Why do some college students struggle with, or even lose, their Christian faith after they graduate, while others continue to grow and thrive?
In a 2006 study, the Barna Research Group reported that “a majority of twentysomethings — 61% of today’s young adults — had been churched at one point during their teen years but they are now spiritually disengaged (i.e., not actively attending church, reading the Bible, or praying).”
What the CCO is doing about it: Penn State’s EXIT program
How can we help our students leave college well?
In order to address this question, Calvary Baptist Church and The Journey, Calvary’s daughter church, decided to host a “What’s Next?” luncheon for graduating Penn State University seniors. CCO staff worker Erica Young partners with Calvary to reach out to student at Penn State, and three years later, she has helped that luncheon grow into a full-fledged program.
“We want to help students gain a vision for what’s coming next,” Erica says. “We want to give them connections and resources and prepare them for this transition, which starts with making them aware of the magnitude of the transition coming.”
EXIT: the senior experience provides opportunities for soon-to-be-graduating seniors to gather once a month, from December through April. Each session focuses on a different topic, from financial planning to how to connect to a church body to what it means to be a faithful Christian in the marketplace. Church members — financial planners, campus ministers and the Director of Career and Alumni Services at Penn State — volunteer to facilitate these workshops, and the students who participate are grateful for their willingness to share their expertise.
“We hope that EXIT will help students network with one another,” says Erica. “Maybe they will choose to pursue jobs near one another, or attend church together, or even live in the same community. If they’ve been involved in a close Christian fellowship during their college years, it can come as a shock to go out into the ‘real world’ and find that kind meaningful community. They need to know what to expect.”
Erica continues to stay in touch with students who have participated in Exit in the past, who are enthusiastically living and serving in the city, and who have gotten involved in multigenerational life groups in their church.