Christ and College

Research Reveals Critical Needs of Christian College Freshmen

www.crosswalk.com

The Christian Post reports that youth leaders who haven't yet called their graduates-turned-college freshmen might want to pick up the phone. Ministry directors who are researching the Christian youth fallout from the Fuller's Center for Youth and Family Ministry have noticed that for the most part, faith didn't prevail between the freshman and sophomore years for college students.

A college freshman's biggest priority is to establish friendships and figure out where they fit in, according to CYFM directors Kara Powell and Brad Griffin and Fuller Theological Seminary faculty member Cheryl Crawford. "Across the board, the freshmen we interviewed indicated that these first two weeks are absolutely critical for creating a social life. The primary -- and most accepted -- way to do this in college is to engage in the party scene,"

Many respondents said they wish they had maintained contact with friends or youth group leaders post-graduation.