College students in today’s world are in search of solid, safe, and trustworthy places to lean into their faith when they go off to college. The younger generation of students in a college atmosphere are looking for familiarity and something to call their home away from home. But it can be very difficult to know how to draw students in on the first visit to a church community and present a setting that, in one interaction, can show college students a place where they can plug in confidently.
In a recent, brief survey, students were asked two questions meant to investigate what the current generation has been looking for.
1. What is important to you when looking for a church to call home?
2. What discouraged you from returning to a church after your initial visit?
The responses received were consistent, and focusing on some of these answers can increase interest in rural churches from students and help others understand what young adults in this generation are focused on when choosing a church to call home and fellowship in spiritual community. It is important to remember that many students are far from home and are looking for something that feels safe, comfortable, and reliable. With so many online voices that are rooted in uncertainty and caution, many students experience warning flags when attending church.
Gen Z Is Coming to Church
“Gen Z appears to have a more complicated relationship with organized religion than the generations that preceded it,” Lexi Cochran wrote in a fall 2025 article for The Hill. She notes that “experts are divided on if the changes will result in fuller church pews. Younger Americans in surveys seem to be more open to religion in general, but the jury is still out on how they will practice.”
On the bright side, Gen Z seems to be leading in church attendance, which creates an opportunity for engagement with the younger generation. Writing for Christianity Today, Daniel Silliman summarized changing attendance statistics in the fall of 2025 noting that “Churchgoers between the ages of 18 and 28 attend church more frequently than their older siblings, parents, or grandparents. A new study, part of the State of the Church research initiative from Barna Group and Gloo, found a post-pandemic surge among Gen Z churchgoers over the age of 18.”
Connecting Current Trends to Rural Churches
The uptick in college students’ interest in attending church creates hope for rural churches. Based on the brief survey, one thing that resonated with participants and drew them to church, was if teaching was biblically based. When college students step into a church for a first impression, they are looking for a solid and lasting truth that can be reliable to them. With an online world for younger generations at their fingertips, these students encounter so many voices, negativities, and lies on social media. True stability is biblical truth, which can’t be edited, clipped, changed, or digitally altered from reality.
Knowing that this generation of college students are looking for stability and community is encouraging! Still, it isn’t always easy to know if a college student is stepping into a church for the first and only time, or who those individuals are. College students are exploring churches with many walls up and ready to leave right when they don’t see something that fits what they feel comfortable with. But churches can get ahead of this snap judgement moment. A great way to reach out to college students and show them the already established heart and community is to connect with nearby colleges and build personal relationships before college students even step through the church doors. A great option is reaching out to college’s Resident Directors (RDs), professionals who are generally responsible for the management and daily operations of the campus residence halls where students live while at school.
Connecting with Students through RDs and RAs
Throughout the year, RDs are most often the staff on campus with consistent personal student-connections, having daily conversations and interactions with college students, running teams of student leaders called Resident Assistants (RAs), and build relationships with the entire hall community. RDs are also commonly young professionals searching for a church community as well.
RDs and their RA teams regularly hold events in the halls throughout the year and are always looking for new ideas, connections, and ways that college students in their buildings can benefit and grow. Connecting with RDs on nearby campuses could be a great opportunity to potentially bring desserts into one of the halls, host arts and crafts nights, or provide transportation on campus for students to have access to local churches when they do not have their own transportation. There is a great opportunity to not only make the chosen connection a one-time event but to use that opportunity to invite college students to an already planned next event! Consistency in building relationships shows college students there is a genuine desire for connection and love for them, not just a goal of numbers.
Not all RDs will be willing to connect, or may be hesitant, but seeking to form a relationship is a great opportunity to bring the church community right to the next generation that is searching for that fellowship and stability. Jesus challenges his followers to be fishers of men in Mark 1:17. There is an opportunity to present the warm and loving community currently found in the church and bring college students direct access to create personal and trusting relationships before having to attend a new place, building, and community with the fear that it just might not fit. Generally, college students are drawn to churches when trusted people have positive things to say about a church. When college students are presented with those trusting relationships and connections, imagine how excited they would be to explore the church where the community comes together and fellowships.
College students are actively searching and yearning for a faith-based community where belonging is felt, which is such an encouragement for the future of the younger generation. When pondering what might connect older generations and younger generations together in the church, it may be as simple as creating spaces of fellowship. To find places to step into college students' everyday lives and build relationships between a Christ-like community.
Adina Rosenlieb serves as a Resident Director at Grove City College. She loves getting to know students, building community, and creating a welcoming environment where everyone feels valued. She is passionate about encouraging students in their faith, personal growth, and college experience.
