Dec 19 2007
Study shows college students go to church less but become more spiritual…
Students may be less likely to attend religious services while in college than they were as high school students, but that doesn’t mean they’re not wrestling with spiritual and ethical issues, a study suggests. An increasing number of undergraduates express a desire to explore the meaning and purpose of life as they progress through college, it says.
After three years in college, students are more engaged in a spiritual quest than they were as entering freshmen. Life goals are rated as “very important.”
| 2004 | 2007 | |
 |
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| Integrating spirituality into my life |
41.8% | 50.4% |
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| Seeking beauty in my life |
53.7% | 66.2% |
|
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| Becoming a more loving person |
67.4% | 82.8% |
Read about it here.
[From me]
- I wonder why this is?
- Were you more or less active in church when you were in college?
- What do you think churches can do to capitalize on the spiritual interest of college students?
- What does this mean for churches today?
- What does this mean for churches in the future?
What do you think?
5 responses so far
A couple of questions struck me as I read this article. Is this tendency, away from religious services and toward spirituality, present in most kids in this age group, or is it only true for college kids? In other words, what role if any does a college education play in this trend?
As a college kid myself, there were a few things about college that might have had an influence on me. Probably the most prominent was coming in daily close contact with kids that grew up differently than I did. Many grew up in other countries, had different social and religious backgrounds, and spoke other languages. The idea might be fairly ho hum now, but back then it was an eye opener. Another thing might have been the exposure to literature and philosophy. I don’t recall a particular author or philosopher who had a huge effect on me at the time, but maybe the effect was cumulative - or maybe it was merely the exposure to new ideas and critical thinking.
The second question that struck me in the article was: if the kids who were part of the study attend services less frequently, yet find spirituality important, do they view services as nonspiritual or do they simply have less time to attend due to their study load? I was already very close to admitting to myself that I was an atheist back then so I never have any personal experience with this trend. In my case, I worked full time and went to school full time (and was married “full time”) so I didn’t have time for much else anyway. Can anyone else share some insight?
Kevin,
I’ve always been active in the local congregation…and sometimes too active–to the point of exhaustion and burnout.
When I started college, the first thing I did was find a local church–and I was faithful in that congregation until I left town for good, some 6 years later….
I’ve worked in the university setting for almost 17 years, and I’d say it really depends upon the setting and campus culture. By and large, college students do stray from their upbringing, not only in regards to participation in church, but other areas as well — language, alcohol consumption, responsibility, personal appearance, even hygiene. Some of this is due to lack of oversight and accountability in the college setting (at least in these areas), and some is due to the desire by most 18 year olds (made possible by living away from home) to experiment. Some students become more devoted to their faith while in college, but I’d have to say many more fall away.
Why is this? Anectodally, I’d say some of it is due to them not being forced to be involved by parents (or grandparents, as the case may be). Exposure to a more diverse environment in regards to beliefs, ideologies, ideas, and viewpoints accounts for some of the shifts in student faith as well. Honestly, I’d have to say that a large portion of the ‘falling out’ is because many students had never truly ‘fallen in’ — even though they had gone to church with their parents for years.
Remember, spirituality and faith may be two different things. I see quite a few people exploring their spirituality in ways that have nothing to do with God (big or little ‘g’), much less Christianity.
The collegiate environment is a mission field in need. We have a great BCM with a missional director, but that is not the case everywhere. All too often, campus ministries provide an enclave for the Christian kids who don’t fall away; instead, they should have a missional approach, being salt and light in the campus community. I have to say that most churches totally miss the boat when it comes to college students — they treat it as an extension of their youth ministry, and that just doesn’t work well.
I don’t have the answer, but look forward to some more responses.
db
“Seeking beauty in my life” seems a little peculiar to me. I’d be in favor of all high school graduates spending 3 years in the Marine Corps before pursuing a degree. The Marine Corps would give some focus to them.
Kevin,
My involvement in a local church continued to be just as active in my college days as it was growing up. I attended a great church in Austin that had a wonderful program for university students. The ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ was also extremely vital in my spiritual formation and growth in those years. I participated in a couple of different summer beach projects with Crusade, even meeting the girl who would become my wife on the second of those projects.