Moving away from home to go to university or college is a huge step, and one that can bring serious challenges – as well as loads of fun and new opportunities. For churches in university towns, it's a time to expect loads of newcomers, and to welcome lots of people into the church family for their first time, which is both exciting and daunting.
Here are five things the new students in your church probably want you to know.
We don't waste all our time
People have a tendency to think students spend most of their time going out, getting drunk, or wasting their days lying in bed watching Neighbours. Some of that may be true, but university is also a time when most get involved in some kind of volunteering or charity work. Why not see how your church can help support them in that?
We don't have any money
This seems like an obvious one, but then the annual church weekend comes around and students are expected to pull £150 out of nowhere. Most will simply not have this money, but would love to be involved. How about offering reduced tickets if they are willing to help serve during the weekend with the children, worship, or prayer teams? Or, if your congregation is able, asking them to give extra money to help make it more affordable for students to join in?
It's also worth bearing this in mind when putting on any church function – free food will make it much more appealing to students!
We want to hang out with people who aren't students
It's easy to go through university in a student bubble; never hanging out with anyone over the age of 23 and running out of church the minute the service is over to go to the pub. But most students would love to spend time with families and older people – they just need to be given permission. It might be worth thinking about pairing students up with families in the church for lunch one Sunday, which can be a great way to get to know one another. And definitely encourage your congregation to be especially welcoming during the first few weeks of term.
We want opportunities to serve
The three or four years someone spends at university can be foundational in learning about their gifts. With students, you have a wealth of talent and a group of people with the time to give. Encourage new students to get involved in church from the start – whether that's on set-up or pack-down teams, the worship rota, welcome, teas and coffees, kids, with CAP or other outreach projects. It's a way for them to immediately feel part of the family, and to start working out where their gifts lie.
We miss home
Yes, uni is brilliant and it's pretty fun to start a whole new life in a new place. But almost every student will have moments where they miss their family, home church and friends. Make sure you've got a pastoral team in place, and do all you can to make them feel welcomed and loved; having a church family can also make all the difference for students who are still finding their feet with faith. They might only be with you for a few years, but they're an invaluable resource while they're there, and investing in them now will pay dividends for the Kingdom in the future.
