As part of a driven university culture marked by postmodern values, you face obstacles to your own growth and leadership. Below are just some of the trends that mark student culture today. Perhaps you’ll recognize these in yourself. All are worth addressing with help from your pastor, staff workers, large-group teachings and small-group study:

Perfectionism: At the root of this is ultimately an unwillingness to accept grace and extend it to others. This can immobilize believers.

Busyness: Priorities of achievement and success can push out growth and relationship in favor of mere activity.

Pluralism: While diversity of cultures and beliefs can open up conversation in the university’s marketplace of ideas, pluralism’s cousins relativism (nothing is absolute) and syncretism (all beliefs lead to the same truth) can create confusion over the uniqueness of the biblical gospel and truth.

Doubts about the Bible: Doubt about the authority, reliability and historicity of scripture arises naturally in a challenging, post-Christian environment. There is a wealth of scholarship that can help.

Internalizing Christian upbringing: Most of us will go through several cycles of making our faith our own as young adults. Being confused about beliefs is okay, but being lazy about resolving doubt can result in unbelief.

Negative professors: Many professors and religion departments teach that the Bible is unreliable and full of errors. Find people who will support you in prayer and who will walk with you as you learn about different points of view and how to defend your faith.

Hesitance to share Jesus Christ: Is Christian witness intolerant? Is the gospel narrow-minded? It may seem foolish to people around you, but it’s a message full of hope and grace. You are already a witness to Christ’s work inside you. You may need to explore your own conversion and ask for help in articulating your own story and what you believe.

Sexual activity and pornography: Campus culture accepts premarital sex as ordinary conduct. Pornography is accepted as normal and not viewed as harmful. Sexuality is confusing; it’s important to find places to talk openly and vulnerably with fellow believers about sex and sexuality.

Homosexuality: There is pressure to support and celebrate homosexual behavior, and countering views are violently rejected. There are ways to respond with grace and truth.

Loneliness: An amazing number of students feel anxious and depressed over building deep relationships with others. This is a huge weight to carry alone; don’t overlook this trend.

—adapted and developed from a list submitted by Melissa and Kent Lee (Illinois Wesleyan U.).