Watch the video above and talk about it with a group or mentor. Learn more.
Heading to college soon? Here are some simple and effective tips for Christians getting ready to leave home and enter a new phase of life.
Get Connected
Find a Christian ministry or small group on campus, and find a good local church in the area. Don’t isolate yourself from real believers who can help you.
Hebrews 3:12-14 Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.
Get a Defense for Your Faith
When you get to the college campus, there will be all kinds of worldviews thrust at you. If you don’t know what you believe – or why you believe it – you’ll buckle under the pressure. And be sure to incorporate apologetics into your studies. Apologetics uses modern knowledge to defend the Christian faith. Read books like The Reason for God by Timothy Keller, or Defending Your Faith by R.C. Sproul. Online, check out the resources at gotquestions.org or reasonablefaith.org with William Lane Craig.
1 Peter 3:15 Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it.
Don’t Get Caught Up Trying to Make Christianity Look Cool
You don’t have to validate your faith in front of your peers, especially when it comes to sex or drinking. And share the gospel. Don’t forget that Jesus also left home and went to a place where a bunch of students needed to hear the truth.
- What is your initial reaction to this topic? What jumped out at you?
- What are some of the campus ministries at your college? What are some of the healthy local churches?
- Why is connecting to other believers important for your college years? Explain.
- Read 1 Peter 3:15. Do you think you could defend your faith to another student or a professor? What are some questions that might stump you?
- On a scale of 1-10, how much do you think you’ll struggle with peer pressure in college? Do you think it will be greater than the peer pressure you experienced in high school? Explain.
- Articulate the gospel in a few sentences. (See the Pursuit Series)
- Write a personal action step based on this conversation.
