It’s almost that time of the year again - Freshers’ season - the weeks and months where we see excited and apprehensive new faces visiting our churches. Whether you have a well established student group, or are hoping to gather some new students for the first time this September, here are some ways to welcome students into your city and church family.
1. ONLINE PRESENCE
The future Freshers already have their results by now and will be starting to create lists of churches to try. In the weeks to come they will be looking at your website, Instagram, Facebook and scrolling through the Student Linkup app. Now is the time to make your online presence eye-catching and student seeker friendly. You can do this by sharing links to get in contact and connect with your church, and posting upcoming events, such as student lunches and socials.
2. FOOD
Students love anything that’s free, but they particularly love free food. Plan which Sundays you’re going to host student lunches and advertise them well. These also provide a great opportunity for current students to invite their non-Christian friends at the start of a new academic year, as well as any Freshers that they meet.
3. WELCOME BAGS
Welcome bags serve two purposes. They’re a great way to give students all the information they need about your church, as well as helping you and your leaders identify who the new students are. That way you can introduce yourself and make them feel at home without the awkward, “Are you new?” before learning they’ve been part of your church community for 2 years (we’ve all been there)!
4. SUNDAYS
Prepare your church on Sundays to welcome students to your services throughout September and October. Who could you ask to make the effort to approach students, how could the talks be relevant to Gen Z? Prep the team on the door specifically and acknowledge students in the welcome from the front of church.
5. PRAY!
And arguably the most important thing - pray. Get your intercessory team praying for those heading off to university, that this year’s Freshers will be ashamedly on fire for Jesus in the midst of their campuses, and that they would find home in a local church that fuels that fire.
At Fusion Movement, we want to give every student the opportunity to find hope in Jesus, and home in a local church. To make this dream a reality, we work to equip and train local churches to welcome students. If you would like further information or resources, or would like to attend one of our training days, you can find out more here.
