups etc. Some of these things are coupled with larger social and cultural changes, including:

  • Housing affordability and availability meaning not only are the family of local students living in homes further and further away from university students, but in some contexts, even affordable student accommodation isn’t easy to come by close to campuses.
  • Complicated family life meaning less simple lives and living arrangements for students.
  • Other social factors that have changed the social life of Australians: rise of double-income families, increasing professionalisation and corporatisation of formerly voluntary and public activities and services (including universities and university spaces), decline in churchgoing and other group participation, all sorts of social and economic changes that came from the internet and social media.
  • Shift in the make-up of our inner cities and regional cities in ways I haven’t looked into in detail, but including things such as tree and sea changes.
  • Rising of cost of living and standard of living in some areas pushing felt or real need to work part-time, dissatisfaction with on-campus ‘lifestyle’.
  • The shift from the 1970s to the 2020s from ‘mass tertiary education’ to ‘universal tertiary education’. In Australia there was an enormous shift from ‘elite tertiary education’ to ‘mass tertiary education’ in the 1970s, making university affordable through government support schemes. Theorists now describe our society as one of ‘universal tertiary education’— an increasing shift towards tertiary education being considered not only available to the masses but desirable for almost everybody. This broadens and diversifies the university population, what universities offer and how universities see themselves significantly.
  • Government funding changes to tertiary education and university administration changes of various kinds, that affect the experience of both university staff and student experience.
  • An increase in  evangelical churches well-equipped to minister to and evangelise university students, which prompt students to question the unique benefits of also engaging with a campus ministry. In previous decades, campus ministries were offering events accessible to non-Christians for students whose churches were still very traditional; were offering in-depth expository teaching and theological instruction to churches that were either light and topical or heavy and doctrinal; were providing opportunities for high-level training and ministry activity for young adults, where they were largely sitting in pews or running Sunday School at their churches. Campus ministries are no longer anywhere near as obviously unique as they used to be in these things.

As a result of these things, even prior to the pandemic, there was an increasing number of school leavers/young adults who wouldn’t primarily or substantially identify as ‘university students’, wouldn’t be living the stereotypical ‘student lifestyle’ and wouldn’t see the university campus as a meaningful ‘third place’ for belonging and activity.

COVID19 accelerated changes in behaviour among school leavers/young adults so that the norm of ‘university lifestyle’ has radically changed. This can be observed on the ground in campus ministries, where many groups are still drastically smaller than they were prior to the pandemic.

But universities have also made significant changes.

Universities making permanent move to online-only lectures

In addition to these social changes, many universities are using the disruption of the pandemic (or are compelled as to cut costs due to the impact of the pandemic and other factors) to make permanent changes to their approach to teaching. Many are adopting the current popular teaching methodology of the ‘flipped classroom’—where pre-reading/watching/listening is more information intensive and in-person teaching is more practical and discussion-based. As a result many universities are announcing permanent move to online-only lectures.

Clearly there are potential economic benefits to this shift (saving on large lecture hall real estate and weekly senior lecturer hours, ability to attract online students beyond the immediate area of their campuses) but universities also point various reasons for this shift:

  • The pre-pandemic decline in lecture attendance is pointed to as evidence that lectures are no longer effective or efficient. This is a questionable argument, given that there are a range of measures that could be applied to encourage (or even enforce) lecture attendance, if it were actually valued. These measures could include: taking attendance at lectures and making a certain percentage of attendance mandatory, making access to online lectures a little bit more difficult, investing in organic community life on campus, reducing the number of lectures per semester or front-loading them in earlier part of the semester.
  • The accessibility benefits of online learning. This is certainly true. Accessibility options are not only valuable for those whose lives make on-campus attendance difficult (carers of various sorts, those with disability, those living remotely, those who need to work significant hours due to other financial commitments), but also perfectly satisfactory and even preferable for many mature-age students. However, in many cases accessibility does not clearly trump teaching and formation effectiveness. I believe that especially for school leavers, the value of educational and social formation is far more significant than simple accessibility and convenience.
  • The pedagogical benefits of the flipped-classroom approach. This approach still needs to be observed and tested over time—I’m sceptical about all that is being claimed about this approach, and suspect that the dust will settle on this latest methodology. In practice, arguably the best ‘traditional classrooms’ look pretty similar to ‘flipped classrooms’ and many universities claiming to adopt the ‘flipped classroom’ will deliver it much more poorly than the case studies used in the education research. Further, the social benefits of lectures gathering large numbers of students onto campus are significant.

Future of campus ministry

It may be that once things settle, as the pandemic subsides and as a new-normal of tertiary education is established, a modified version of the kinds of campuses ministries that existed prior to the pandemic will largely continue effectively. Certain aspects of young adulthood, student life  and university education might prove to be so resilient that despite dramatic changes and accelerated trajectories, the existing model still gets substantial traction.

It may even be that some of these trajectories reach a point where a significant reaction, whether in university strategy and educational model or young adult behaviour patterns emerges.

But it is also possible that some of these dramatic changes and longer-term trajectories will be with us for the at least the mid-term (next 5 years) if not longer. This may be the case of a significant minority (or majority) of universities, while others are largely unaffected, creating an increasingly obvious divide in university experience and therefore in campus ministry.

