Studies show that about 70% of teens going from youth group to college walk away from Christian fellowship, and that the peers they connect with with during the first 72 hours makes all the difference.
Connecting in advance, and finding colleges with great campus ministries and churches is now possible through Campus Ministry Link which is available nationally. Campus Renewal has pulled together a coalition of all the major US campus ministries, youth ministries, and a growing number of denominations whose goal is to reverse the 70% loss and more than double the number of believers at universities.
When high school Juniors select colleges with good ministries and churches, and Seniors relationally connect BEFORE they leave home with a game-plan of what to do the first days, they nearly all survive and thrive. They will return for Christmas to energize your youth group with stories of growth and leading others to faith! Check out this youth pastor's experience on our website.
Chelsea's Story
Chelsea saw many of her older friends fall away from their faith in college. She researched and was determined to not do the same. Chelsea was able to find the Navigators at the University of Nebraska and meet the leaders and other students involved in the ministry over the summer. Her first night on campus, four girls in her dorm invited Chelsea and her Christian friend to a party. Chelsea convinced them all to go to a Navigators hangout instead. Today, a couple of years later, all six are still in the Navigators and are strongly walking with Christ!
A Faith Growth Spurt
The best way for students to continue walking strongly with God in college is to be part of a vibrant community of believers. Because these students are there volitionally, new students sense the presence of God in new ways. Christian students finding good mentors, study partners, and friends from their ministry can lead to incredible growth in their spiritual maturity, which is vital during that first year of college.
Contagious Evangelism
It's important for students to realize how open non-believers are during the first few weeks of freshmen year. Everyone is trying to find a group of peers to belong to, so it is easy to invite freshmen to ministry hangouts, barbeques, or Bible studies. Through an InterVarsity chapter in Geneseo, NY, a student radically put his faith in Jesus during freshmen orientation. That impacted the InterVarsity freshmen so profoundly that they helped lead several dozens of other students to Christ in that dorm. Suddenly sharing the love of Christ went from theory to reality! They returned for Christmas to energize their youth groups!
What you can do now:
- Share CampusMinistryLink.org with all the parents and students in your church, using this post or this Media Kit for PowerPoint, Facebook, or church announcements
- Here is helpful information if you are a STUDENT, PARENT, or CHURCH LEADER.
- Show the videos in your youth group and have a lively discussion about college.
- If your church has a strong history of serving students from a local college each week, you can apply to be listed on the site for that university. This will allow parents and students from anywhere in the country to find you as a possible church home.
- Share Campus Ministry Link with all the pastors, Christian schools, and volunteers in your city so that no student is left behind. How to volunteer or mobilize your city.
