Do I Need to Go to Church?

In my senior year of college, I started to spiral. 

Everything was changing and my friends were moving away. Life after college felt daunting and mysterious, and I was making decisions about my career that I worried would have lifelong implications. 

When I shared this with my InterVarsity community, I found solidarity as we spent nights talking and praying. While this was good, the reality is that we were all riding the same emotional waves. 

It wasn’t until a Sunday morning at church that I received a lifeline. As I vented my feelings after service, a woman in her 30s said, “You know, you’re doing okay. All of this really just sounds normal for being 22.” 

I was a very, very involved InterVarsity student. I came to faith through my chapter, led Bible studies on campus, and served as chapter president. I came on staff because I believe in the importance of campus ministry. And I whole-heartedly encourage students, no matter how involved you may be in InterVarsity, to also commit to a local church.

Why Church? 

Intergenerational Community

College can keep us in a bubble. Some colleges are their own small cities where nearly everyone is in the same life stage. But we still need to be a part of diverse communities that remind us that there is more to life than our current experiences. 

As someone who came to faith in college, I realized that if I ever had children, I didn’t have many examples of what a family with shared religious beliefs looked like. Volunteering in my church’s kids’ ministry allowed me to connect with kids (a nice break in my weekly routines) and helped me get to know parents who served as examples of faithful family discipleship. Being mentored by young professionals also gave me a picture of what it could look like to be faithful to God in my career. 

Church offers us a chance to learn from other generations and be reminded of God’s faithfulness in every life stage and season. 

Deeper Roots 

Many of us come to college only planning to be around for four years. In that time, it can be easy to only focus on what our college can do for us, without much regard for the towns and cities our college occupies. A local church, though, is rooted in the community. 

It was through my church that I learned what it really meant to love my neighbors, to build relationships across socio-economic differences, and to care about the justice issues that impacted the city my college was a part of. We’re called to not just consume, but to cultivate good for the places where God has us. My church showed me how to love my city more holistically and sustainably than a college ministry can.

Participation in a Global, Historic Faith

My college ministry was always trying new things – it’s one of the things I love about InterVarsity! Every semester, my chapter was starting Bible studies and testing new Proxe Stations in order to best reach every corner of every campus in a way that felt fresh and relevant. But when I go to a church service, sing hymns, say the Nicene Creed, or take communion, I’m reminded that the faith I’m a part of is so much bigger than me or my on-campus expression.

I’m connected to the beauty of a community of believers all over the world who hold the same core beliefs. I’m reminded of the Church’s witness for thousands of years. And I’m invited to remember that it is the power and sufficiency of God that fuels and sustains our community and witness, not just strategy and innovation. The practices and the sacraments of the church both ground me and energize me for mission. 

The Chance to Be Inconvenienced

Over my years on staff, I’ve seen students struggle with committing to church. And so have I! College ministry is built for college students. The meeting times, the topics discussed, and the opportunities available are crafted just for you. 

A healthy, locally rooted, multigenerational church, though, is not meant to revolve only around your needs. I’ve experienced feeling like the church doesn’t move fast enough in response to issues I care deeply about, or a sermon that doesn’t seem to “hit” for me. Community can feel harder as church members are juggling jobs and family responsibilities and aren’t as constantly available as friends in a dorm. And the church might ask things of us that are outside of our comfort zone. When an offering plate is passed, for example, it’s a tangible reminder that our churches are asking different commitments of us than our college fellowship. 

These can be frustrating shifts from college ministry, yet they’re also opportunities for God to do a different kind of work in us. When I was first asked to consider teaching a Sunday School class for middle schoolers, I was truly frightened. But in these places of stretching or conflict, I’ve been invited to deepen relationships and expand my view of God’s work. When we opt into church, we can discover that God shapes us in the places where we choose inconvenient community, where we see the work God is doing beyond what is just personally fulfilling for us, and where we choose to serve in ways that may be stretching or costly. 

Church IS Different, and That’s a Good Thing! 

At its best, church IS quite different from an InterVarsity chapter. It’s why, as an InterVarsity Area Director, I work with churches to help them partner with InterVarsity while providing the unique gifts that only a church can offer. If you haven’t yet found a church in college, look for one or ask your InterVarsity staff for recommendations. You may be surprised by what the church asks of you, and even more by what it gives back!