Keeping the Faith, Transitioning from High School to College without Losing it!
One of the great workshops I attended at the APCE conference in February 2011 was presented by Adrian McMullen, Associate for Ministries with Youth, Evangelism & Church Growth at PC(USA) national offices in Louisville. He gave some great ideas for parents, youth group leaders, Christian Educators.
Where do teens get their information about college life? From the movies, of course! Here are 16 of those movies: Son-in-law, how High, Accepted, Rudy*, Paper Chase, With Honors*, Dead Man on Campus, Real Genius, Slackers, Van wilder, Back to School, Road Trip, Old School, Revenge of the Nerds, PCU, and #1 …Animal House. (Adrian recommended parents and teens together watch Rudy and With Honors.)
There’s got to be a better way to help kids understand what college is going to be like!
Did you know:
53% of college students get their bachelor degree in 6 years.
One-quarter drop out before the end of their freshman year.
College students have the highest rate of STD’s and the most abortions.
In 2005, 40% of incoming freshmen were on anti-depressants. This means they were vulnerable in high school, and many hit a crisis point, large or small, as college freshmen.
70% wander from faith in the transition between high school and college.
The move into college is a major transition – but
It is not a cliff, because changes start to happen in high school or before. Young people start falling away from church and faith after confirmation, after getting their driver’s license, after getting a job, or when church becomes an option. They begin to have conflicts between church and other activities, just as adults do. Their plate starts to fill up, and they think of God as one item on the plate, instead of God being the plate.
The move to college is culture shock – a physiological shock response to certain forces, a foreign culture in a short period of time, as missionary or military personnel would experience. Changes in environment and academic protocol can lead to distractions and feelings of failure. They experience changes in how they have to manage time and money. They often have easy access to credit cards and unlimited options on how to spend their time, and NOBODY is keeping tabs on them, or encouraging them. The incoming freshman will need help to see and understand what is happening, help in avoiding a gut reaction to stress and loneliness which drives youth to try to fit in.
Before college, youth need parents, mentors, youth groups to help them
- maintain their health, including their emotional and spiritual health.
-know what they believe and who they are.
- be able to be on their own and deal with being away from the support of their church, youth group and leader.
-learn to walk on their own, not to remain insulated.
-be ready to take initiative when they are on their own.
Youth need a mentor – informal, to listen to them to be there for them, and 5 people from the congregation they can relate to.
Exploring ways to help
-Strengthen parent/teen relations,
help kids understand why parents say no.
help parents understand their own faith and transmit it,
teach parents how to integrate faith sharing into daily living,
teach parents how to intimately proclaim their own faith to their children.
-Change youth ministry culture
Think about where we want these kids to be in 20 years and how to get them there.
Practical advice on living out your faith
Help them internalize faith
Paint a realistic picture of what happens in college, or on a job
prepare them for being on their own, not just having a good time in the group
faith growth through a variety of challenges – mission trips, questions that make them talk about who they really are, ask “what did you feel when…”
-Prepare them for the transition
Graduation isn’t the end, now there is a new set of goals
Exploration, honestly considering options
Commitment, making life decisions based on discoveries
Give them the name of a pastor, or someone in the school community, but also have that person contact them. Ninety percent of college students couldn’t name a pastor, youth minister or campus ministry!!
Prepare interview questions or promote a conversation between seniors (or graduates) between parents, spiritual mentors, someone out of college 20 years, someone currently in college, a college professor, a campus pastor Asking them about their experiences in college, their decisions, expectations that were or were not met.
-Stay in touch while they’re at college
Andrew recommended reading;
Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers, by Christian Smith, Melina Lundquist Denton
Souls in Transition: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of Emerging Adults, by Christian Smith, Patricia Snell
The Slow Fade: Why You Matter in the Story of Twentysomethings, by Reggie Joiner, Chuck Momar, Abbie Smith
Recommended websites:
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