U-Prep 101

One part of the U-Prep 101 presentation addresses selecting a college.  In that section, I emphasize the importance of not only picking a school, but picking a local church.  Whether or not you choose a Christian college, the local church is a primary means of sanctification God uses during the college years.  This notion is further unpacked today by Scott Sevey, Guidance Counselor at Westminster Christian Academy in Elgin, IL.

I believe that the missing element in most college visits is perhaps the most important element of all. Of course that is assuming that our faith is a central and driving force in our college decision. Most of you reading this blog are reading it in fact because you are either looking specifically for a Christian college or university, or because you are a believer and though you are planning to attend a secular school you have chosen to you U-Prep as a framework for your search. Either way, the problem is often the same. We profess that we are looking for an experience that will strengthen us in our faith, but fail to include one of the most crucial elements on that in our college search process.

No, I am not talking about attending a chapel service while visiting your school of choice. And I am not talking about going to that praise and worship service they have every Wednesday night either.  In fact, the element I am talking about is one of the hardest to incorporate into your college visits. It is visiting a local church.

Let me first speak about those of you who are looking for a Christian college, then I will address the rest of you a little later on.

Most college, in fact I don’t know of any colleges that would claim to be a replacement for the local church. Christian education was not and is not intended to replace the need for being a part of a church body. Many Christian colleges do not hold any type of chapel service or otherwise on Sunday’s, simply because they desire to see their student involved in a local church. This is an opportunity, as you are sending your children out of your home to connect them with a body of believers that will be nearby them and able to stand in the gap for them in times of need. In addition, most churches in college towns see ministering and connecting with colleges students as a central part of their calling as a church body

Now for those of you seeking a secular school:

I had a parent come in my office one day, very worried about her son who was looking at a state school. To her son’s credit, the program he was looking at was fantastic. She was planning on telling him that there was no way, but thought she would ask for my opinion first. My advice to her was this: If you tell him no, it will start a fight. Why not encourage him by helping him set up the visit and plan it as an event for him as well as for mom and dad. Then while you are planning it, get online and find out what kind of christian organizations are on campus (i.e.: Campus Crusade for Christ, or InterVarsity) and see if you can set up a time to meet with the leader of the organization to expose your son to what christian community is available on campus. Then in addition, plan to attend a local church on Sunday morning. In the extra time you are in town, walk the campus without a tour guide for a change or maybe take in a sporting event.

The name of the game is helping out students make provisions for their faith. Parent’s we cannot just expect that in our students first encounter of freedom from the home they were raised in, that the first thing they are naturally going to think of is going out and finding a church home. We have to model this for them. Trust me, it works. I saw my own parent model this, and the effects are amazing.