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.