Can I attend an InterVarsity Christian Fellowship instead of a church while at college?
Question:
Hi Jeffrey,
Hope you are well. I have been a Christian for 12 years now. I am going to college this fall. I'm very excited.
The college I am going to, while not a Christian college per se, has a very active Varsity Christian Fellowship complete with its own full-time pastor, full-time staff, and full-time interns. The Christian Fellowship also conducts its own services on Tuesday and has its own small groups. I have listened to some of the sermons and they seem to be top-notch. I am thinking of just sticking to the Christian Fellowship's services and small groups and do not intend to attend the services of any other church.
But my friends and family say that a Varsity Christian Fellowship does not really constitute a local body of Christ and I should find a church apart from the Chrisitan Fellowship. I feel that's redundant.
Answer:
It strikes me that you are choosing where to worship based on convenience. I'm glad you checked out some of the lessons taught, but I'm left with the impression that your criterion for a good sermon is that you found them interesting to listen to. I would submit to you that there is more to the choice of selecting a church to worship at than just that you like it. See:
- What kind of church I should attend to learn the truth?
- If Christ Built Only One, Where Did They All Come From?
The group you are interested in is called the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. It states quite clearly that it is not a church. "We partner with other campus ministries and local churches in campus ministry to equip students, faculty, and staff to be lifelong active members in local congregations." Reading through the material, the group is more like a club with a strong Christian focus. Since it tries to pull in members from many denominations, I would suspect that the group doesn't take strong stances on various issues and that it would tend to promote what is currently popular.
One departure from the Lord's church that you mention is that they have services on Tuesdays, but the church meets on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7; I Corinthians 16:1). I suspect that this group does this because they don't see themselves as a church and don't want to interfere with the actual worship of the various churches that they draw their members from.
Response:
Hi Jeffrey,
Thanks for taking the time to look through their website. I will try and find a church near the college. Everyone in my current church was pretty much saying what you are saying. I wanted a neutral opinion from someone.
Thanks for your help.
