The Unpublished Crisis

The big church is in the midst of a teaching series that provokes thought and demands action (just as any good series should, right?). The leadership is confronting an issue that is kinda scary. The issue has been labelled as the "Unpublished Crisis." It rests on a statistic that's been repeatedly documented: 40-60% of students who were active in their youth groups in high school become spiritually disengaged in college. (Source: Sticky Faith)

That is staggering. Half of the students in our churches and filling up our youth groups lose their faith in college.

This series has led me to think about my own time in college. Scary, right? My college experience was unique. I started off at a private Christian university and transferred to a public party school. Two colleges, opposite ends of the spectrum. Neither was easy; each school brought a different set of challenges and temptations.

So what allowed me to make it through college, still clinging to my faith? What did I have in my life that the other 50% didn't?

I've come up with some components...

I received cards from the associate pastor of a church back home that I had all but written off. The card was usually generic, something along the lines of "were praying for you" or "we're thinking about you." And it contained a $5 gift card to Subway every time. Whenever I picked up the card from the mail, I was confused. Why does this pastor do this? I had stopped attending that particular church and disagreed with decisions that other members of leadership made. But the fact that the associate pastor took the time to send a card, did not and could not go unnoticed.

My grandparents would call me periodically. The conversations were always surface level and light-hearted. But each time, they reminded me that they prayed for us grandkids at the breakfast table every morning.

When I was in youth group my church went through four youth pastors in about as many years. This alone could have sent me packing. But my junior year, the youth pastor was different. The church board wasn't too sure about him, and he wasn't exactly the parent's favorite. The pastor and his wife were young, fresh out of college. And they made us think. He welcomed our questions, our doubts, and we discussed them together through the lens of scripture, tradition, experience, and reason. (He also taught us about Wesley's Quadrilateral.) Inevitably, my faith got tested as a college student, but I was prepared. I had already had an arena to safely question and wrestle with my faith. As a result, my faith was not fluffy and fake or just a list of do's and don'ts. It was the kind of faith that is worn, devoted, and real.

I made the decision to transfer to the "party school" too late to make any sort of roommate commitments. Besides, I didn't know any girls at the school. So I signed up to be paired with a roommate in the dorms. Ordinarily, this would be a disaster waiting to happen, but I'm convinced that the prayers of my grandparents and others made a difference. I was paired with a Christian woman who became a great friend. My roomie got me involved in her church and welcomed me into her circles.

These are a few of the ingredients that encouraged me to come through college with a faith that may have been a bit battered but still intact. Obviously, there is no perfect formula, but the continuation of this trend is concerning. It's worthwhile to consider the ups and downs of our own college experiences.

What led you on or steered you off of the narrow road in college?