Navigating school life, finding Christian community, thriving in secular environments, figuring out your career path….there’s a lot of pressure on students.
But what do Christian students need to focus on during this unique time? We explore what it looks like when students are SENT.
College campuses are full of diversity, and that means that you’ll meet people with different backgrounds, experiences, and beliefs than you have. You’re bound to run into people you disagree with and some who even challenge your own beliefs.
One of the greatest challenges of any college experience is managing your time well. You’ll encounter all sorts of new events, experiences, and fun things to do. But you’ll also have to go to class, write papers, and try to get a decent night of sleep. How can you balance all these things and still prioritize your relationship with God, too?
Working for two campus-related ministries and being the mom of a college student, I read a lot of research, hear a lot of reports and am all too aware of how precariously close we are to having the voice of truth, reason and Christianity silenced on campus. It’s time for the body of Christ to speak up. The college campus is key in how the Christian worldview will be heard in the marketplace. And it will take all of us–from campus ministries, to churches and parachurch ministries, to parents and grandparents—to amplify that voice. It’s time for clarity, empowerment and resonance.
I remember the conversation well. I was talking with another youth pastor and he sadly mumbled, “Graduation season is only a few months away again. And I feel like the ‘BLACK HOLE EFFECT’ takes place every year.” My face must have shown that I wasn’t tracking with him on his analogy so he kept talking. “You know, Jeanne, good students graduate from high school, pack up for college or university somewhere, and by the following June, they’ve become INVISIBLE! They’ve been sucked into the ‘black hole’ of college life, compromising values, questionable friends, and they rarely resurface with much spiritual hunger or depth.”
Short lists, safety schools, campus visit after campus visit after campus visit, picking a college can feel like a never ending process of fine tuning and second guessing. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
One of the biggest mistakes people make when looking for community is expecting others to come to them. We think we’re the only ones fearing the awkward introductions, but the truth is, everyone does.
