Graduates!!

This Sunday we will recognize our High School Graduates!! They have been an incredible class and I will miss them tremendously. As they prepare to move on to bigger and better things I am excited but also a little worried. Statistics continue to show that between 75 and 85 % of graduates who faithfully attended church during their teenage years will drop out during their college years. That stat blows my mind and breaks my heart.

Why do so many fall away and how many of my faithful students will fall away from church and God?

There are so many different theories of why this happens, some people blame Youth Pastors, some blame the College Ministers and BCM Directors, some blame parents, and some blame the graduate. But I think the number one reason is simply CHANGE. A college student either goes away to another city, in which they have to find a new church, new friends, and new life. Or they stay in the same city where they move from one ministry to the next but may land amongst a totally different group of people in church than they had been around the previous year.

We need to bridge the gap and all work together. BCMs, College Ministries, Student Ministries, and parents all need to continue on the journey with the Graduate no matter how far away they move. Whether it's a phone call, a lunch, or cup of coffee, we can still make a difference in the life of the graduate. We have to change the statistics, or our churches will one day be empty.