College is a pivotal time when many young adults will either hold fast to their faith or walk away from it. A recent study by Lifeway Research found that 66% of American young adults who attended a Protestant church regularly for at least a year as a teenager say they also dropped out for at least a year between the ages of 18 and 22.
In my 20 years of discipling college students, I have found that casting a vision for thriving spiritually and transforming your campus is far more compelling than surviving. With that in mind, let me offer three tips that I wish someone would have shared with me when I started college.
1. Pick Your Friends, Pick Your Future
The most important piece of advice that I can give you is to choose wisely who will be your closest friends. Unfortunately, most students develop their closest friendships with those who happen to be the most convenient. I am amazed at how often someone’s best man was the roommate they randomly had from freshman year. 1 Corinthians 15:33 gives sobering advice, “Do not be deceived: Bad company ruins good morals.” It may be easy to justify doing life with less than godly people, if you have similar interests or if you connect with them on a relational level. But, we need to be wise.
Consider joining a healthy collegiate ministry where you can connect with peers who are genuinely pursuing Christ. Look for fellow believers who will take God and the Word seriously and lock arms with them.
In addition to a college ministry, join a solid local church. A good local church will provide opportunities for you to build multi-generational relationships and connect you with godly mentors who have walked with God for years.
If you have left home for college, let me challenge you to avoid the temptation to go back home every weekend. Plug in deeply to the church in your college town. Find a way to serve, join the men’s or women’s ministry, and take advantage of any theological training classes that they may have available. Your college ministry will be an important part of your life the next few years, but the local church will be with you for the rest of your life. Learn to fall in love with the local church!
2. Have Fun, Like An Adult
Welcome to adulthood, now it’s time to act like an adult. Don’t hear me wrong, I am a huge fan of having plenty of fun during this season of life. Especially the first few months, invest plenty of relational time with solid Christian friends who will draw you closer to Jesus. Go on road trips, stay up late, pursue new hobbies, and just have a blast. However, I recommend using prudence and setting boundaries, even with your Christian friends. At a certain point, staying up until 3 a.m. playing video games with your Christian friends no longer counts as “fellowship.”
Sometimes the godliest thing that you can do is to get some sleep.
I am convinced that a contributing factor towards many of the mental health issues and sinful habits that students develop are partially due to unwise choices when it comes to sleep patterns. General George Patton put it this way “Fatigue makes cowards of us all.” Scientific studies show that impairments due to sleep deprivation are similar to impairments due to alcohol intoxication! You don’t need to be a part of every social engagement until 2 a.m. Sometimes the godliest thing that you can do is to get some sleep.
If you are a college student, part of your stewardship is to be diligent in your studies. One tip that my college minister Max Barnett gave me is to see the hours of 9 to 5 as study hours. Between classes, use those daytime hours to post up in the library and study hard. Often, this will give you more than enough time to stay ahead on all your assignments, and it will free up your nights and weekends for ministry activities and social life.
Even if you are plugged into a college ministry and a solid local church, don’t miss out on this unprecedented opportunity to grow deep roots in Christ by practicing personal spiritual disciplines. Learn how to feed yourself! Don’t let anything distract you from spending unhurried time alone with God daily. Again my mentor Max Barnett provides some wisdom that has stuck with me “If you are too busy to spend unhurried time alone with God, you are more busy than God intends you to be.”
3. Your Mission Starts Now
In some ways, college can be seen as your last pit stop on your journey to the “real world.” Sadly, many see it more as a waiting room where you can mess around, and the choices that you make don’t really matter. Nothing could be further from the truth. The real world starts now. Right here, right now, you have an unprecedented chance to not just get an education but to grow deep roots in your walk with Christ and to make an eternal impact by reaching people for Christ. Your mission starts now.
Don’t let anything distract you from spending unhurried time alone with God daily.
Use this Personal Ministry Impact Worksheet to help craft your strategy for reaching your peers with the gospel. Don’t wait until next summer to go on a mission trip, every day can be a mission trip if you learn to live with intentionality and bold faith. I sincerely believe that God has providentially placed you where you are to love lost people around you.
Your time in college could be one of the best opportunities that you ever have for personal evangelism and discipleship. Don’t waste it!
Paul Worcester is the National Collegiate Director at the North American Mission Board where he focuses on encouraging, inspiring, and equipping collegiate leaders and students across North America. Paul is the founding director of Campus Multiplication Network which is an international and interdenominational coaching network for collegiate leaders with over 300 leaders from 15 different countries. Paul and Christy have two young children, Owen and Evelyn. Paul is the author of Tips for Starting a College Ministry and the co-author, with Steve Shadrach, of The Fuel and The Flame: Igniting Your Life and Your Campus For Jesus Christ.
