Parents & Pastors

As many as 70% of Christian Students Put Their Faith Aside During Their College Years

Ideally both parents’ and pastors’/youth pastors’ hard work raising each child up into their various levels of faith will serve as a strong foundation that will be built upon and further developed in each and every case through The Warrior Class.

According to Barna Research, it is generally recognized that 7 out of 10 Christian students either lose or put on hold their journey in faith to bend to the culture of spiritual confusion that many college campuses currently represent. As a strong antidote, the Warrior Class is designed, instead, to support and strengthen the faith of the students it supports.

The first 72 hours on campus are critical

College tours should be structured to include visits with all available campus ministry leaders including Campus Crusade, InterVarsity, FCA and the various Chaplaincies. All such programs should be reviewed, evaluated and monitored so that  good matches and “soft” landings amidst well-shepherded communities can be made.

Information is power! Many times one of the most important decisions of a lifetime can be made based on partial or even incorrect information.

College applicants and their parents need to base decisions on full information. Here are a few of the many questions that need to be answered:

• How strong/resilient is my child’s faith?
• Is a Christian or secular college the best match for my child? Might my child’s faith/leadership profile be strong enough to attend a secular college?
• Which school matches up best with my child’s gifts and callings?
• Which campuses provide the best extracurricular support for faith filled students?
• Which faculties are most supportive of Christian students?
• Which “Christian” colleges have compromised their standards of faith?
• Which schools are antagonistic to Christian students?

In addition, many logistical concerns need to be addressed such as:

• What code of conduct and/or ethics is required of the faculty?
• What is the appeals process that is offered if a professor unfairly grades a Christian point of view?
• What are the legal protections and constraints around the issue of free speech and universal investigation of creationism in the state sponsored colleges?
• Which campuses provide “in loco parentis” structures/parietals?
• Which campus ministries are best suited to support my child’s level of faith?
• Is my child better served living at home/closer to home than at a distant campus?

Programs such as “Answers in Genesis,” review and research many of these questions and offer fact-based recommendations concerning the DNA of the various Christian Colleges. A reference guide consisting of the findings offered by such services should be accessed for students and parents to review as part of the process of “making the match.”