College Publisher Test Site

Issue date: 11/10/09 Section: Opinion

Roughly around 85% of high school students quit going to church after graduation. The author of "Essential Church" states in his book that about 70% of people stop attending church during the ages 18-22. Could college be the leading force behind this religious decline?

Education.com says most high school graduates are unprepared for life, whether that be going into the work force or college. Before graduating high school, all I've heard is that college is one big party. College is known as "the best years of one's life," but it is also one of the hardest as well.

Temptations like parties, drinking, clubs, and sex consume the minds of many college students. This causes young adults to stray from their religions. Luckily, ABAC has clubs like Baptist Collegiate Ministries, and Christian Student Fellowship, to help further the gospel of Christ.

Meeting in places like these allows college students to socialize with others and build positive relationships. The BCM starts their club nights on Mondays with great food, worship, and influential speakers. However, it's likely there are still unsaved students at school who attend.

Getting involved in community socials such as this provides students with the right example. Being a saved Christian is not simply about church. It's also about having a relationship with both your community and Jesus. To help these relationships, young adults have to make the decision to get out of their comfort zones and get involved with a community church.

There are over 40 different types of churches in Tifton alone. Baptist, Catholic, Methodist, Church of God, Lutherans, and Church of Christ are some. All of these churches can serve as opportunities for ABAC students to meet new people in their community.

Attending church can improve your academic performance allowing you to keep up with your grades and having a peace of mind.

Glen Elder Jr. and Mark Regnerus have done studies on youth from low-income neighborhoods and have found that church involvement helps them succeed in the classroom. Not only are they priming themselves for amazing opportunities in the future, such as receiving scholarships, they are also making friendships that will last a lifetime.

Websites like urbanramps.com state that when responsibilities, great or small, are given to teens, they gain new confidence. Different studies have shown that religion gives much more than faith and good grades to students. A positive effect on social, mental, and physical health has improved individuals through church. The Urban Civil Society and the Center for Research on Religion have identified over 600 studies to prove this to be true.

Ever since I was seven, I went to Cairo Church of God. I was involved with many of the ministries there. Being involved in choir, singing solos, and helping lead my youth praise team gave me leadership confidence. Overhead projection, and drama ministries weren't made in my home church until I was a teen, but these ministries also helped me gain great social skills. Lots of knowledge about sign language and computers can be learned through these ministries by their hands on activities.

I was nervous when I started full time at ABAC because that meant I would need to find a new church here in Tifton. I was being judgmental about any other churches thinking they wouldn't be as good as mine. But I was completely wrong. I started getting to know everyone and even though it was different, I still loved it! Let's be a generation of change. We should go out and become active Christians in our society and form a stronger bond in the communities we live in.

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