In an age of social media when information is available at lightning speed, one would think plugging in to a Baptist ministry in a college town would be a simple click away.
But finding a church requires more than just visiting Facebook or Twitter pages. Even though it can be scary and overwhelming, college students have to visit churches.
And do it soon, college ministers and students advise.
Courtney Strickland, a student at Auburn University, visited three churches before settling on Lakeview Baptist Church, Auburn. So why that one?
“The church has an adopt-a-college-student program that gets the student plugged in to a family during their time there away from their family,” she said.
Strickland added while it may be hard, “don’t choose a church just because your friends go there.”
“Find somewhere you can serve and where you feel that God wants you,” she said.
After all, service is the next step, according to Tim Simpson, college pastor of First Baptist Church, Tuscaloosa.
“I think when [students] start serving and getting to know adults (in the church) is when they begin to really feel like
a part of the church,” he said.
For Robert Sharpe, a University of Alabama (UA) student, it was the opportunity to serve and even lead at Hopewell Baptist Church, Tuscaloosa, that appealed to him.
When he first started going there, the college and young adult ministry was “almost nonexistent.” So Sharpe has spent the past three years building the ministry from the ground up. The experience has helped him “mature as a follower of Christ.”
“As mature as I thought I was when I first began college, I quickly learned that God had so many more blessings in store for me once I took my faith into my own hands and began to understand the eternal significance of our time here on earth,” he said.
And having a strong faith is crucial while in college, said Laura Reeves Wilder, a student at the University of Montevallo.
“You are meeting new people with different beliefs and perspectives, and you are in classes where some professors will challenge your faith,” she said. “Belonging to a body of believers who can encourage you on a regular basis is crucial to a strong relationship with Christ amidst daily interaction with nonbelievers.”
One way for students to grow spiritually is to join a small group.
“There is no better and easier way to get involved,” said Bret Waldrep, who found a freshman Bible study at Calvary Baptist Church, Tuscaloosa, his first week on UA’s campus.
“[Small] groups helped me to get involved in other areas and are a great way to meet people,” he added.
An on-campus ministry is another way to “build relationships with your peers,” Wilder said.
“It is also a great place to invite nonbelieving friends, whereas church may be intimidating,” she added.
But Trace Hamiter, minister to college students at First Baptist Church, Opelika, cautions students not to replace church with a campus ministry.
“Students who left college only being plugged in to a campus ministry do not know how to get plugged in to a church when they get out in to the real world,” he said.
Curtis Black, student minister at Lakeview Baptist, agreed that there is nothing like a church.
A church makes “a commitment” to the student and spends four years equipping him or her to live selflessly for Christ, he said.
For more suggestions, visit www.thealabamabaptist.org and The Alabama Baptist Facebook page.
Share with others: