What To Expect From A Christian Gap Year Program
A Christian gap year program can be highly beneficial for a young Christian who recently graduated. There are a wide variety of gap year programs that can teach you missionary skills, and life skills and utilize your first year away from your parents and out of high school to serve God.
Christian gap years are growing in popularity as colleges increase in cost and apprenticeship programs and experiential learning programs increase in value. Many young men and women who believe in God are looking into different Christian Gap years that will strengthen their relationship with God while also providing the skills they want to grow in.
What Is A Christian Gap Year?
A Christian gap year is a 9-12 month program where Christian high school graduates can grow their life and biblical knowledge and skills through experiential learning, mission trips, and classes.
Telling Your Parents You Want To Do A Christian Gap Year
“So, what are your plans for next year?” Asked for the millionth time.
There it is… “the question.” You’ve had 18 years to prepare for this. Well, in all fairness, about a quarter of that was just learning to walk, talk and use the bathroom on your own. But still, you are expected to have an answer to this question. They’re expecting you to rattle off the name of a university and your major and minor. Maybe they’re waiting to hear about the awesome internship you’ve lined up to launch you into your future career. You know you may be met with great disapproval, but you go ahead and say it anyway…
“I’m going to go through a Christian gap year program.”
Awkward silence. Your parents are clenching their teeth. Onlookers cringe. You know what they’re all thinking. Can anybody say, “do you want fries with that?”
You may have just made the best decision of your life.
Going From High School To A Christian Gap Year
When you’re about to leave high school, there are so many questions to answer. How can I make the most significant impact on the world? What is my passion? What could I see myself doing for the next 50 years?
You may be feeling bogged down with pursuing God’s purpose for your life. If God made me with specific gifts and abilities, how do I match those up with the right college program? And worst of all… how am I going to pay for all of this.
What you will experience at a Christian gap year program is clarity to be able to answer those questions. Taking time to grow in your relationship with God, serve Him, and experience life with other believers is a great way to learn God’s direction in your life.
Why Take A Christian Gap Year?
There are a lot of reasons to go through a Christian Gap year program. Besides the experiences you will have and the things you will learn, there are a lot of benefits to having a gap year. Data presented below and in the infographic are from theleap.co.uk and americangap.org.
1. Opportunity To Travel
Many gap year programs offer international adventures. As a Christian gap year, Equip offers both domestic and international mission experiences.
2. Grow In Your Faith
Christian Gap Years typically include Bible training and classes intent on growing your faith and allowing you to learn more about your beliefs and convictions.
3. Healthy Place To Experience A Variety Of Career Options
60% of students agree their gap year allowed them to experience multiple career paths, without the pressure of choosing one to do for life.
4. After The Gap Year Success
Beyond academics, 86% of gappers surveyed were satisfied or very satisfied with their jobs. According to studies, 88% of individuals who took a gap year said it
“significantly added to their employability”.
5. Develop EQ Emotional Intelligence
Working with others will develop your Emotional Intelligence (EQ), helping you become more successful down the road. Interpersonal relationship skills are necessary for life.
These are just a few of the benefits you will see from a Christian gap year program. There are many more benefits you will find from going through our Equip program. Learn more about what you can experience at a gap year program below.
What You Can Experience At A Christian Gap Year Program
Certain Christian gap year programs have trainings built into their program. A lot of these trainings not only teach you life skills, financial independence, and working skills, but you are educated with Biblical standards throughout the process. A lot of Christian gap years also have biblical studies and missionary training in their programs.
At a Christian gap year, you will have the opportunity to experience, to learn, and to grow in your relationship with God.
We’ve compiled a breakdown of different aspects of Christian Gap year programs. If you are interested in growing in any of these areas, contact us at CMTS. Our Equip program is, in our opinion, one of the best Christian Gap year programs around that provides a well-rounded structure, support, and experience.
Experiential Learning Trough A Christian Gap Year
Learning through experience is one of the key benefits of a Christian gap year. The best Christian gap year programs include both hands-on learning as well as informational/research learning. The combination of classwork and real-life application helps you to learn more and have tangible skills that can be used in various ways.
Set an intention for this gap year. Learning isn’t confined to a building. Personal growth and development can be done outside a classroom. An excellent Christian gap year will have you join a Bible study, have a mentor, and meet regularly. Regular lessons on Biblical teachings combined with service work and missions work will help you become well-rounded.
A lot of the downfalls of a college education is the lack of real-world experience. A gap year program is focused on real-world experience in an atmosphere that is designed for you to grow in your faith and your life skills.
Experiential learning helps provide context for self-evaluation and reflection. From faith to your future. It is hard to know what you want to do with your life when you haven’t tried a lot of different things yet. It is also hard to know your relationship with Christ is your own when you have grown up in the church. What do you believe? Is your faith your own? As you begin to dig deeper into God and His word for yourself, you may see a path begin to form.
Learning Financial Independence Through A Christian Gap
Many Christian Gap year programs have financial training and equipping. This is the best scenario for learning to budget. The training and classes educate you on financial independence while coinciding with your new independence away from home. You will learn how to be good stewards of your money and honor God through tithing and dedicating some of your funds towards missions.
There are many ways to launch into adulthood. No matter if you go to college, jump into a career, join the military or attend a gap year program, you will have to learn financial independence. This is a step towards affording a place to live. A word to the wise – if you’re not quite ready to take on an apartment, approach your parents with a plan. Commit to paying rent and maybe even taking on a specific household responsibility you haven’t been able to do in the past.
Financial responsibility can start now. If you aren’t already, pay for your phone. By being proactive in taking on responsibility, you will be given more freedom and responsibilities. This will be the first time in your life that you are not committed to an 8-4 schedule. Get to work! After you’ve worked out your expenses either with a landlord or your parents, make a plan to save. Taking a gap year will set you up for financial success!
Serving God In Your Christian Gap Year
Now let’s talk about impact. You don’t need a degree to make a difference. Where are you spending your time? Get involved! Are there more responsibilities you can take on at your church? Are there opportunities in your community to volunteer? Begin to look beyond your city, state, and even your country.
The serving possibilities are endless. There aren’t many better ways to get life experience than to live with and serve those who are different from you. Often, these opportunities will require you to raise support. This is where financial dependence can be a great asset! You will also grow in the valuable experience in composing support letters and managing money that is not your own. How many future jobs would hire you for that skill alone?
Going On Missions Trips During A Christian Gap Year
A lot of gap year programs, or in our opinion, the best gap year programs have mission trips the group goes on. These take the skills and biblical classes and give you hands-on experience serving God in the mission field. This can help you determine if missions work is for you.
Some Christian gap year programs are fully focused on missions, and you will essentially be serving in the missions field the whole time. Others have a hybrid mixture that allows you to serve and learn in a controlled environment with multiple mission trips to give you a variety of experiences and learning opportunities.
A Message For The High School Students
You don’t have to have it all figured out. Learning through a gap year that puts you in a position of experiential learning is how you figure things out. The more you do, the more you will fail and learn and succeed and learn.
Parents Of High Schoolers
A gap year could be the difference between a strong, independent young Christian and a very expensive, wasted year of a college education where poor decisions are made that have an ongoing impact on your child’s spiritual life.
Take A Gap Year With A Christian Program
Next year is the perfect time to take a gap year at CMTS Ministries. Our Equip program will train and equip you with the tools you need for spiritual growth and for life after high school. We focus on discipling you and building your relationship with God while giving introductory vocational training in the different areas of our ministry. We would love to answer any questions you may have, so do not hesitate to reach out and contact us for more information.
