Home Children's Ministry Leaders Children's Ministry Blogs Re-writing the Slow Fade with Reggie Joiner

Re-writing the Slow Fade with Reggie Joiner

At the Orange Tour in Phoenix this week, Reggie talked about an important issue and Keith Tsuing of CMBuzz took great notes! And here’s the recap video so you can see some of what took place first-hand. Next stop: November 10th in Atlantla, GA!

According to an America’s Research Group
95% of 20 to 29-year-old evangelicals attended church regularly during their elementary and middle school years.

Only 55% went to church during high school.

And by college, only 11% were still attending church.

The most recent research from Lifeway shows that “among young adults ages 23-30 who stayed in church during ages 18-22, only 6 percent do not currently attend church.”

We need to make college age 18-22 young adults a priority.

The church is programmed to draw a finish line at 12th grade.
“a list of those who graduated.”

There are specific indicators when late adolescence transitions to adulthood, and not one expert says that it happens at high school graduation.

You transition to adulthood when you develop a healthy sense of …
…identity
…autonomy
…belonging

What if we move the finish line from high school graduation to college graduation?

As a team we need to protect our investment!

Myths about “college ministries”:

That’s what campus ministries should do.
There is a need for intergenerational relationships.

This is not a college town or community.
An estimated 25% of 18-24 year-olds attend a four year college full time.

We’ve tried doing it before and it doesn’t work.
Maybe you did a program, when they need leaders.

We don’t know how to appeal to college students.
It’s less about your ability to appeal, and more about your authenticity.

There is not enough budget.
Yes there is. It doesn’t take money to build relationships.

We can’t hire another staff position.
This is not really something you can hire.

This is not a long-term investment. They will leave as soon as they graduate.
This is bigger than your church.

These are the years they should solidify their faith on their own.
Owning faith and doing faith alone are two different issues.

“We’re putting together a puzzle and we want to figure it out without someone telling us how to do it.”

Kristen’s conclusions:
We are disconnecting from teenagers at graduation, when the stakes are the highest.
We are not tapping into our relational influences when the felt need is the greatest.

Ask the graduating Seniors: “Who was the most influential person in your life here at church?”

What is your church doing to invest in the lives of those who are college-age?

-how to visit a church
-enlisting those who influence

What are YOU doing to invest in the life of someone who is college-age?