HOW TO FIND AND KEEP FAITH ON CAMPUS

By Phil Cook

I remember driving on campus during my first semester in college like it was yesterday. I was scared.
I didn’t know anyone, and I had traveled nine hours from a northern state to the deep South. I left behind supportive parents and two younger brothers who had been my foundation for 18 years. I did not know if I would be able to meet the demands of the academic challenges, social life and spiritual development that would await me. I suppose what scared me the most was the idea that I wouldn’t be able to succeed in this new phase of my life. The fact that I was a person of faith gave me the confidence that I could do it, but I did not realize how my faith would be formed, challenged and nurtured during the next four years.

Although my college years culminated in the early 1990s, many students today still face these same challenges. How does one find their own personal, intimate and genuine faith on a college campus? How do they separate themselves from the faith of their parents, while still embracing the core tenets of their faith? Perhaps even more difficult is the challenge to “keep the faith” in the midst of so many threats and temptations. This question—and the lifelong pursuit of its completion—has led me to spend the last 13 years of my career and ministry on a college campus. I believe students today can find authentic faith in God through a relationship with Jesus Christ during their college years. I also believe they can keep this faith as they pursue the future that God has prepared for their lives.

Finding faith on my college campus was easy. It was everywhere I turned. I attended a Christ-centered school where all of the faculty members were believers, students were required to attend worship services and issues of faith were woven into all aspects of the curriculum. Even still, I had to make an intentional effort to immerse myself in the opportunities I was given. It is critical for today’s college student to find these kinds of experiences on a college campus. It can be done, but it may be more difficult at non-Christian colleges. Students must make it a priority to rely on the Bible and other significant relationships while they are on campus. These individuals should also be persons of faith – other students, faculty and staff—who serve as valuable resources and mentors to a college student.

What ultimately galvanized my personal faith was a series of crisis events that occurred in my life and family. It was during these very difficult times of my life that I was faced with significant decisions—the results of which held grave consequences for my life and faith. I could have determined that the best course of action was to abandon the faith of my parents, friends and mentors. However, I chose to consider God’s word, His promises and His plan for my life. As I matured as a young man, I also found my faith and beliefs matured, too. In order to sustain this faith, students must value increased accountability. In other words, faith cannot be cultivated or maintained in isolation. There must be interaction, or fellowship, with other persons of faith. This should be done in the context of the “community of faith” developed by the student. To the student who is enrolled at a Christian university, this may seem less difficult. However, it can still be tough, and a prudent college student should be intentional in seeking out this accountability. It is a critical component of sustaining faith.

Finding my own faith during my college years was one of the most important aspects of my personal and spiritual development. I didn’t have the crutch of my parents’ faith to support me, and I was required to forge my own beliefs. While this may seem like a daunting task to many college freshmen, it must be done. It is my opinion that the best place to develop this faith is on a campus where students are encouraged to consider Jesus Christ as the center of their lives. The task is difficult enough, and I believe this kind of environment supports the exploration best. Keeping the faith, or my faith, in college set the framework for the rest of my life. It gave me the confidence to pursue a lifetime of faith in Christ, and it catapulted me into the vocation God has called me to do.

Even today I find that I can be scared of the new events that transpire in my life. But just as I did when I spent my time on a college campus, I am able to rely on the faith that continues to develop in my life. This faith sustains me, and it keeps me. I believe it can do the same for today’s college student, too.

Phil Cook is the Assistant Vice President for Enrollment at Lee University.