College Admissions... Ministry? BY DANIEL WEBSTER
Many Christians have created an unnecessary and even dangerous separation between the spiritual and the secular. Perhaps nowhere is this more prevalent than in the area of vocation. Whether it be engineering, business, the arts, journalism, social services, education, politics, technology, farming, medicine, or sales, every believer should see vocation as an opportunity to minister for Christ. Some vocations make ministry outlets more obvious, and I admit, serving at a denomination’s Christian college provides more opportunities for ministry. But in my department—admissions and enrollment—the opportunities are not as obvious as they might be for theology and ministry professors. I’m a pastor. God has called me to serve the church through preaching and teaching, leading singing, discipling, and evangelizing. So, prior to accepting the position of director of enrollment at Welch College, I asked President Pinson this question: how can college admissions be an outlet for ministry and more specifically, for pastoral ministry? Not only was he supportive of my asking this question, he encouraged me to see my new role as an outlet to continue my pastoral ministry. Here are five outlets for ministry unique to Christian college admissions.
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ONE | DECEMBER 2020 - JANUARY 2021
One-On-One Discipleship The enrollment and admissions team at Welch College has the opportunity to be face-to-face with high school students consistently. This is the kind of opportunity many youth pastors would love to have! Many times, these students are nervous about God’s will for their lives; they wonder if God will provide for their future needs; they are unsure about what degree to pursue. Tasked with counseling students through the enrollment process, we seize the opportunity to have more of an impact.
