November Ministry Reflection: The Only Admission That Truly Matters

Choosing a college is one of the first major life decisions teenagers have to make as they near high school graduation. With a variety of secular pressures placed on students (and their parents) to choose the “best”  school, Orthodox Christians must remember that the main goal of our lives should always be the salvation of our souls. The ONLY admission that matters is not to any college, but to the Kingdom of Heaven!

Recent studies have found that somewhere in the area of 70% of youth leave the church once they go to college. Lord have mercy! But what if our youth chose a college with an academic, social, financial and spiritual fit in mind? Orthodox Christian college students would be able to stay connected to their faith and not add to this statistic. 

Why are such a high percentage of young people losing their faith or connection to church during these college years? Some people will say that colleges are filled with individuals and teachings that contradict the faith. Many people, including Orthodox Christians, are saying, forget college! Don’t even send them to that place of temptation and secular teaching! There are other paths like trades or vocational schools and so on. This could definitely be one cause for young people leaving church, and skipping college could be one option to consider. But it also might not be possible to completely avoid college depending on the talents the Lord has bestowed upon someone and what training is necessary for them to reach that career field.

Others might say, “Well then ok, we’ll just look at colleges that align with our faith. First, maybe an Orthodox college. If not, a conservative, Christian college. That will keep them connected!” But not all Christian colleges are the same. And some may even openly chastise Orthodox Christians for their Traditions, making college more of a challenge than if they had gone to a public school.  And attending a private, Christian college might not be possible for various reasons either, such as cost, distance, availability of majors, and so on.

So then let’s take a step back and ask, “Is it college that is to blame for this statistic? Or maybe it’s something else?” It actually reminds me of the story of the 40 Martyrs at Lake Sebaste. These martyrs are the patron saints of OYM. And their “slogan,” if you will, is, “Stay in the lake!” In this story, 40 soldiers, Christian young men, were sent into a cold lake to die for their faith. And there were temptations all around them, urging them to take the easy way out and give up! But they stayed in the lake, leaning on what they had learned about their faith previously - and on each other as a community of fellow Orthodox Christians -  to get through the tough times. Of course, they did lose one. But would anyone actually blame the LAKE for that? Probably not! Now substitute “lake” with “college.” Are we putting the full blame on the college? 

PLUS, don’t forget - their inspiration also GAINED one new Christian martyr by seeing the example of the others. Such can be the case with college. It might be a place filled with struggles. It IS a place with struggles! So that means our youth DO need to find others to lean on and to encourage each other wherever they find themselves in life.

Maybe, then, it’s not college that is to blame, but us- parents, teens, and our Church communities as a whole. It’s interesting to me how while our children were young (let’s say preschool and elementary school), giving them a secular education and teaching them about the faith never seemed to be in conflict with one another. Of course, if the kids attend an Orthodox school, or homeschool, those two things are completely intertwined. But even if the kids attended public school growing up, there were still plenty of opportunities for students to get their spiritual education: Sunday School, summer camp, youth groups, retreats, and so on. And they usually did!

However, when high school rolls around, all of a sudden it seems the focus on secular education completely takes over. Suddenly the only information that is necessary to fill our kids’ minds is math, science, English, etc. Anything that inhibits the path to that perfect college application must be shoved aside - including Church-related activities! How can a teen’s faith grow strong and deep if  he or she takes a 4-year “timeout” from living it?

 I’ve heard so many times how busy students are with classes, sports, test prep, and other extracurriculars that there’s “just no time” to attend youth groups, summer camps, and retreats anymore. Even Sunday morning, the Lord’s day, has either been taken over by activities - especially sports, although only 2% of high school athletes get a college athletic scholarship -  or is the “one day to sleep in,” meaning attendance at Divine Liturgy is no longer on the schedule. What a travesty!

So then what about those statistics again? It goes back to preparing our youth before college. By cultivating the good soil in the souls of our teens. By choosing a college not for the prestigious name or reputation, but with a spiritual fit in mind. To show them that participating in the life of the Church is not only essential for the health of their soul, but it can actually benefit them in the college application process, too! From essay topics to a long, meaningful activities list, our teens can be well prepared for college and highly engaged in their faith! It’s the ultimate WIN-WIN!

 If our youth are led to understand that their souls are more important than their college acceptance letters, they will be prepared for any temptations or attacks that may come their way and still stay connected to their faith while in college. They’ll stay in the lake - and maybe even grow STRONGER in it! And they will come out the other side still an active member of the Church, living their faith daily, and staying on the path to the one, and only, admission that truly matters.

By Christopher Chiakulas, Founder of Orthodox Christian College Counseling