Why Go to Church in College?

Here are a few of the biblical reasons, both theological and practical, of why we encourage every college student to be an active member of a local church. We have designed this acronym to correspond with Christ's blood because that is the ultimate reason why the church is important.

In Acts 20:28, we read, "Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood." This verse tells us that Christ purchased the church with His own blood. Christ's suffering testified to the fact that He aimed to call out a people, not just individuals, for His name (1 Peter 2). He is glorified by a community that declares His sufficiency for them. If the fact that Christ loves the church (Ephesians 5:25) in this way isn't enough, here are some other practical and theological reasons why we would love to see each of you engaged in a local body of believers.

Care - As a member of the body, you are under the care and supervision of the pastoral staff and other ministries of the church. These ministries are designed to help you grow in your walk with Christ (Ephesians 4:11-16).

History - Since the beginning of the church, there has been a distinction between those in the body of Christ and those outside the body of the Christ (1 John 2:19).

Resources - The resources of First Baptist may be able to help you go overseas for mission trips or help you in times of need (Titus 3:14).

Identity - You will become an identified member of this local church. You are then publicly identified with Christ's body. When Jesus came to Saul on the Damascus Road, He asked him, "Saul, Saul why are you persecuting Me?" He did not say, "Why are you persecuting My church?" but He said "Me." This means that Christ's representation on earth is the church (Acts 9:4).

Support - People will be praying for you on a regular basis through our prayer ministry.

Teaching - First Timothy 2:15 instructs us that the church is the "pillar and support of the truth." By being consistently exposed to biblical teaching, you will be able to identify many of the errors in doctrine to which you might be exposed (Jude 3, 1 Timothy 4:16, Ephesians 4:14-16).

Submissiveness - First Peter 5:5 states, "You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders." This submissive spirit shows itself by one's willingness to submit to the leadership of the local body in which he or she is involved. We value membership highly and thus have raised the bar on what it means to be a member at First Baptist. To learn more about becoming a member at First Baptist, click here.

Body - God has gifted each believer with a gift to be used in His body (1 Corinthians 12:4-7). Many students struggle with finding their place in local churches. One reason for this could be because they have not fully committed to the body through membership. Love - We practice church discipline because we love you. We want what is best for you, namely, your growing closer to Christ. If you are not a member, we don't have the context to love you in this manner because the process is to be done in a local church setting (Matthew 18:15-20, Galatians 6:1, 1 Timothy 5:20).

Ordinances - Baptism and the Lord's Supper are available to all believers who have placed their faith in Christ. There is a difference however between those who are visiting the church and those who are committed members. Members are able to welcome people into their church body through baptism and are able to participate with their church body at the table of the Lord. The horizontal aspects of their worship are strengthened because they celebrate the ordinances with their local family. A visitor is not able to have this type of experience through the ordinances.

Opportunity - Becoming a member opens up a variety of service opportunities that are not available to attendees.

Design - The epistle to the Hebrews is clear that community is necessary for you to persevere in the faith; God designed it that way (Hebrews 3:12-14, 10:23-25). The church is here to help you continue until the end and then get to heaven (Mark 13:13).