By Greg Swinney
College years are formative years. Decisions made and habits developed in the late teens and early 20s affect people for the rest of their lives. Unfortunately, being away from family and home can make those decisions more challenging than ever. Students need an extended family and a place where they can ask tough questions and receive godly counsel. They need an adopted family that shares their faith and values. They need a church they can call “home.”
Visiting a new church for the first time can be exciting and frightening for college students. They are away from home for the first time and hunger for a family. At this critical time, they long to know there are people who care about them. The fast pace of college life leaves them longing for solid, authentic relationships. When a college student steps through the doors of a new church for the first time, he is wondering, Does anyone care about me here? Do I matter?
The ideas listed below convey to college kids “yes, you matter” and “we do care about you.” These ideas will help you involve college students in your congregation and make them feel welcome. They will help your church family fulfill its mission of making disciples . . . especially with college students.
“¢ Ask college students to complete an interest survey. They may be willing to serve in the worship ministry, on a drama team, as greeters, or as servers for a special event.
“¢ Sunday school teachers often need an assistant””ask a college student to help. An education major would jump at the chance.
“¢ Your minister could volunteer to speak at a campus meeting or Bible study. It”s a great opportunity to meet students on “their turf” and invite them to church.
“¢ Offer a college student the opportunity to give personal testimony during a worship service.
“¢ Host a “College Student Sunday” where the students lead the Sunday worship service (do this early in the college semester to encourage new students to get involved in your congregation).
“¢ Invite a college student to speak at a youth group meeting or to be a helper/counselor at church camp for a week in the summer. Their ability to connect with high school students will surprise you.
“¢ Include pictures of college students on the bulletin board where you regularly post pictures of visitors. Place their name and hometown beside their picture.
“¢ If your church family needs part-time workers at the church (secretarial or janitorial), ask a college student. They often have a flexible schedule and many would enjoy a part-time job.
“¢ Obtain the mailing list from the local campus ministry and invite students to church worship services (the campus ministry may even provide you with address labels).
“¢ Host a casual worship service in a local park for college students on a Sunday night. Have watermelon afterwards and ask the students what they need to grow in their spiritual lives.
“¢ Hang an informative poster at the local campus house (or in the student union of the college) to notify students of the dates and times of the church family”s Bible studies and worship services. Note: sometimes posting flyers in the student union requires authorization from the university.
“¢ Feature a college student in the church newsletter or have one write a brief article about “being a Christian on campus.”
“¢ A back-to-school fellowship dinner on the first Sunday of the college semester is a great way to introduce students to the church family.
“¢ Recognize parents of college students in the Sunday worship service when they visit their son/daughter at college.
“¢ Never let a college student sit alone in church! If you see a student all alone, sit next to him and introduce yourself.
“¢ Give each new college student a visitor information packet about your congregation to inform her of the ministries and programs of the church. Make a follow-up phone call to see if any ministries interest her.
“¢ Care packages are always welcome. Include microwave popcorn, tea bags, cookies, shoestrings, inspirational bookmarks, ramen noodles, bottled water, and more.
“¢ Invite a college student to join your family for lunch after church. They love home-cooked meals!
“¢ Encourage a college student to be a guest speaker at a youth group meeting or special event.
“¢ Many college students would enjoy playing on church-sponsored athletic teams. Softball, volleyball, basketball, and other sports offer a great opportunity for students to be a part of the family.
“¢ Set up an information table on campus in the student union during the first week of school. You will need to get permission to do this. It”s a great opportunity to give your church visibility on campus. One church hands out packets of microwave popcorn with a flyer of information about the church and times of the worship services.
“¢ Ask a college student to be a guest at a board meeting. Ask the student what the church can do to reach out to other college students. Invite the student to open the meeting with a devotional thought and prayer.
“¢ Sponsor a work day at the nearby campus ministry facility to show how much the church cares about college kids.
“¢ A great college Sunday school class really appeals to students, but it is often difficult to maintain due to the unpredictability of involvement and high mobility of today”s students. One church hosts a Sunday school class and invites students to stay for a free lunch provided by a family in the church. Then, a teacher leads a discussion based on the sermon. This meets their need for fellowship and helps in their application of the Scriptures.
“¢ Students without cars need a ride to church (especially international students).
“¢ Churches throughout the nation have found Adopt-A-Student programs very fruitful. Matching up college students with families in the church is a great idea to communicate to students how much they matter to the congregation.
“¢ Holidays can be lonely when you are away from home. Invite college students to special events throughout the year and ask them to help. International students find this especially appealing.
“¢ Some churches have difficulty staying current with modern technology. Ask a college student to design or improve a Web site for the church. This might even count for credit for a college course the student is taking.
“¢ Many students would be happy to operate multimedia equipment (computers, video projectors, and DVD players) for worship services.
“¢ At least a month before the college begins in the fall, contact area youth ministers. Send an e-mail or letter with a response card and ask them to tell you about any students that may be attending the college in your city. Ask the youth minister to encourage the student to check out the church and get involved.
“¢ Summer internships in your congregation are a wonderful way to expose college students to “real life” ministry with youth, music, children, or drama. Many students from secular universities would enjoy this sort of opportunity.
“¢ Many churches have made a ministry out of offering a potluck supper regularly to give college students an alternative to cafeteria cooking. Some churches offer a meal every week, and include a devotional thought and discussion time.
“¢ If your congregation regularly shares in local community service projects (soup kitchens, homeless shelters, Habitat for Humanity), be sure to invite college students to participate. Students in today”s generation are eager to serve others in tangible ways.
These ideas are in no way intended to be all-inclusive. Hopefully they will get your creative juices flowing for a new idea that will fit your congregation perfectly. Reread the list and put a star by three or four of the ideas that seem most workable for your church. Then, put a date by the star denoting when you will begin. Don”t forget that thousands of college students are following Jesus at secular universities and are hungering to find a community of believers. In ministering to them we fulfill the words of Jesus when he said, “I was a stranger, and you invited me in.”
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Greg Swinney is director of Christian Student Fellowship of Nebraska in Kearney.
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