What college students need most

Families across the country will soon face the realities of college move-in day. Parents fret over displaying emotions, not wanting to appear stoic but also trying to remain composed. Freshly graduated 18-year-olds internally panic over how to live life independently for the first time while externally appearing nonchalant.

But what college students need most during their entry into adulthood is not all the dorm-room “essentials,” snacks, school supplies, or even their childhood security blanket. To holistically succeed, they need to join a local church – not as a mere attendee but as an engaged family member. 

Austin Gentry, young adults pastor at Second Baptist Church in Houston, Texas, said that an incoming college student “could be the coolest, most esteemed Jesus-loving, Satan-stomping youth group kid on the block,” but that student “will quickly and quietly die in the college environment” if not surrounded with community.

According to a 2019 study by Lifeway Research, two-thirds of American young adults who attended a Protestant church for at least a year during adolescence stopped going to church for at least a year while in college. Whether influenced by peers or internal doubts, many Christian college students struggle to maintain deep-rooted faith.

However, campus ministries across the nation are partnering with parents and local churches to cultivate spiritual community and flourishing.

Spiritual community

“With Gen Z specifically, we see the relational divide where it’s harder for them to connect with new people, so trying to help them connect relationally with churches is a big deal because it shows them how to build relationships – not just with their peers, but intergenerationally,” said Augustine Mendoza, director of spiritual life at Oral Roberts University, in an interview with The Stand.

Mendoza said that the role of on-campus ministries is to serve as a direct link for students to build relationships with local churches and build “spiritual muscle” that is planted and mentored by a church, even after college graduation.

“We see [that] if they connect really well as freshmen, then they stay committed throughout the rest of their time as students, and if they do that, not only are they healthier, but they also pull other people in too,” Mendoza added.

One of the most impactful ways for college students to engage with a local church is to serve alongside their peers. Mendoza said practical service venues forge connections and roots that spiritually and emotionally go beyond simple attendance on Sunday mornings.

“To be part of a family is not just a state of being, but it’s the stuff that we do together,” Mendoza said. “Often we see the deepest friendships forming at church when they find somewhere to serve.”

Personal faith

For parents anticipating college transitions this fall, Mendoza encourages them to help students make their faith their own by finding a church that aligns with spiritual values instilled since childhood.

“You’re supposed to parent them and help them and guide them, but at the end of the day, they really have to make their faith their own, which means what you instill in them shouldn’t be dependent on you,” Mendoza said. “If you want your students to have multiple mentors or people speaking into their life or opportunities to serve, you should push the local church.”

Finding a new church home may take a period of transition or visiting multiple congregations, but families can equip their students in advance by searching local church websites to align core beliefs and find young adult ministries. Church members of all generations can partner in college students’ spiritual journeys by extending intentional hospitality, inviting students for home-cooked meals, or creating spaces to serve. 

“We’ve never needed the local church more than we do now,” Mendoza said. “We really want to make sure they find a place to call home.”