Years ago, a pastor wrote a book with this subtitle: Making It Hard for People to Go to Hell from Your City. I don’t love the tone, but I agree with the sentiment, particularly as it relates to the students who graduate from high school (and their high school youth groups) each year. We should do everything we can to make it hard for our graduates to fail in their faith as they head to college.
I’ve written before about the importance of a year-end banquet that gives your church and parents an opportunity to honor the graduates and mark the end of their high school era. Here are some other things to consider.
Reaching Out: Obviously not every student whose name is on the books participates in your programs. Still, we should be doing all in our power to reach out to those who have been raised in the church and haven’t been active, especially during their senior year. They probably feel a little guilty for not being involved, so go out of your way to make them feel welcomed, not shunned. Make sure they are invited to your banquet, and if you have an opportunity to interact with them, engage with them about their college choice.
Paving the Way: Help the students who have been active by organizing a senior retreat or workshop designed to prepare them for what they’ll face in college. (We call ours the Senior Symposium because that sounds fancy!) Bring in a college student or two who can talk about their experiences. Also, provide a book or resource the students can take home with them, one that specifically addresses the challenges and opportunities college brings.
There are many books designed to guide seniors through the college experience. I would like to recommend my own, Game Plan: Practical Wisdom for the College Experience (Paraclete Press), written with Nic Gibson. (Visit GamePlan4College.com for more information.)
Follow Up: Develop a follow-up plan that will keep you in touch during students’ first year. If you’re too busy focusing on the students who are still in your group, enlist small group leaders in their senior year of high school to follow up with students during their first year at college.
Make sure you ask these questions: Have you found a church or on-campus fellowship? Have you made any Christian friends? Have you found a rhythm of spending time with God on a regular basis?
Communicate Grace: Many students will fall short of your—and their own—expectations for their freshman year at college. Perhaps they will engage in activities they aren’t proud of. Still, they need you to remind them regularly that your love and care for them is unconditional. They need to know that even if they walk away from their faith for a time, they will be welcomed back. You are like the father in
Party Time! Finally, plan an event that allows you to connect with these students during either Thanksgiving or Christmas break. We traditionally host a pizza party for our college freshmen an hour before our normal youth group on the Sunday night before Christmas. We get the best pizza available from our local pizzeria and make sure the college freshmen know they are our honored guests. We spend most of the time catching up, but also asking questions specifically about how they’re doing spiritually and the challenges college poses.
After we’ve done all we can do, some students will choose to walk away from their faith during their time at college; but let’s not make it easy. Let’s make it hard.
