churchrelevance.com

Over the past several years, UCLA researchers have been studying the spirituality of college students. What is intriguing is undergraduates tend to become more spiritual but less religious between their freshman and junior year. The Pew Forum recently shared the following findings from the study:

Religious Attendance

• 43.7% of freshmen frequently attend religious services.
  25.4% of juniors frequently attend religious services.
• 20.2% of freshmen never attend religious services.
  37.5% of juniors never attend religious services.

Measures of Spirituality

• 48.7% of freshmen say “attaining inner harmony” is “very important” or “essential.”
  62.7% of juniors say “attaining inner harmony” is “very important” or “essential.”
• 41.8% of freshmen say “integrating spirituality in my life” is “very important” or “essential.”
  50.4% of juniors say “integrating spirituality in my life” is “very important” or “essential.”
• 62.8% of freshmen agree with the statement “most people can grow spiritually without being religious.”
  74.8% of juniors agree with the statement “most people can grow spiritually without being religious.”

Why the rise of spirituality but fall of religiosity?

Researchers believe two factors affecting this trend are:

1. Many of these students are away from home for the first time, and we suspect that, for some students, religious observance before college is influenced by the presence of the family
2. A greater deal of time is invested in studies during college than before college.

So what is the best way to reach these college students? Should a college ministry try to reverse the trend and get undergraduates to start attending a service? Or should a college ministry focus on bringing spirituality to the college campus?

For Discussion:
- What do you think?
- What recent college ministry success stories have you heard?

I recently read Going All the Way by Craig Groeschel of LifeChurch.tv (Edmond, OK). It is a relationships book that discusses how to prepare for a marriage that goes the distance. While most books in this genre are written only for married couples or only for the engaged or the dating or even just for singles, Craig does a great job presenting Biblical advice that can help people regardless of what their relationship status is.

He covers topics such as putting God first, finding your soul mate, dating tips, purity tips, godly relationships, and even how and when to break up. He explains how to be a good husband and how to be a good wife. And he discusses what it takes to keep one’s marriage passionate and one’s priorities in line. In other words, Going All the Way will give you a balanced education of everything it takes to have a successful marriage.

A few highlights:

• Minor adjustments produce marginal results. To experience the kind of relationships we long for, we must, with God’s help, prepare to be genuinely different.
• Loving the Lord is our first priority. Without Jesus in first place, what comes next will never quite work, including our love relationships.
• If you want what few have, do what few do. Raise your standards. Pursue holiness.
• “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25). Men, when you become a husband, it’ll be an honor to give yourself up for your wife.
• Everyone has seasons when an important lower priority takes a disproportionate amount of time. Those are seasons anyone can endure… if they don’t become a way of life.
• Keep the good things from taking priority over the best.
• What person do I need to become so I’ll be ready for a healthy, fulfilling marriage… and bless my spouse-to-be?
• [Develop] both a thick skin and a soft heart.
• Marriages are healthy because the couple learns to face and work through problems.

Going All the Way is a worthwhile investment for anyone wanting a great marriage.

Rust-Oleum offers several creative products that have great potential for student ministries and even the church office.

1. Magnetic Primer
2. Dry Erase Paint
3. Chalkboard Paint
4. Glow in the Dark Paint

So if you are looking to magnetize your walls, write on them, or even create patterns that glow in the dark, Rust-Oleum offers affordable solutions to make it happen. 

[via CoolBusinessIdeas.com]

One out of every 12 full-time workers in the United States admit illegal drug use in the past month according to a new survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration. Among those who admitted using illegal drugs in the past month:

• 19.0% were ages 18 to 25
• 10.3% were ages 26 to 34
• 7.0% were ages 35 to 49
• 2.6% were ages 50 to 64

Based on these numbers, 1 out of every 5 students that a college ministry wants to reach has a problem with illegal drugs.

I am surprised by how common illegal drug use is, but this is a good reminder that despite the “everything’s okay” appearance that people project on the outside, people often have hidden problems that need God’s help.

[via Yahoo! News]

GenDigital shares some research from the Youth Trends’s Lifestyle Report that shows that blogs are growing in popularity among young people.

• 44% report reading a blog site at least once in the past week
  an increase from 36% last fall

• 32% report commenting on another blog site at least once in the past week 

• 22% report updating their own personal blog at least once in the past week
  an increase from 13% last fall
  >> 25% of males
  >> 19% of females

Teen blog use is expected to continue increasing, which suggests that blogging is starting to be and will be an excellent way for youth groups and college ministries to keep their students informed. 

[via Ypulse]

Threads Media sent me the leadership kit for a new Bible study curriculum called “In Transit: What Do You Do With Your Wait?” by Mike Harder of Highpoint Church (Memphis, TN).

It is a very comprehensive 6 session study that even includes three short videos, four music tracks, and three audio tracks to compliment the learning process. It investigates how Joseph, David, and Jesus handled seasons of waiting and explores how such times can have great purpose in our lives too.

It is a good topic for young adults.

A 2004 UCLA survey reveals:

• 79% of college freshman believe in God
  >> 90% of politically conservative students
  >> 80% of politically “middle-of-the-road” students
  >> 64% of politically liberal students

Researchers also discovered three distinct conceptions of God.

1. A Personal God (40% of students)
   - feel a “sense of connection with God/Higher Power”
   - feel “loved by God”
   - ”gain spiritual strength by trusting in a Higher Power”
2. An All Powerful God  (37% of students)
   - creator, judge, supreme being, and/or protector
3. A Mystical God (15% of students)
   - universal spirit, divine mystery, nature, enlightenment, and/or part of me

10% of students rejected all three perceptions of God.

Additionally, The Christian Post reports that religious and spiritual interest is growing in popularity on college campuses.

In a quest to find what is popular online, Youth Trends recently asked 17-to-25-year-olds to name their top three favorite websites. Facebook.com dominated the results among both men and women.

Among Women Ages 17-25

1. 69% Facebook
2. 38% MySpace
3. 22% YouTube
4. 13% Google
5. 10% CNN

Among Men Ages 17-25

1. 56% Facebook
2. 19% YouTube
3. 17% Yahoo!
4. 17% Google
5. 16% ESPN

Keep in mind that these are their favorite sites and not necessarily the ones they most traffic. Regardless, Facebook is the place for your church to reach young adults.

To learn more about how your church can reach people with Facebook, read our previous posts about advertising on Facebook and how Guts Church used Facebook to reach Tulsa students.

Full report: eMarketer
[via Mashable]