Ok, here are some of my houghts/notes from day one of the Sticky Faith seminar at National Youth Workers Convention (NYWC)
They showed a “Live Above” video about college students regrets is amazing! We have to find it.
“Trajectories are being established long before senior year.” – If we wait until students are seniors to discuss the transition to college, its really too late.
There is no formula to build sticky faith, it’s the Holy Spirit’s job.
In the Sticky Faith study, the study group was 385 students, 82% with both parents, high GPA (3.5-3.9), mostly Caucasian, from youth groups with a paid youth pastor. This group is a “dream” team amoung youth group kids (not the race issue, but the others). How would a different group fare? Worse? Better? Would kids from “tougher” backgrounds transition better since they have faced so many things already?
Students who abstain from sex/alcohol in high school are the ones who show the highest growth in those areas in college.
The “Red Bull Ripoff” – students have a tiny caffeine driven faith that crashes at graduation
Students believe in the Gospel of Sin Management
1/3 of students didn’t mention Jesus when defining the Gospel. They almost all talked about “love”. Did they assume Jesus or really not think about Him?
Love was the most mentioned definition.
Philippians 3 – we begin as good in His image. Our sin brings guilt. We are saved by His grace. We live for Him out of gratitude.
Why do we obey/serve Jesus? “Our lives are great big thank you notes back to Jesus” This was a great phrase, and I’m gonna steal it from Kara.
It’s no wonder that kids ditch their faith if they think its all about how they act.
Doubt in and of itself is not toxic, unexpressed doubt is toxic.
Great question for students: If you could ask God any question, what would it be?
JasonChenoweth.com 