UNDERSTANDING A DESPERATE CAMPUS CULTURE

 

By the numbers, the younger generation has grown increasingly indifferent to matters of faith, and the church in America is declining. Some projections estimate that between 26 and 42 million adolescents raised in Christian homes will disaffiliate from Christianity by 2050 and the percentage of Christians in the U.S. will drop from 73 percent to anywhere between 64 and 54 percent.[1] In fact, the unaffiliated—the “nones”—are the fastest growing religious category in the U.S.[2] Though many believe in a “higher power,” masses of students and parents see Jesus as irrelevant to their lives.

 

God is not subject to numbers, of course. The growth of His Kingdom is not governed by current trends, worldviews, and sociological models. A widespread spiritual awakening in the coming years could transform youth culture in the U.S. and around the world. However, when the Holy Spirit brings about a revival, He generally does so through His people. The question is whether His people are prepared for the opportunity to lead millions of students into His Kingdom.

 

A Disoriented Generation

Young people today find themselves forced into an adult environment without the time, opportunity, or desire to grow up emotionally. Teens and pre-teens are making choices—whether to have sex, drink, or do drugs, and now even what gender to identify with—that were once made in college or beyond, if at all.[3] Greater numbers of young people experience deeply traumatic events and living conditions than ever before. About 600,000 cases of child abuse are reported every year.[4] Students go to school with a fear of knowing what to do if someone with a gun enters the building. They live in a very uncertain, unstable world.  

 

Depression, mental health disorders, and suicide are rising at alarming rates.[5] The normal emotional turmoil of adolescence poses difficult problems in itself. But combined with such stressful, traumatic conditions, the strain can render a young person emotionally paralyzed, unable to handle normal teenage pressures.

            

The emotional distress sends students on a search to fill the emptiness inside. Like other people, adolescents want to experience love but fear that they can’t. Plagued by emotional traumas and cultural messaging, many have a distorted view of love; they can’t separate love from sexual involvement and believe they can only find love by having sex.[6] That results in even greater insecurity and fear of not being loved, as well as high rates of pregnancy and abortion—further traumas that only exacerbate the emotional crisis many young people experience. Many students end up feeling socially bankrupt and unable to carry on their own lives, much less sustained relationships.

            

Adding to their emotional and social distress, many teenagers live in a spiritual environment that offers no real hope and even adds to their problems. The average high school graduate has spent 18,720 hours in twelve years on campus, excluding extracurricular activities, immersed in teaching that presents no absolutes. They’ve gotten the message that life is not related to any all-powerful, all-knowing God, but revolves only around themselves. They rarely have the opportunity to seek answers that can meet their real-life needs. 

 

Because students sense no relief from the emptiness of their culture, they do what seems logical—they quit trying. If they are taught that they came from nothing and are going to nothing, they naturally conclude that everything in between means nothing. They see no hope.

            

Hopelessness leads to escapism, whether in the form of substance abuse, sexual activity, withdrawal from society, or suicide, now a leading (and growing) cause of death among teens.[7] Without the foundation or tools to cope with the threats, traumas, fears, and anger they feel, many turn to violence and crime. They are experiencing the crisis of a society that has lost its moral authority and absolutes.

 

Bridging the Gap

Students are looking for a moral compass. They often turn to the messages they hear from peers, influencers, and public opinion. In an age of unprecedented connectedness—with instant global communications that transcend borders—students around the world are influenced by the same voices. They watch and listen to the same media personalities, listen to the same music, play the same online games, and embrace the same lifestyles and values. The problem is that those lifestyles and values are constantly shifting and often leave them disconnected from God and the truth that can revolutionize their lives.

 

Today’s students are longing for a reason to believe and even to live. They desperately need relationships with people who know and love Jesus to show up in their lives. They need spiritual mentors—caring adults across the table who simply say, “Tell me what’s happening,” and then listen without judgment. No matter how much they and their social influences may try to keep Jesus at arm’s length, He is still the only source of life and truth.

            

We can help them bridge that gap. We will discuss relationships and mentors more in coming articles, but it begins with people who have compassion and a calling, a willingness to serve and sacrifice, and a strong commitment to patience and persistence that can break down the barriers between the desperate needs of students and the Answer they long for. 

            

When churches, families, youth workers, and students catch that vision, the Christian community will stop lamenting discouraging statistical declines and instead become captivated by the amazing opportunity before us: a mission field ripe for harvest and a Savior eager to work through His people to accomplish His purposes in the younger generation. 

 

Your Next Steps

We encourage you to keep a notebook or journal of ideas, action steps, and resources that will help you advance your youth ministry. You can use the following questions and suggestions for brainstorming and developing your goals and plans. 

 

• Identify the top three needs of students in your community and pray about ways your team can help meet them.

 

• Through your ministry network, local Christian counselors, and community, look for resources to help provide biblical responses to the needs of students dealing with adverse life conditions and mental health issues. Begin developing a list of contacts who could help students at risk.

 

• Fuller Youth Institute and other researchers suggest that if students have at least five caring adults in their lives, they will likely remain in the faith after graduation. Identify possible mentors for students—trusted adults in your ministry (young adults or senior adults, not current youth leaders) who might be willing to serve as a listening, caring mentor to a student. 

 

Resources

• Every Student Every School, sponsored by the Campus Alliance, gives a broad range of campus ministry resources. Look it over to see how it can help you think about and move more intentionally toward campus ministry. www.everyschool.com/resources/campusconnections. 

 

 

[1] Pinetops Foundation, The Great Opportunity: The American Church in 2050, 2018, 18-21. 

[2] Gregory A. Smith, “About Three-in-Ten U.S. Adults Are Now Religiously Unaffiliated,” Pew Research Center, Dec. 14, 2021. https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2021/12/14/about-three-in-ten-u-s-adults-are-now-religiously-unaffiliated/

[3] This was true in 1987, when Victor I. Stursberger of the American Academy of Pediatrics wrote “Today's Adolescents—Different Choices, Greater Risks” (Youthworker Update, vol. 1, no. 6 [Feb. 1987], 1) and has intensified many times over since then. 

[4] www.nationalchildrensalliance.org

[5] https://hub.jhu.edu/2020/03/25/anxiety-depression-increasing-among-adolescents/

[6] This is true for a significant number of teenagers, though trends and conversations about sex are changing. Some examples of change are cited by Thomas Lickona, “Talking to Teens about Love and Sex,” at https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/raising-kind-kids/202202/talking-teens-about-love-and-sex

[7] According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the leading causes of death among teenagers aged 15–19 years are accidents (unintentional injuries), homicide, and suicide (https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db37.htm); research suggests that 48 percent of teenagers who spent five or more hours per day on electronic devices reported a suicide-related behavior https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171130170212.htm