It's so exciting to see thousands of college students flood into our city at this time of year. Many of them are looking for spiritual nourishment and are searching for that perfect community to be a part of. At Ren we always see a swell of students come through the doors in September checking us out and we love it!
My daughter just started college in the Boston area and started shopping around for churches and it helped me to realize what a challenge it can be for students to find the right one. There are just so many choices. Besides Ren there are many wonderful churches around the city. I think our friends at Sanctuary Church have the largest majority of college students and they always have really interesting relevant happenings for the younger generation. Grace Harbor Church is another solid city church led by a young pastor with some baptist fire. Providence Assembly is a little deeper into the South Side and pastored by my friend Charles who graduated from Brown many years ago. Another good choice is Godspeed Church pastored by Tim Z who used to do campus ministry at Brown for years and is full of wisdom. His Providence Church in Seekonk has just exploded in the last few years and is known especially for their passionate worship. There are new church plants in the city called West End Community Church and The Feast that are really promising with young pastors overflowing with vision. I could keep going but these are all excellent choices for college students to be a part of.
My encouragement to college students in choosing a church is to not just think about what the church has to offer you but to think of a place where you can really serve. In other words, where would God most need you? When I started Ren 12 years ago I had a group of about 7-8 amazing college students that helped me start the church and I am so grateful for them. Perhaps God would have you invest in one of these new church plants? Just be open to where God would place you.
While it may be a little overwhelming to figure out what church to be a part of I want to encourage students to be decisive. So many just bounce around and never even find a church. Give yourself 4-6 weeks to decide and then go deep. Be committed to the local church because the local churches need strong committed passionate college students to bring fresh energy and life !!! And students need the local church to shape them into the image of Christ during these important years of blooming into maturity.
–Pastor Scott A.