Falling Between the Gap Six steps that will help transitioning college students stay involved in a church community College freshman are falling between the gap of high school and freshman year. What are we called to do?

Community  Why Community Is Important In avoiding the Gap  Kids that are thrown into new situations, school or friends, need a consistent healthy environment.  Key Community Elements  Family: When a high school graduate has the support of their family, they are more likely to maintain church attendance.  Home Church/youth group: “I My youth group/church so enjoyable, that they want to come back” – Danny Ramos (Maranatha Chapel)  Restart: Find a new community after graduation that is going to keep you accountable. Communication  How to Communicate  Technology: text, facebook, etc.  Consistently: Try and make an effort to connect with them while they are in transition “Their parents preach the gospel to them: what students receive in church must be reinforced at home with parents who lead their children in faith as they grow up”- Jon Nielson of College Church in Wheaton Illinoi _________________________________________ Taking the initiative to directly communicate with a student, can ensue confidence or an opportunity to talk about the GAP _____________________ “I purposefully bug them, because my role doesn't’t stop. After I graduate seniors, they become my friends.”- Trevor O'Keefe Maranatha Chapel

 Tips from other pastors: Help your student out by using your connections  If your student is going to a university in a different town, call the pastor at the local church  If you have friends or relationships at colleges, churches or towns, pass that information on to the student, as well as asking if your connects would like to help out your student.  Encourage the graduate to get involved in a program of adoption (an adult from the local church will “adopt” a new student) Commitment Studies Show Commitment In a study done by Chelsi Creech at St. Louis University on spirituality and ritual attendance freshman have higher levels of ritual and non-ritual attendance compared to upper classman. This means that the incoming year of college is very impressionable and in order to keep this trend of high attendance, their faith commitment needs to be strong! _________________________________________________ Connections These newly independent young adults still need some help ___________________________ Pastors urge Commitment “We don’t have high enough standards for kids, so they just blindly follow their faith. We need to provide opportunity for them to act out their faith rather then just entertaining them.”- Paul Perrelle “Their faith commitment involves God’s love, grace and commitment to them”- Trevor O’keefe “After they graduate I encourage them to take it upon themselves to live life together with Gods word”-Jamie Urbina

Cultivate  Cultivating a passion for faith commitment in high school can help avoid the gap. If more youth groups provided opportunities for their kids to test, challenge, or act out their faith, there would be a higher percentage of college students attending church. _________________________________________ Christ  After interviewing multiple pastors, the connecting point that all of them had was Christ. ___________________________  Quotes on what they want their graduating seniors to come away with after four years in their youth group  “God is real and he wants a relationship with them. I want to give them an opportunity to fall and attempt to live out their faith by prayer, sharing their testimony and being out of their comfort zone.”- Paul Perrelle West Brook Church Bakersfield  “Understand the gospel  Grace  Justification  Sanctification”- Danny Romos  “To have a foundation in Christ love, and that they would know that God is big”- Jamie Urbina Calvary Chapel Vista Discussions Discipleship Missions Trips Witnessing HOW TO CULTIVATE ALSO TRY Question and Answer Traditions Testimonies Create your own liturgies/creeds Christ and Relationships

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