What could that mean for how we approach campus ministry? That’s what I’ll turn to in my next post.

 

PART 2: Some Conceptual Models for the Future of Campus Ministry

PART 3: Some Limits to Creating Community

There’s a word for that: Standpoint epistemology

Didn’t know what the word for this was: ‘Standpoint epistemology’. Especially the questionable claim that oppressed voices are somehow more objective.

Standpoint theory

Standpoint theory supports what feminist theorist Sandra Harding calls strong objectivity, or the notion that the perspectives of marginalized and/or oppressed individuals can help to create more objective accounts of the world. …

Through the outsider-within phenomenon, these individuals are placed in a unique position to point to patterns of behavior that those immersed in the dominant group culture are unable to recognize.

 

The soft version of this is great: minority voices see things others don’t. The hard version is where we get the ad hominem rejection of privileged voices and the authority fallacy favouring oppressed voices.

Non-denominational missionary societies

Do any/many non-denominational missionary societies give constitutional power to their missionaries? I note, for example, that CMS Australia branches have Missionary Members, but some constitutions specify these are not-voting members, which is surprising!

It seems these societies developed, very much unlike denominations, often without giving any power to front line ministry workers. Part of what makes them agile also makes them (kind of) authoritarian, in that sense.

About critical histories of evangelicalism

Critical histories of evangelicalism, or modern culture (or whatever else) are super illuminating and helpful. But these histories, themselves, need to be read critically. Be alert to:
  1. Assertions of causation where correlations are found;
  2. imputation of motivations;
  3. explaining the reason for theological beliefs largely by sociological/psychological concerns (mainly used of views the author is critiquing);
  4. lack of balancing considerations of various kinds;
  5. anachronisms that draws too close a connection between values/people/institutions of the past and present… or create too wooden a division between things of the past and present;
  6. too much dependence on the large explanatory frameworks (around class/social imaginary/sin/race/gender/the Enlightenment etc);
  7. what is and isn’t established by the evidence (sometimes a lazy look at the footnotes alone can be revealing).

Hobart-based Mid Year Conference in 2021

This year we ran a significantly different, scaled-down, Hobart-based Mid Year Conference for the University Fellowship of Christians, the UTAS AFES Group.

This is the second year in a row that we have not held a standard MYC, which has otherwise run every year since 1996.

Though this is not merely a ‘consolation prize because of COVID19’ (although to be honest it is that, too!). It is also exciting to be able to adjust & flex & change for the sake of what suits the ministry today, rather than be stuck to the programs and structures of yesterday.
Though this is not merely a ‘consolation prize because of COVID19’ (although to be honest it is that, too!). It is also exciting to be able to adjust & flex & change for the sake of what suits the ministry today, rather than be stuck to the programs and structures of yesterday.

Review: Spacemaker: how to unplug, unwind and think clearly in the digital age by Daniel Sih

Daniel and I have been friends for years, and he gave me a copy of his book, Spacemaker (at Wandering Bookseller, on Amazon, audiobook also available, narrated by the author). Fittingly enough, he gave it to me at a time when I didn’t have the space to get around to reading it. Knowing his excellent video course stuff, List Assassin and Email Ninja, and sharing a love for productivity stuff with him, I must admit I kept assuming it was a book about productivity… and perhaps where my head was at, felt less urge to read a good summary of stuff I already knew, so that probably slowed me down in getting to it. Actually it turns out it’s not about that stuff, but instead about digital hygiene and burnout and wellbeing. I finally got around to charging through the audiobook on double speed (my first double speed audiobook experience: a great way to get through things!).

 

The productivity books of the 2020s: not about being Highly Effective or Getting Things Done but Deep Work and Making Space

The book opens with a gut-punch story of female professional who was so addicted to work and digital activity she was hiding it from her husband, sneaking the phone into the bathroom to do emails on the toilet, pretending to have fallen asleep, when actually still using her iPad. A powerful opening illustration, a hook to draw you into the the purpose of the book. Wow.

It’s interesting to ponder what kinds of productivity books are needed in different moments. I’m sure Daniel would agree that the amazing insights of Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of  Highly Effective People or David Allen’s Getting Things Done are still very powerful and relevant books for people to read and implement.

But it’s interesting how increasingly the big need we have, is not just to manage priorities, or process our inboxes, but establishes disciplines and values to not be consumed by the constant barrage of TODOS and the constant stimuli of digital ephemera. To be effective and to get things done is not just to have a system… but to actually have values, habits and character to block out space to be present and reflective.

If Stephen Covey would say “Get the big rocks in place and then rest will fall into place”, and if David Allen would say “Process your all the ill-defined stuff and everything else will fall into place”, then Daniel Sih is saying “Make space in your life to live and think and be and all the rest will fall into place.” I guess that’s pretty close to the Stephen Covey Big Rocks thing, but with an emphasis not only on finding the right things TO DO.

Furthermore, what’s unique about the last twenty years, is the enormous increase in technological development and ubiquity. There have been an increased need for theologies and philosophies of technology since the industrial revolution, but the need has simply intensified and complexified. And so this book also provides us with a philosophy of technology.

