Resources Galore @ CrupressGreen

Here is an announcement from our friends at CruPress Green (that is, Rick & Neil).

CruPressGreen.com has launched, offering nearly every chapter of every CruPress resource for free to download. You can instantly download materials like Cru.Comm, The Compass, publicity posters, teaching and training videos, classic Campus Crusade talks, and so much more. It’s easy to use, pretty to look at and just what you need to accelerate Movements Everywhere. Visit CruPressGreen.com and start downloading resources for your ministry.

If you are doing campus ministry, you might find the poster section particularly helpful at this time of year.

A Chartreuse Generation & the Make-up of a Future One

As I am pouring through my backed up e-mails from the week, two items arrested my attention.

First, the color of this generation. Let's go with chartreuse, not a deep green. This thought was stimulated by MediaPost's, "Chartreuse is the Real Color of GenY". The bottom-line -- much greener in values than in action (at least when it comes to consumption.) Or should we say "hard-core light green"? (Nice epithet, in a positive sense of that word.)

Second, what will be the composition of a future generation of college students? Here from USA Today is a glimpse at the class of 2024: "Kindergartens See More Hispanic, Asian Students". Not surprising. But interesting, none the less. We have fourteen years to get ready for them. Is that in your long-term strategic planning? Does your current plans reflect these changing realities? If not, check out Destino and the Epic Movement.

Ex-Christian II

Earlier today, I posted on the Barna research with an intro regarding Anne Rice's departure from Catholicism ("Ex-Christians"). Later this afternoon, I received the Christianity Today eNewletter that featured, "Q&A: Anne Rice on Following Christ without Christianity". Since I mentioned the wikipedia quotes, it seems more responsible to include this interview to capture a fuller sense of Ms. Rice's journey.

Ex-Christians

Barna Research has recently released (Aug 16, 2010) new finding entitled, "Do Americans Change Faiths?"

The report begins with a very brief reference to writer's Anne Rice's public departure from organized or institutional Christianity (i.e. in this case, Roman Catholicism). It is worth reading a bit more about her thoughts and experience, which can be easily done at the Wikipedia article about her. Her departure stems from her experience of "Christians", not of Christ, in whom she continues to confess faith. She writes:

It’s simply impossible for me to “belong” to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. For ten years, I’ve tried. I’ve failed. I’m an outsider.

How many new believers experience similar? It underscores the need for a community of grace and truth in Christ-centered community.

But within the Barna study itself is this: While one if four adults indicated they had changed from their childhood religion, 12% had left Christian (in some form) for no religion or another religion, while only 3% of the adults left no religion or some other religion for Christianity. Should this alarm us? Remember that 78% of Americans identify themselves as Christians, according to the U.S. Religious Landscape survey (Pew). So the departure numbers are quite consistent with the percentages of "Christians" to non.

Its worth noting that 75% of those in our culture will not deviate from the faith of their childhood. As Kinnaman concludes,

"...the study underscores that the spiritual allegiances of childhood are remarkably sustainable in our society."

Thoughts?

CurPress Green Goes Live

I return to my blog after a month of travels--half for ministry purposes, half for vacation. In my absence, one of the most exciting developments has been the launch of CruPress Green.

CruPress is the formal publishing arm of the U. S. Campus Ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. Over the last six or seven years it has developed and distributed (in my biased opinion) an excellent set of tools and resources for campus ministry (and beyond.)

What publisher, Rick James, and editor, Neil Downey, have down with CruPress Green is to take the majority of that "intellectual property", along with extra "goodies", digitize it and provide it free of charge for those doing campus ministry (and beyond). WOW! Great work guys!

Here are some of the highlights:

Resources are generally organized under six categories: Growing Movements, Evangelism, Personal Discipleship, Small Groups, Body Life, and Sending. Each category is packed with articles and resources for download. For example, Evangelism has (currently) 66 downloads available. Small Groups includes thirty three. But even more, all the three years of Bible Study curriculum of Cru.Comm is available under another tab, as is the proven discipleship materials of the Compass.

You need follow-up material? Download the zip file of the Life Concepts for five basic follow-up appointments for free. Of course, the formally published (and thus, much nicer) materials are still available through CruPress. But now you have options.

Also at CruPress Green featured talks given to CCC audiences (conferences, etc.), a blog that is intended to tap into the writing of various USCM leaders, and the newly developed C456:Taking Conversations to a New Level videos.

This is not just a tool box. It is a treasure chest of resources for campus ministry!