Getting Connected: The Gap and Bridge Between College Faith and the local Church

College ministries are great but do leave a little bit to be reconnected. This is mostly because they're located on campuses which consist of the same age group and cause people to live in a bubble. College ministries tend to submerge(vocab check?) in these environments and they SHOULD lead people to become connected in their local church. But often, because people are college students and live in a bubble, they do not connect outside of school. This often leaves a gap that is clearly recognized when students go home for the holidays or graduate and are looking for fellowship.

The positive side is that college ministries help both a churched and un-churched generation re-examine Christianity and find their faith independently from their upbringing- which allows them to really own their faith, often for the first time. And sometimes, it leads them right back to their childhood church, sometimes another wave carries them off (and sometimes it's really hard to re-connect in the place you grew up for various reasons. Jesus even had a hard time in his hometown).

(In application to the churched kids) Either way, their parents have given them a huge gift-- grounding and connection to the Church as a whole which can encourage them to further explore their faith when they leave the home.

It weren't for my parents and my experiences (good and bad) in my childhood church and other churches I attended in my teens, I do not know how open I would be to finding any kind of faith in college.

As much as part of college me wanted to rebel from my roots at the time, it was my ironically my roots which got me there. I now see the interconnectedness of my my home church, my experience in InterVarsity, and where I am now (moved out of my hometown and checking out different churches to find a home).

I do want to find a church where I can connect to other young adults-- but I don't think it will ultimately be in a mega church setting. Similar to my growing up, I like/prefer small churches which feel like family. Churches I can easily plug into and find ways to serve (not that you can't serve in a bigger church context).

I visited one smaller church today and was impressed about the age range of different people who were introduced to me. I met single people my age, I met younger couples, I met older couples, I met a whole family, I met a lot of youth. It was a lively diversity and the church certainly felt like a family, and thus different aspects reminded of my home church. At the same time, the church provided teaching I could relate to from my experiences in college that had allowed me to become more rooted in Christ's love. I will probably attend again, and will prayerfully consider plugging in there as from first impressions, it had similarities to both my home church and InterVarsity.

Para-church organizations can often act a gap. But rooted in the attitude an individual/group should take, they should ultimately become a bridge.

To students who currently attend and live at college, I encourage and challenge you to not to only get involved in college ministries (they ARE beneficial) but to also plug into a church with a diverse age range and if able, diverse socioeconomic and racial range. The church is a body of Christ's people and without diversity, you sense a part of the body absent.

20 somethings and the Church

Jeremy just posted this question in context to the discussion triggered from the last two blogs. Please read them and then the comments under them as you think about this question:

"I guess my question would be if the church isn't supposed to just focus on what what a particular generation wants, (which i agree it shouldn't) how does the church address the large departure of this 20 something generation from the church?"

Is a home small group considered church?

A discussion of the last blog between Sarah and I sprung another question:

If we are the Church, then can church be anywhere? And furthermore, would that make a home group bible study a church on its own? (What is the purpose of home groups?)

Please read the last blog first, as this is a trail from that blog.

My response will be given under comments.

--Janelle
thehungeryears.blogspot.com

Elitism or Busy-ness?

Study this graph. What do you see? I see a disturbing trend of young adults who are not going to church and I can only speculate as to the reasons why.

Perhaps some are finally breaking away from their parents “strict” rules of always going to church on Sunday? Maybe they have jobs, at an entry level, that require weekend work? Maybe they have “lost” their religion as they are thrust into the postmodernism of university? Or maybe they feel like they just don’t need church and prayer, Bible reading, and religion (aka: God or spirituality) are enough in and of themselves for their “personal walk with the Lord.”

(It could be his head wasn't screwed on just right. It could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight. But I think that the most likely reason of all, May have been that his heart was two sizes too small. But whatever the reason — his heart or his shoes — he stood there on Christmas Eve hating the Whos.)

My friend, Ray Schloss, is heading up an initiative to have an inter-denominational music event in October. He’s invited worship ministers from all types of churches all across the Northern Virginia area to participate. I think it is a marvelous idea and I am thrilled to be participating. In the last few years a group called “NightWatch Manassas” has been gathering at a local church to intercede on behalf of our cities, states, nation, and the Body of Christ. This is another inter-denominational effort which is doing its part to bring the Body of Christ together.

So, what do Ray and NightWatch Manassas understand that our college and career age former congregants don't understand? To quote Ray, “There is a concept in the IT world called ‘data siloing.’ Silos, which I’m sure you've seen at some point, are the large, tall structures on farms that are used to store grain. Well, a data silo is also a container, but for information rather than grain. The problem with data silos is that often you have data in one silo that needs to be shared with another application, but it can't be accessed. Or, you have two silos collecting similar information, which is a waste of time and resources and causes confusion because it's hard to find out which one has the accurate data, or ‘the truth’. Sadly... people and ministries get very comfortable collecting and protecting their specific version of the truth, while not communicating effectively with other parts of the body.”

“Well,” you say, “I don’t need church. Jesus is my personal Lord and Savior. I have the Holy Spirit to help me discern the scriptures. I have friends and family to bounce around ideas. I can have ‘church’ at Starbucks with my girlfriend. We talk about the Lord, encourage each other,…”

To you I say, “You may not believe that you need church, but church needs you.”

Maybe that is what the 30 and 40-somethings figured out in their return to congregational worship participation. Maybe they realized that the young fella whose dad left him could really use a “big brother.” Maybe they realized that Widow Smith has no one to cut her grass and they can help with that and other things that have gone un-tended since the Widow’s husband died. And maybe, through serving, they realized that they gain so much more experientially about the love of Christ and why even Jesus did not forsake the gathering of believers.

Or maybe, on a much more cynical note, they just “got over themselves” and lost the elitist “I don’t need you” attitude. Maybe they learned living in Christ means more than having your own private devotional time and sending the random “tithe” check to Zimbabwe for missions support.

Solomon wrote, “Is there anything new under the sun?” Well, is there? Or will this trend continue? Will our college and career aged adults forsake the church continually? Or will they wise up early, before they reach their 30’s and 40’s, to see how enriching serving and being served can be?

Church is more than just going on Sunday morning and Wednesday nights. You don’t GO to church, you ARE the church. That doesn’t mean that wherever you are, that’s good enough for church. It means acting out your faith to build up the Church, the Bride of Christ. It means being faithful to your church family — looking out for the boy who needs a ‘big brother’ and Widow Smith. It means that, yes, it is possible for your 70 year-old pastor to actually teach you something you don’t know. And you probably have something to teach your 70 year-old pastor!

I understand needing a break, wanting to sleep in from time to time, etc. But, just come back soon, okay?

-Sarah

http://prophetmoffat.blogspot.com/