Odds-n-Ends . Volume 08 | Issue 16

Largest Freshman Class in History

(As seen in Threads Media, August 12, 2008)

A friend sent me a piece of information that rocked me back in my chair. This year’s freshman class of college students in the U.S. numbers 13.6 million, which is the largest in history. Who is going to introduce these to students to Christ, since there are only about 4,000 college ministers on campus?

The answer is “The Church.”

If you don’t have a ministry to college students in your church, start one. You can start small, with a single small group. Or you can start huge with a worship gathering, multiple small groups and a social justice team. Whatever you do, talk with campus ministers about how you might partner with them to make a difference on campus.Talk to other churches about how you can work together to accomplish the Great Commission on campus.

A few other things you might need to know:

  • 7 in 10 students own a laptop.
  • 6 in 10 watch TV online.
  • 3 in 10 visit YouTube frequently, but Veoh, Hulu and Joost are climbing in their visibility.
  • A majority of college students expect 24-7 connectivity and rely on the web for communicating, socializing and entertaining themselves.

The bottom line: Your church and your ministry needs a well thought out, easy to navigate web site. You need video on your site. You need to be using Facebook, YouTube and a plethora of other sites to get the word out that college students are welcome in your body of believers.

One other thing to consider. If your church doesn’t have a concept of how to accomplish young adult ministry, you better get started. The 13.6 million college freshman are going to begin appearing in your town looking for work once they get their diplomas. Is there a place for them in your ministry?

About the Author
Jim is the director of Young Adult Ministry at LifeWay Christian Resources. He has worked for the past 11 years in a variety of roles, ranging from marketing to publishing to Internet development. Before being called to full-time ministry, he worked as a reporter and editor at Alabama’s capital city daily newspaper, the Montgomery Advertiser, for 10 years. Prior to coming to LifeWay, he also worked as an adult-in-missions editor at the Brotherhood Commission in Memphis. Jim and his wife Tammy have been married for 23 years and have two sons, Spenser, 17, and Ethan, 10. Jim also serves as the campus pastor at Hermitage Hills Baptist Church’s Wilson County location.