Connect with a local church

One of the best pieces of advice I received before heading to Christian college was given to me by a friend who had attended a few years earlier. "At a Christian school, it's easy to coast spiritually," he said. All too often, I found that to be true. I did find spiritual nourishment in my daily devotions and in my conversations and prayer times with my hallmates, but I didn't make enough of an effort to connect to the Body of Christ outside the college walls. Don't be like I was in college: Get involved early on with a local church, and stick with it. All churches are flawed - if they were perfect, they wouldn't accept you as a member. So do your best to avoid the American consumerist mentality that compares churches on a checklist - preaching, worship style, ministry opportunities, friendliness toward students - and flits between different churches as they fail to satisfy in all these areas. The Reformers taught that a church that preaches the Biblical Gospel and practices the sacraments is part of the Body of Christ. If you find such a church, cling to it, despite its flaws. You may be able to strengthen it in the areas where it is weak; something you certainly can't do simply by criticizing the sermon, or the Sunday school, or the fellowship after the service.
Evan Donovan