Why Do College Freshmen Drop Out of Church?

 Various studies indicate that the majority of college freshmen make no spiritual connection at college.

  First of all, you have to realize that many of them disappeared prior to high school graduation.  Many seniors who walk across church stages on Senior Sunday have been missing for awhile. But, for those involved in church through high school graduation, what happened?

Often, high school seniors feel they have graduated from church. 

Many youth ministries have more and more become separated from the church as a whole.  Wednesday night youth services usually have more youth than Sunday morning Bible Study and Worship.  When they leave the youth group, their church is gone.  Senior Sunday often feels like a graduation rather than a passing to another phase.

College is busier.  

College just has more going on and more new things to adapt to and students do not take the intentional steps to make sure it is a priority and their schedule just fills up and church is not a part of it.  Students go to college looking for two things:  friends and fun.  The friends and fun they find usually determines the rest of where they go.  Students have to be intentional about making church a part from the start.  Christian groups on campus and college churches will have fun get acquainted events in the start.  Encourage them to look there.

Freshmen go where their friends go.

It is simple.  If none of their new friends to go church, why would they?  Going to a new and strange church is hard!  Going to a new and strange church by yourself is even harder.  Making Christian friends connections in the beginning is a huge factor. Christian upperclassmen who are involved in a church can take them.

College churches are often much larger.

The majority of churches are about one hundred people are less.  Most college churches that reach out to college students are much larger.  Even when freshmen go once, they often don't return out of a feeling of not belonging or how different it was from what they are used to attending.

Freshmen are exposed to a wide variety of ideas, questions and even to those who are critical of faith.

One of the things that can happen at college is students are exposed to different beliefs, religions and skepticism about Christian faith.  While some professors will be openly Christian in their expressions, and another may be openly critical of faith.  The student sitting next to them my be a Buddhist or Witch in their beliefs.  Who knew all those different ideas were out there? And, they seem so sincere.

Freshmen often just feel overwhelmed.

It is not unusual for freshmen to say they are just scared.  It is not just one thing....it is the bigness and change of it all.  Consequently, they just pull back and try to simplify their life as much as possible.

Students sometimes mess up and drop church out of feelings of guilt.

In an attempt to fit in, they might be drunk the first time or have a sexual experience and all that is contrary to who they have been prior to that and their sense of guilt just pushes them away. Help them know that messing up does not have to be the final word of who they are and will be.

A Few Suggestions:

Help students to understand the importance of being intentional about making faith connections during those first couple of weeks.

Make sure the Baptist Collegiate Ministry, another ministry, or college church has their name and contact info PRIOR to school starting.

Call and encourage them during those first couple of weeks and help them to know someone cares and they are not alone.

Parents can make plans to go to church with them on Move-In Weekend and Parents or Homecoming Weekend.  Let them know this is part of the weekend schedule.  It is easier for them to go back to somewhere they have already been.

Help them know that doubts about faith are normal and can even be a source of growth in their faith.  Remind them:  Just because you don't know an answer to a question does not mean there is not an answer.

Arliss Dickerson is a college ministry speaker, writer, and friend to freshmen and parents.  Check out Tips for College Freshmen:  124 Tips for Fun, Faith & Good Grades at Amazon.com/dp/B09QFB9DJ9 and 7 Red Flags In A Dating Relationship at Amazon.com/dp/B0DTTRJH38.