This article is all about helping new students get stuck in at a local church, and the different ways we can be doing that. There are a lot of things to talk about, and some helpful, practical tips and reminders. Feel free to scroll down to the sections that apply to you!
CUs play an important role in helping new students find and settle into a local church. The Church Search gathers different church leaders in one place and gives students the chance to find out about each church. Each church will usually be given a table and can hand out flyers and other information about their church or how to join on a Sunday. This may happen during a main meeting or as a separate Welcome Week event. The important thing is that students can talk to local church representatives and find a church that suits them.
If you’re a small CU and don’t have the capacity to run a full Church Search, there are still things you can do to help new students find a church.
Lots of smaller CUs still host Church Searches. It doesn’t take many members to run it effectively. However, if you are unable to host a full Church Search, why not consider doing some of the following options:
As we read the Bible’s big story, we find that God’s purpose is not merely to save individuals, but through the cross win a diverse people for himself – united to him and united to each other. Local church is the primary and lifelong way we express this unity now. In a gospel-centred local church we can be taught and grown, encouraged and discipled, pastored and provided with opportunities to serve. There may also be non-believers who are willing to give church a try. A CU Church Search can provide students with the encouragement they need to settle in a church community.
Over the past year we’ve experienced different and unusual elements of church life, whether that’s watching from our sofa, signing up online, or wearing masks. Whatever church looks like this term, new students shouldn’t miss out on joining a local church community.
Here's how to plan your Church Search according to any national, local, or SU restrictions that might be in place.
Let’s face it: nobody wants Church Search to be on zoom. It’s right that you do everything you can to try and make sure that this doesn’t happen. However, an online Church Search is still miles better than no Church Search. New students need to be encouraged to join a church whatever the limitations. So, if your Church Search does have to be online, it’s worth putting energy into thinking about how it can be as effective and engaging as possible.
Perhaps you want to create a sli.do word cloud for students to fill in about what they want in a church as an engaging opener as students join. Maybe you want to include a short talk about why it’s important to join a church as well as CU. You might ask churches to produce a 30 second video about their church for you to show. Then you could open a zoom breakout room for each church, and encourage students to hop between the breakout rooms of churches they’re interested in.
Whatever you decide to do, think about what students at your uni would find helpful and engaging.
The first thing to do is to sort a venue. Where would be the best place on campus to hold your Church Search? Remember, ideally you want a large open space, so people can easily maintain social distancing, and you want to use a location that is easy to find. Remember to give really clear instructions on how to get to the venue in your publicity.
Due to the event needing to be socially-distanced, you might want to ask each church to send only one representative rather than a few. It might be worth contacting church representatives a long time before the event informing them of the restrictions. This gives clear expectations to all the church representatives involved.
One way of getting around restrictions is to have timed slots for students to book in to. This means you can co-ordinate how many people will be in the space at one time. Why not set up a Google form or an Eventbrite event where people can book in to a slot, and then keep a few reserves for some students that just turn up on the door. This may mean the Church Search takes a little longer, but it is definitely worth it to be safe and make sure no one feels uncomfortable in the space.
Beware that some students may still have to isolate during this time. It might be worth offering a smaller scale online option as well. Look at the ideas above for inspiration.
What a joy to meet together with few to no restrictions! Space makes a huge difference, like mentioned earlier make sure you find a big open space ideally on campus. You want it to be easy for students to walk around and chat to different church leaders. It might be nice to even have another small room where new students can chat to current students about their church, or a place for a breather or to pray with someone. For some students Church Searches can be overwhelming.
Even if national covid restrictions are fully removed it doesn’t mean that the SU won’t still impose restrictions on societies. It is still worth checking with your Students Union on what you and the churches can and can’t do.
Beware that some students may still have to isolate during this time. It might be worth offering a smaller scale online option as well. Look at the ideas above for inspiration.
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