The Senior Heebie Jeebies

MEMO: Springtime Seniors

FROM: "Coach D"

You already know about "Spring Fever" for you've probably come down with it each year. "Spring Fever" is a mild lethargy about classes, coursework, and the future resulting in a "who cares" attitude toward assignments. And, if you are a senior you may be aware of a related malady, "Senioritis." The symptoms are the same, only for spring graduates it compounds the effect of the normal "Spring Fever" turning a mild lethargy into chronic sluggishness.

But in case you are a senior ministerial major there is still a third condition that compounds and multiplies the effect of the first two. Many senior ministerial majors get the "Senior Heebie Jeebies" about February or March of their senior year. Preparing for the ministry has been fun. You've done OK in your classes. You've enjoyed being a student here at IWU. But now you are about to be shoved out of the protective IWU nest into a church ministry. It dawns on you that in just a few months you could be in a local church in charge of the souls of others. In a few months you could be leading worship, not just whining about it. In a few months you will no longer have the personal luxury of being the criticizer of others but will be the one they're criticizing. YIKES!

It's scary. You begin wondering if you really want to do local church ministry after all. You wonder if this "call" you've claimed came from your mother, or your home church, or your desire to be like some model-pastor who influenced you. And you think maybe you might "take a year off" from ministry. Or, maybe you think of "working a regular job for a while to pay off debts." Perhaps you'll say to yourself, "I'm not ready for ministry yet, my own life is not that perfect." Or, "I want to be in ministry, but not church ministry -- maybe running a Christian coffee house, or something like that." Perhaps you'll say, "So many of my models have fallen, I've just given up heart about the ministry." Or, in a class you studied the potential tension and opposition you might get as a leader you said, "I don't think I'm cut out to be a minister -- it's not a very nice job." Or some will say, "I'm not trained enough to take charge of ministry, I need more training before I go into the ministry."

And so starts the Senior shake-out. It happens each year. Some students stick with their plan to enter ministry and go out into church ministries. Others get shook out. It's like sports tryouts or Army boot camp in reverse. Instead of g