As religion plays a key role in shaping the future of many college students, many Christian organizations at state universities nationwide are strategizing and initiating new programs proving new opportunities for students to get involved more in the community of Christ.
Newly developed programs emphasize on a variety of activities including group discussion, spiritual services, prayer meetings, counseling and mission trips.
A national survey this year released by the University of California, Los Angeles’ Higher Education Research Institute, indicated that most students prefer to discuss religion or spirituality with their friends, making peer evangelism a valuable tool for spreading the gospel. Around 3,680 students of 46 colleges nationwide participated in this survey whose results are shown below:
-77 percent of respondents said they pray, and 70 percent attended religious services in the past year.
-78 percent said they discuss religion or spirituality with their friends.
-73 percent said their spiritual or religious beliefs have helped them develop their identities.
-65 percent said they question their religious or spiritual beliefs at least occasionally.
The UCLA study reports that the number of students who attend religious services as they enter college goes from 52 percent to 29 percent by their junior year.
Reverend Martha Sanchez who leads campus Ministries at Wichita Sate University explained that college students have tendencies to seek for faith when they enter college. “College students often begin seeking and questioning matters of faith as they separate from their parents and evaluate their values and goals. They need to be grounded in knowing they can survive the ups and downs.”
