Across the Southern Baptist landscape, 75 to 90 percent of high school seniors have dropped out of churches before they graduate from high school. The loss is occurring in the 9th to 12th grades.
That message comes from Steve Masters, 19-year Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM) director at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, and a contract worker with LifeWay Christian Resources in transition ministry. Transition is a term that applies to ministry to juniors and seniors in high school and freshmen in college. One of the primary goals of transitions ministry is to encourage those involved in high school youth ministry to be involved in collegiate ministry.
“We look at the issue of transitioning those in youth ministry to college ministry, but our major problem is that our students are dropping out of youth ministry during their high school years,” said Masters. “Most of our church members and leaders don’t understand the major loss from our churches doesn’t occur after graduation from high school. The loss is occurring when they receive their driver’s license.
“My estimation is that Southern Baptists are losing 100,000 high school juniors and seniors every year,” Masters said. “All across the Southern Baptist Convention, we have seniors that show up for graduate recognition services, and we are lulled into thinking the senior high ministry is healthy. Unfortunately, most of these graduating seniors are not involved in the student ministry of their church. During their college years, there is no question that we lose some of the 10 to 25 percent of high school seniors who stay involved in church. If we only lose one-half of these students during their college years, then our overall loss is nine out of 10 of the high school graduates from our churches. This is a staggering loss.”
The reality Masters describes is part of a South Carolina Baptist Convention discussion surrounding the transition of young people from youth ministry to collegiate ministry. On May 13, a small group of youth ministers, BCM directors, church collegiate ministers, and SCBC staff joined Masters for the first of several conversations. Ken Owens, director, Collegiate Ministry Group, SCBC, and Steve Rohrlack, director, Youth Ministry Group, SCBC, hosted the meeting.
Owens said the group is looking at three questions: “How can we develop ministries to help keep high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors engaged and involved in local church life?” How do we ‘pass the baton’ between youth ministry and collegiate ministry leadership, and how can the state convention help with the transition? How do we keep students involved in local churches, especially those who don’t go away to college and stay in the local community?”
Owens said the team will put together strategies, resources, and provide help to South Carolina churches.
Part of the transition problem, Rohrlack said, is that “our churches and student pastors are not sharing the names of students who are going to college.”
Owens said he communicates each year with youth pastors and leaders, asking for the names of students “coming our way (toward BCM), but only 10 percent of churches provide that information. “It’s critical that local churches help the process,” he said. “Most universities no longer ask for a student’s religious preference and don’t provide students information to collegiate ministries, so BCM and local churches don’t have information on students if churches aren’t providing it.
“If we have student names, we can send that information to our BCM directors on college campuses and they can follow up with students. We can make lists available to collegiate ministries and other college leaders in local churches. The goal is to get as much information to students as possible.” (Student information can be provided online at www.scbcm.org/transitions.)
But, Rohrlack said, when 70 percent of SCBC youth ministry leaders are volunteers, and not paid staff, it’s easy for priorities to center around the next local church activity rather than transition conversations.
“That’s why we’re meeting,” Rohrlack said. “How do we help local churches get the information to us when doing so might not be an honest priority?”
Owens said, “On the collegiate side, we’ve got to explore strategies to communicate back with youth ministers and volunteers who send students our way. We need to keep conversations going so the leaders back at home can be an ongoing part of the student’s life.”
Reaching parents is important, too. “We have to look at strategies to work closer with parents who are giving away their spiritual responsibility to a youth pastor,” Rohrlack said. “When that youth pastor is no longer in a student’s life, the student will usually choose activities other than church or BCM involvement.”
LifeWay’s Masters said, “High school leaders need to stay connected with collegiate ministers, prepare for transition, and then make a commitment to stay connected for six months into college or beyond. The college minister begins building relationships with students while they are still in high school. This creates a crossover and a better transitional handoff. I’ve personally challenged youth pastors this way: You’ve invested the past six years in these young people. What about the next four years? Please don’t forget about them.”
Ryan Brooks, college and singles associate minister, Taylors First Church, said his church promotes high school graduates to collegiate ministry in the spring, as the senior year comes to a close. That allows students to connect with college students over the summer before the college freshman year begins.
“When those students come home on breaks, they already have a place to connect in our church,” Brooks said. “They already know other college students.”
To further help the transition, Brooks and minister of students Jason Hodges take the seniors away for an overnight crossover event, bringing along college students to talk about college life, challenges, Christian lifestyle, and connecting with collegiate ministry.
A recent church parenting conference had a session on transition, which Brooks led. His session helped parents understand collegiate ministry and college life for Christian students.
“I also try to help students connect with college ministries; I contact local churches with strong college and student ministries, saying ‘Hey, I’ve got these students coming to your area.’ “
South Carolina Baptist Collegiate Ministry has instructions to aid transition at www.scbcm.org/transitions.
LifeWay has a transitions website, www.sbccampusconnect.net which provides a place for high school seniors’ names to be provided to our nation’s collegiate ministers. – SCBC