12 Things to Look for in a Church at College

It’s summer already, and that means a new generation of students is getting ready for college. This summer we’ll offer some insights and advice about starting that first year of school. Do you have something to contribute? Mention it here, and we’ll all grow together

1. A friend. No, not like you need to meet a new friend there (though that’s very important too, just not the point of this one), but you need a friend to go with you to visit churches. Sure it’s fine to go by yourself, but it’s easier with a friend. So ask someone, and go with a buddy.
2. Old people and babies. And every age in between. The church isn’t called a family for nothing. It’s made up of all ages. Granted, there are wonderful churches without all these generations, but you’ll be missing out if you don’t get to interact with people older and younger than you are.
3. Small groups. Yeah, sure, it’s easy to blend into the crowd in a big worship service on your first day at a new church (great if you love anonymity; horrible if you’re a people person), but until you find a smaller community where you develop real relationships, you’re kind of just Lone Ranger-ing it through church, and that’s not what Jesus modeled for us.
4. Bible-based preaching. Lots of people can get up and talk about God, but you want a preacher who uses the actual Bible… not just his opinion or some other book he’s reading. “The B-I-B-L-E. Yes, that’s the book for me!”
5. Service opportunities. Church isn’t just about meeting your spiritual or emotional or social needs. (Shocker, I know.) It’s also about learning how to discover, develop and use the gifts God gave you, both inside the church and out in the community, which brings us to…
6. Community involvement. Nowhere in our B-I-B-L-E do we find an example of a church that is an island, separate from the community around it. Our churches should be the same, identifying needs in the community and seeking to meet them, all while sharing God’s love and good news.
7. Real worship, regardless of style. Do you like guitars? Organs? Chants? Homilies? I don’t care. As long as you, and the people leading, are genuinely worshiping God and it’s heartfelt, none of the rest matters much.
8. Smiles. We often overlook this, but our faith in God and our relationship with him should bring joy to our lives. If the people you’re worshiping and studying and serving with don’t have smiles that offer evidence of that joy, something big is missing.
9. Opportunities for fellowship. We all love to hang out sometimes without an agenda, and your church should make that part of its life too. Whether it’s in a church-wide fellowship or finding an adopted family for while you’re a student, look for a chance to be social too.
10. Encouragement to grow spiritually and prayerfully. You’ve learned a lot over the last four years, and you should expect to learn a lot over the next four too. You need a church family that will walk with you and challenge you to grow in your faith, both in working through what you believe, and then in what you do with it.
11. Location & transportation. This one is so dreadfully pragmatic, but worth mentioning anyway. No matter how wonderful a specific church is, it’s lousy for you if you can’t get there. If it’s just too far away, or if you can’t find a ride, prayerfully consider continuing your search.
12. Not your home church. Wherever you grew up, wherever you were in the youth group, wherever your parents go to church, you will not, repeat, will not find that same church in your new town. No two people are alike, no two families and no two churches. So broaden your horizons, be ready to try something new, and fall in love with a new (and admittedly imperfect!) congregation.

Kathy Raines, UBC College Minister