We often experience our hardest moments in times of transition. That was certainly so of Jesus. He faced fiercest attacks at his birth, the start of his ministry and before he went to the cross.
Transitions from high school to college aren’t that intense, but it can often feel that way for incoming college freshmen.
While students are trying to find their way, parents want to know if their student has friends, what activities they are involved in and how they are doing academically. But the shift from high school to college — filled with new terms involving test scores, financial aid, scholarships and academic requirements — often starts two years before high school graduation.
Parents spend enormous energy scouting universities and equipping their student to succeed. Yet they often overlook one of the most important things: finding a bridge to continue a relationship with God during college. They hope their child might join a campus ministry but haven’t done the homework to set them up for success. Fortunately, that isn’t that difficult, but it is vitally important.
Research shows the main reason students stay in school is not the motivation for a degree — it is because they find a community where they belong. To bridge the gap, connect your student to campus ministries and churches that will disciple them.
In “Winning the Battle to Belong,” Brian Smith Sr. notes that students want to belong so badly they will break their own moral code in the first weeks of school because they are desperate to connect. Help them avoid that by planning before they get to campus. At the University of Tennessee, the back-to-school organizational fair has more than 555 groups vying for your student’s attention. Help them prioritize activities that connect them with a Christian peer community.
When exploring prospective universities, Research Christian communities that disciple students and have a solid theological foundation. Ask about on campus faith-based groups and look up their websites and Instagram pages. One girl from UT’s Baptist Collegiate Ministry watched every video BCM posted the summer before she arrived. She remembered God saying to her, “These are going to be your friends. These folks will be your people.”
Even better, incoming students can begin interacting with current students on social media so they know someone when they arrive. In “Why They Stray,” Steve R. Parr and Tom Crites cite a George Barna survey showing only 20% of young adults active in church as teens were still active at age 29. One of the biggest reasons they stay is meaningful relationships with Christian people and God.
Every semester, students tell us they can’t believe no one from their home church told them about BCM. Make sure that doesn’t happen to your students. Introduce them to the ministry on their campus. When making a campus visit, stop by the BCM center or a local Baptist church with a college ministry. Share your student’s contact information so current students can reach out. In late spring, many BCMs at the University Memphis, East Tennessee State University, Austin Peay University, UT and more, host events where high school students can visit a weekly worship gathering and experience campus ministry firsthand.
Once on campus, look for BCM welcome events. Memphis hosts “Grub on the Grass,” UT Martin offers “Freshman Survival,” Vanderbilt puts on “A Taste of Nashville,” and UT holds “Fourth Meal and Four Square.” A word of caution: UT alone has more than 40 religious groups, and several labeled Christian or nondenominational do not hold solid theology. Students often don’t realize this until they have already made friends.
Campus BCM ministers can help students navigate groups with whom they share common beliefs. The Tennessee Baptist Mission Board has BCM ministries on every major university in the state and others. Contact the TBMB for more information when scheduling campus visits.
College can be one of the most influential experiences of a young adult’s life. Churches, parents, ministers and campus ministries must work together to bridge the gap. In “Why They Stray,” the authors note a strong correlation between students who keep their faith and their having relationships in three key areas — their home church, a college church and a campus ministry.
Together, these form a strong bridge to community. Students who belong stay involved and strengthen their faith.
Rodney Norvell is the TBMB’s BCM Ministry Specialist at UT Knoxville.