 

Spacemaker: Paradigm, Principles and Practices

The first major section of the book, Paradigm covers ground that is probably familiar to many: the effect that over-use of technology has on our minds, lives and communities; the way technology ends up controlling us; the way limitations and love are vital to our wellbeing. This is a good summary of all the TED talks, Atlantic articles and seminars you’ve probably come across on these important topics.

Daniel covers a lot of ground in a clear and accessible way. This section would serve as a great primer for high schoolers and young adults needing to be become more aware of these issues.

The next two sections are practical advice: providing Principles (Set Limits, Plan Patterns, Assign Rest, Cultivate Community and Embrace Silence) and then Practices (Start with Holidays, A Day to Think, Digital Detox, Weekly Day of Rest, Daily Refresh, Daily Pause). His many years of work as a consultant and a pastor makes Daniel very good at setting realistic goals, often emphasising not to try to do everything at once; and encouragement the formation of sustainable habits, urging the perseverance with a new resolve for four weeks.

He is also great at stressing the many differences in life, culture and personality that mean there is not a one-size-fits-all for these things.

These sections are so full of great wisdom and practical ideas I could imagine returning to them multiple times in my life, and certainly would commend them to anyone.

Daniel is an entrepreneur and a church leader and a consultant and a geek. He knows all about productivity and effectiveness and work hacks and apps. He’s a great communicator, storyteller and diagram-drawer. He draws in a lot of his own personal story, a bunch of insights and research from various sources and stories from his consultancy work. He also occasionally incorporates spiritual insights and patterns from the Christianity and church life, in a way that I believe would still be accessible to people whether or not they were Christians.

 

Some of my take-homes

I found a lot in Spacemaker told me why things I was already doing was good and healthy. So there was something affirming and strengthening in that. Knowing what and why something works also makes it easier to teach to others! But here were a few stand out little things along the way that I took note of:

  • Daniel mentions putting your phone on greyscale mode several times, something I’d never thought of before. The idea is it makes the phone less alluring for lazy checking. I liked the sound of that one. Turns out on a Pixel phone this option is buried under ‘Bed time’ mode, which is dumb. Anyway, I’ve set it up now and will see how I get on.
  • It pointed to some research that found that passive social media use (doom scrolling, idle browsing) was worse for mental health than active social media use (liking, commenting). There you go! I’ve always had a largely positive relationship to social media, finding it a positive and stimulating thing in my life, overall. Perhaps this explains why? Social media has functioned more as an actual community to me?
  • Reinforcement of ‘Deep Work’ type mindset. I’d read Cal Newport’s Deep Work last year, after someone reviewed it in staff meeting and I found it really helpful as a big picture outlook. Spacemaker reinforced that from a different angle, more of a spiritual, personal focus rather than a ‘be an amazing genius’ emphasis.
  • It was nice to have Daniel point out how silence and solitude can have many expressions. At one point Daniel acknowledges that riding your bike can be a context for silence and solitude. Yes! So many mystical books seem to suggest you have to be sitting in a room, or by a waterfall, all dressed in white with some kind of oil burner scenting the air. But I’ve thought for quite a while how meditative exercise is for many people (and other stuff too). Nice to have someone say it.

 

Some minor quibbles

  • I feel like the book suggests that those who create technology dictate how it functions. The book rightly warns us that we should be aware of the assumptions and attractions that are built into technology, and how they shape us without us realising it. However, I think it was a little naïve at this point. Philosophies of technology (and culture, more generally) tell us that culture and technology, the more complex they are, tend to take on a life of their own. So Facebook doesn’t function in my life the way Mark Zuckerberg might like it to, anymore than biblical theology always works its way out in culture according to God’s will. Daniel is right to warn us against thinking technology is somehow passive and neutral, but misleading to suggest that there is one authorial purpose to technology.
  • The spiritual disciplines and biblical stuff got my eyebrows raised several times. Sometimes it was stretching the Bible passage beyond what I think is justified. Sometimes it’s trying to find a biblical case for practices of silence and solitude… when maybe it’s not really that explicit at all. Doesn’t mean these practices aren’t good or healthy… just that there’s not always deep biblical justification for them. And that’s ok.
  • More examples and patterns of social connectedness. Daniel tells some amazing stories about the particular way his family and his church live out community life. Super cool. But maybe the book could do with a few more examples that weren’t so… ideological? Full package?

 

Who’s it for?

This would be a good book for you to read and reflect on if you are wanting to have a good look at the overall patterns of their life and work, with a particular focus on the unwelcome ways that technology is affecting them.

Daniel really has come up with a very helpful and healthy book for individuals, parents, leaders, pastors. In fact, I could imagine doctors, counsellors and psychologists pointing burned out patient to this as a workbook for building healthy patterns. As someone who gives a lot of my time to discipline and mentoring young people and young leader, as well as coaching and supporting experiences leaders, this will be a book I will be recommending and giving away a lot, I think!

 

Spacemaker website

Spacemaker at Wandering Bookseller, on Amazon (audiobook also available, narrated by the author)

 

 

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