The Whole “Church” Thing: A College Girl’s Guide to Protecting Your Faith
Sometimes, our deepest convictions can be incredibly inconvenient.
Exhausted and utterly worn out, I plopped on my bed and defiantly declared to the world, “My schedule is full, my social battery is empty, and I am done. No more!”
The past month had been an absolute whirlwind. Amidst the chaos of various projects, weddings, conferences, classes, and all the life in-between, I hadn’t had a moment to hear myself think in… well, forever. With so much time spent pouring out, I was well-overdue for some cup filling, myself. So, I decided that until further notice, I was done. No events. No chores. Just rest.
But before the exclamation even crossed the tip of my tongue, I found my decree protested by a buzzing cell. So, with complete resolve to deny any kind of request being made of me, I picked up my phone and prepared to protect my weekend by any means necessary. “What could possibly be more important than rest at this point? Much more and I am going to crack!” Yet, as the message crossed my screen, my war-ready defenses were immediately disarmed. There was, in fact, something more pressing than sitting on my couch with a cup of good coffee. It was a question that read a little something like this…
“I need to find a church near my university and I don’t know what to look for. Could you come help me?”
Girl, you better believe I packed my bags and ran out that door.
As a recent graduate, I can tell you from personal experience that there is almost nothing more pivotal to your faith than finding the right church while in college. For many, this is the first time you will be stepping out from the safety of the churches that raised you, the parental guidance that protected you, and the social circles that shaped you. The Christian community you have been surrounded by for years is suddenly out of reach, and is instead replaced with a hoard of new faces, loud ideas, and unbridled freedom. With so much shifting happening in your life, sometimes unwelcome habits or temptations can move in unnoticed—and almost nothing entices the enemy more than a weak spot found in a woman about to take on the world for Christ.
I don’t know if you knew this, but you are a hot commodity. Both God and the devil are very interested in you joining their team—for very different reasons. God is excited to use your obedience for life-changing Kingdom work. The other? Well, let’s just say he has the opposite plan in mind, and it ends up with both you and those you love walking farther and farther away from relationship with God. At the end of the day, either way you cut it, your testimony to the world you are both leaving and entering is extremely powerful. Will your relationship with God deepen and bring more souls to His salvation? Or, will it putter out at the first sign of struggle?
That, my friend, is something only you can answer.
But if you are willing to do what is necessary to protect the future of your faith and fight against the incoming attacks from the enemy, then I have no doubt that you will be used by the Heavenly Father in an astounding way on your college campus.
And it all starts with finding the right church.
As I drove to meet up with my friend, my mind began to spin with everything we would need to discuss. “What denomination?” “What kinds of worship does she prefer?” “What translation do they use?”
Question after question pounded my brain as I tried to figure out the best topics to research for a girl so intentional, so desperate to protect her walk with Christ. Finding a good church is so vital to one’s spiritual success. But what makes a good church?
Once I arrived, we decided to begin by compiling a list of contenders that were in the local area. That way she could have a small list to choose from as she began her search in-person. However, our hopes of making a list were short lived. It seemed we had taken for granted a very important detail: the question of truth.
Simply finding a church wasn’t an issue. There was a plentiful supply of popular churches, familiar denominations, and even locations her friends attended. However, as we began to consider these options, we quickly realized that those details meant nothing in the grand scheme of things. Though their special features were enticing and beneficial, they lacked the very heart and purpose of why the church was created—as a meeting place to instill Truth. A church may be big and beautiful, but if it chooses to ignore truth, then no feature will ever be enough to make it good. And as we searched church after church, we were disheartened to find that the majority of churches failed the most important test of church hunting: rather than altering their desires to fit Scripture, they altered Scripture to fit their desires.
That detail changes everything.
A church that keeps up appearances without encouraging deep spiritual change is the perfect way to snare believers caught in life-shift—especially college students. It draws them in with shiny distractions and promises of quick-fixes to faith while conveniently editing out anything unpleasant. Before you know it, the focus of church is no longer the truth of Christ, but truth as we deem it.
And friends, that is not truth.
In many spaces, the church has morphed from a meeting place with God into a temple of self-appeasement where those that claim to worship the King spend their days secretly trying to sit on His throne. This is the silent aim of the enemy, and the secret poison residing in the so-called “truth” of many churches. If you are desiring to bring a true representation of Christ to your campus and protect your faith from the incoming attacks, then discovering a family of believers that teaches the real, unaltered Word of God is your number one defense.
Psalm 119:160 says, “All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal.”
We live in a culture that likes to pretend that truth is subjective; optional between person to person. But the reality of the situation is purely the opposite. Truth is eternal, unchanging, and steadfast. It mirrors the very nature of God. He does not and can not change. If a church is teaching something that is contradictory to God’s words, then its teachings are contradictory to God’s intent… and, in turn, aligned with the enemy whether they realize it or not.
I know you’re busy. I know you’re tired. I know that there are about a hundred thousand options for places to worship out there and that it gets overwhelming thinking about trying to pick one. But I also know that your testimony is powerful, and your potential for Kingdom impact is greater than you could know. Finding a truth teaching church could be the difference between bringing more souls to a relationship with Christ and slowly walking away from your own. It is that deep. The Father has amazing things lined up for your life if you will choose to continue to walk with Him. Prioritize truth the way that God has called you to. Unaltered, pure, and good. It’s there, even if you have to look a while to find it.
And friend, it's worth the search.
Elaiyna
Elaiyna Hope
Elaiyna Hope is an author and speaker from Michigan with a deep love for seeking the heart of Christ. After publishing her devotional book Felt That in 2023, she immediately hit the road with Dannah Gresh’s True Girl: Crazy Hair Tour as a cast member and later, lead teacher. Now, she spends her time in various writing and speaking ministries such as traveling for her new women’s event Firefly, mentoring on Revive Our Heart’s “Wonder Bible App”, and working on her next book. You can connect with Elaiyna and learn more about her work at elaiynahope.com.
Elaiyna's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elaiynahope
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