College only lasts for four years. There is a limited amount of time in which to invest in
both the college atmosphere and the surrounding community. Here at Asbury, part of this
investment is involvement in a local church.
According to Asbury’s website, chapel is “not intended and not regarded as a substitute
for personal involvement in local church congregations.” Even though chapel services occur
three times per week, the university purposely does not offer services on Sundays. This allows
students to seek out their own church family during their years here at Asbury.
Asbury offers its students a choice: to not go to church at all, go to a church and merely
sit in a pew, or faithfully attend a church and be involved in service within or through that
church.
It can be easy to lean toward the second or even first option. If you grew up doing too
much in your local church, you might feel a bit burnt-out on the idea of serving in the church at
all. You could reason that you will only be here for four years, and such a short time span is not
worth investing in a local congregation. Chapel fulfills the worship service requirement on the
“good Christian” checklist, giving you an excuse to check completely out of the local church.
These perspectives offer a limited view of the Christian life. If church is merely another
aspect of a “faith requirement” list, it is quite possible to dismiss its value altogether. Yet,
Asbury preaches the value of Christian community, and this is exactly what a local church offers.
Simply sitting and singing among 1,200 college students does not allow one to experience the
depth of community felt within a multi-generational church setting.
It can be easy to surround yourself with like-minded people within the Asbury bubble,
but a church setting means you will likely experience people who hold different viewpoints, have
different backgrounds and may be a challenge to love well. This more closely resembles the
world outside of Asbury, and since Acts 1:8 (the verse for this year’s chapel theme) calls
Christians to bring the gospel to the ends of the earth, it would serve us well to learn to love in
such a way that creates a space for even difficult people in the Christian community.
This love is best exemplified through service. Asbury offers service opportunities and
mission trips that are great opportunities to showcase this Christlike love. Matthew 25:36 reads,
“I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to
me.” The local church intimately knows the needs of its community far better than Asbury ever
could. A college campus, even one that centers itself on Christ, cannot fulfill this role of specific
service in the personal and immediate way a local church is called and equipped to do.
If the only reason to go to church is to sit in a pew, sing some songs and hear scripture,
chapel could fulfill this purpose. If church is only necessary for fellowship with other believers,
the amazing discipleship opportunities at Asbury could be easily substituted. If church is only for
serving, options through Asbury would suffice. But investing in a church is more than the sum of
its parts. Being invested in a local body of believers creates an atmosphere where God can reach
the individual so that they can then be used to demonstrate God to others. Asbury’s Christian
atmosphere and even its chapel services cannot, and are not, intended to fulfill this important role
in one’s spiritual life.
