Four Reasons We MUST Do College Ministry

 1.  A significant number of Christian college students walk away from church and even their faith in college.

Some walk away due to questions and doubts that come as a result of being in a new environment and hearing questions raised they have never heard before.  Many simply never connect to a faith group either on campus or in an area church.  Ministries being on campus or aimed specifically at students make a difference in connections and helping student grow as a result of their doubts and questions.

2.  As the number of non-Believers grows, college is a key time to share Gospel News with them as they search for what will shape their lives in the years to come.  

Studies show that as a person grows older they are less and less likely to come to Christ.  College is the last "good opportunity" for many to hear and respond.

3.  The number of pastors, missionaries and other vocational ministers retiring or aging out of fulltime ministry is at a high level.  College Ministry is sharing the call to ministry and discipling the future leaders of our churches.

A growing number of churches indicate increased difficulty in finding a pastor or other church staffers.  The need to be talking with Christian young people about God's call to vocational ministry must be a high priority.  Discipling them during their college years will be key to their ministry preparedness and success.

4.  There are 1,057,188 International students from 210 different places of origin studying in the U. S. this year  Most will return to their countries to become the financial and political leaders of their countries.  We can share Christ with the world by reaching out to and ministering to this group.

If we were to do International Student ministry well and on a large scale, it would not be necessary to send missionaries to other countries.  Many of these students come from countries that are not open to Christian Missionaries.  One missionary shared the story of a move to remove all missionaries from the country where they served.  The Vice President of the country had been a student in the U.S. and was befriended by Christians.  He intervened on behalf of the missionaries and they were allowed to stay. 

Adapted from Almost Everything About College Ministry Amazon.com/dp/B08CMD9CXX.

Arliss Dickerson