Spiritually Ready for College?

Msn ran a story they published the week of May 8th on what makes a high school great yesterday on their home page. The best schools are the ones that do the best job of preparing average students for college. What caught my attention was part of the blurb at the top of the page

“…NEWSWEEK honors top schools that help regular kids succeed in college.”

I love this! The focus is on them succeeding in college, not succeeding in high school! I wonder how many people are doing high school youth ministry this way? A successful youth ministry is preparing students to be spiritually ready for college.

If our focus is on their next step in college it’s going to change how we walk through high school with them. For example, what’s the one thing they are going to take from their spiritual journey in high school with them into college? Not their parents. Not their youth pastor. Not their small group leader. Not the programs they attended.

Their Bible!

Therefore we must make all that we do in youth ministry point to this BOOK that the writer of Proverbs in 7:2 says to keep as the “apple of your eye.” Keeping this as the apple of their eyes in college is going to help them make it spiritually! Part of our plan for our students being spiritually ready for college means our ministries must be saturated with the Word of God because the Bible they are studying with us on Sundays is going to be the Bible by their bed in their dorm room one Tuesday morning in college! Making things fun isn't going to help them succeed.

Part of students being spiritually ready for college is youth pastors being ready to make God’s Word the focus of their ministries. Paul told Timothy to guard the deposit (Word of God) entrusted to him! I want to be able to say this to every senior graduating!