Every week someone asks me, "Why do 73% of Christian students not go to church*?". It does seem ridiculously high doesn't it? Many factors contribute to this statistic. But I believe it is helpful to look at this as relationship breakdown. At the core of relationship breakdown there is often a difference in expectations and assumptions between the two parties involved.
Young people go to university as the most marketed to generation in human history and as such, they expect churches to market themselves and advertise widely. This isn't an objective, ecclesiological position! It is just their experience. This is at an all-time high during fresher’s week. Everyone from societies to lecturers, administrators to phone companies, pubs to political parties are pounding them with information. They do this because they know that the first two weeks of a student’s life define the rest of it. Decisions made here, last 3 years...maybe a lifetime.
Many churches, on the other hand, have different expectations. They assume students will seek them out and turn up on their doorstep. After all, aren't churches easy to find? Most have their own websites nowadays! When this doesn't happen church leaders have often assumed that the students must have all gone to another church which is now flavour of the month or "the big student church". This is simply not true. They just aren’t going anywhere!
Fusion sees Student Linkup as essential to the future of the church because it addresses this relationship breakdown between young people and churches. If you know anyone who is going to university, please get them to register for free with Student Linkup and we will put them in touch with churches in their university town and other Christian fresher’s they will be joining.
Over 90 days this summer Fusion aim to prepare and connect 2500 new students to churches in their place of study. Connection to a local church is crucial for a student to thrive during the university experience. If you lead a church in a university town please make sure you’re registered with Fusion so we can give you access to many of the christian freshers coming to your town this autumn.
Let's work together as a whole church. Please allow Student Linkup to act as a bridge to or from your church so that thousands of young people thrive in their faith in our local churches.
*According to research conducted by the Christianity and University Experience project; 73% of Christian Students don’t connect to a church or any Christian group at University.
