Why You Need a Church (Not Just a Campus Ministry)

DON’T FALL INTO THE TRAP OF THINKING CHURCH IS OPEN TO INTERPRETATION

There’s this phenomenon that happens every year across college campuses. Thousands of well-meaning, well-intended young Christians leave their hometowns to embark on their college education. A massive part of this transition involves saying goodbye to everything they’re familiar with, including the church they grew up in. Some stop going to church anywhere, unfortunately (life got in the way, apparently). Others find something that resembles church in a lot of ways: a campus ministry. But is it enough? Will this placebo suffice for a couple years until they graduate?

“A campus ministry can be unmatched in helping students connect with other likeminded believers, especially in an ideologically hostile academic or social setting. A good one will help equip Christian students to defend the faith, serve the poor, and be held accountable to each other. A good campus ministry is a gift from God. But it is no church,” writes Russell Moore, author and Editor in Chief of Christianity Today.

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS

Moore goes on to say, “The reason many students identify primarily with a campus ministry rather than with a church isn’t because of any flaw in most campus ministry organizations. It’s because, too often, we evangelicals have a deficient view of the church. We assume it’s any gathering of people who believe in Jesus and who do churchly things. Many Christians assume the church exists simply to help us learn more about Christ and pool our resources for missions.”

However, that assumption about church doesn’t hold water when you go to the Word of God. If church was merely a gathering of Christians, then you could argue that not only could a campus ministry be a church, but almost any gathering of a couple of Christians could be considered one too. That’s not the case according to the Bible. Church is so much more than that.

Moore describes it like this:

“In the Bible, a local church—with all its ridiculous flaws—is an unveiling of the mystery of the universe (Eph. 3:6). She is in a one-flesh union with Jesus such that, as in a marriage, everything that belongs to him belongs to her (Eph. 5:22–33). A congregation, in covenant with one another as an assembly of Christ’s people, is a colony of the coming global reign of Christ (Eph. 1:22–23), a preview of what his kingdom will look like in the end (1 Cor. 6:1–8). Where there is a covenant among believers—a disciplined community of faith—the Spirit of Jesus is present among them, just as God was present among the people of Israel in the temple of old (Matt. 18:15–20).

“When the church judges a repentant sinner to be a genuine believer, the congregation is speaking with the authority of Jesus when they plunge him beneath the waters [speaking of baptism] (Matt. 28:18–19). When the church judges an unrepentant sinner to be persistent in his rebellion, it’s with the authority of Jesus that the congregation pronounces him to be a stranger to the people of God (1 Cor. 5:4–5; Matt.18:15–20). When we gather for worship as a congregation in covenant with one another, we’re not simply fueling our individual quiet times with praise choruses. We’re actually ascending to the heavenly places together, standing before Christ and all of his angels on Mount Zion (Heb. 12:18–29).

“The Scriptures reveal to us what we would never discern on our own. The church—not an ideal congregation but the real one you go to every week, with the lady who smacks her gum and the man with the pitiful combover hair and the 1970s-era audio system and the kids banging Tonka trucks on the back of the pew in front of you—is the flesh and bones of Jesus. It’s his body, he tells us—inseparable from him as your heart and lungs and kidneys and fingers are from you (Eph. 5:29–30; 1 Cor. 12:12–31).”

In summary, it’s incongruous to say, “I don’t love being a part of church, but I certainly love Jesus.” It is comparable to saying you adore your friends, but you never actually spend time with them. Like, what? Your attitude about Jesus and His church reveals a lot about where your heart really is. If you’re just “taking a break” or thinking “it’s not a big deal,” just try that same line with your mom this December when she asks you about your Christmas plans.

FINDING THE BALANCE

Alright, so maybe you’re convinced now that church is important to God, but knowing the truth and actually doing something about it are two different things, especially when things seem at odds with how it feels. Frankly, a campus ministry can often just seem more spiritual, like they’re more alive than a local congregation. Perhaps you’re meeting people left and right there that seem “on fire” for the mission of Christ, more so than anyone you remember at your church back home. It should be inspirational, but it also needs to be tempered with the fact that sometimes it is zeal without direction–“youthful idealism.” Church, by contrast, is filled with people who are young and old, rich and poor, black and white. These differences mean friction will arise–not everyone will cheer a wild idea to advance the gospel, for example–but it also means that zeal for the gospel could be channeled into more impactful, far-reaching ways with the guidance of more mature leadership.

All of this to say, however, that campus ministry is still relevant. Being involved in one while in college is vital. So where is the balance? Here is Moore’s advice, and our recommendation, too:

“First, resist the temptation to keep your membership in your home church. Join a church in your college town, as soon as you find one with a commitment to Christ and the Scripture.

“Second, find a church where some people will know your name, and will know if you aren’t present. Find a place where someone will kindly ask “Where were you?” if you miss a week.

“Third, spend some time with people in your congregation who aren’t in the same place in life as you—a lonely senior adult, a harried 30-something mom, a sarcastic 14-year-old kid.

“Fourth, humbly pester the leaders of the church for some way for you to exercise your gifts in the congregation—and let the leaders recognize and encourage your gifts. This means submitting yourself to serve the body in whatever way the church deems necessary. Most often, this will be something more Christlike than glorious, such as cleaning toilets or serving in the nursery.

“Fifth, find a campus ministry that seeks to work alongside the church. Look for a ministry that wants to enhance what’s already happening in your life in discipleship and spiritual growth and mission in your congregation. Be very wary of a campus ministry that isn’t constantly asking you, “Where are you in church—and what’s happening there?” And be very, very wary of a campus ministry that seems to resent the time you spend with your church as “competing” with their ministry.”

So, be sure to find, and get deeply involved with, a good campus ministry. (We recommend Street Level Ministries!) Take every opportunity to serve and lead, both within your campus ministry and among your classmates through your example of faithful living. But also be sure that you don’t miss the place and call of church during your college years. Being actively involved in a local church may feel “slower-paced,” and might feel optional, but it’s part of God’s unfolding plan. Don’t miss being a part of it.

Wanting to find a good church that follows what the Bible says? We recommend Believers City Church, located near college campuses in Menomonie and River Falls, Wisconsin; Duluth, Minnesota; and Cebu City, Philippines. For more information visit believerstogether.com

Quotes by Russell Moore in this article originally appeared in an article by the same name published in The Gospel Coalition, U.S. Edition, in August 2016.