An Extra-Curricular Faith

by | 5 Comments

Updated 3/26/12

Have you noticed how busy college students are today?

I know, I know… college students have always lamented about how busy they are…

But I honestly think it’s true.

Today’s students seem busier than ever before.

And it’s not because they have more demands on their time, or opportunities to get involved, than we did 10, 15 or even 25 years ago…

But because they seem to feel compelled to fill-up every open space in their calendar.

Instead of choosing 1 or 2 things to really get involved in, and then leaving free-space in their day-to-day lives for… well, just “being,” they get involved in a whole host of activities — spreading themselves incredibly thin — and creating a way of life that leaves little wiggle room… and ultimately running themselves ragged.

And it’s not just a physical toll that keeping this kind of schedule is having on them…

It’s also taking a toll on their spiritual lives as well.

Much like the rest of their time, students are having to “schedule in” specific time for their spiritual formation.

And for a growing number of students, it would seem that the frequency with which they schedule time to sit in the presence of God is equivalent with the frequency with which they participate in intramural sports, or attend club meetings, or even schedule coffee with friends — maybe once or twice a week.

More and more students are approaching their spiritual lives as they do other extra-curricular activities that they’re involved in… without consistency or serious commitment.

If it happens this week — great!  If not, well, we’ll make sure we do it next week.

And as a result, their faith is not shaping their college experience — or their lives — in the ways that it’s supposed to.

I’m not sure that an extra-curricular approach to faith can ever serve anyone, any good.

And I’m absolutely certain that having an extra-curricular kind of faith, during some of the most formative years of life, is absolutely detrimental to this upcoming generation!

So what, then, can we do?

How can we help students to reconsider their current approach to their: 1) schedules, 2) faith, and 3) way of life?

I’d love to know your thoughts on this!  What you’re seeing on your campus… with your students?

Please take a moment to share in the comment section below.

 

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About the Author

Guy Chmieleski

Guy is the Founder of FaithONCampus.com. He is also the University Minister, at Belmont University, located in Nashville, TN. FaithONCampus.com is designed with campus and college ministers in mind, and is here to serve as: a resource, catalyst for conversations and encouragement for our shared work with today’s college students.

  • Brian Beckstrom

    This is an

  • Brian Beckstrom

    This is an excellent article Guy. I’ve been absolutely amazed at the frenetic pace of College students. Although the article is ten years old, this piece from the Atlantic Monthly describes some of the cultural reasons for the crazy lives college students lead http://bit.ly/dFr8Zd.

    In terms of the ministry on our campus we’ve discerned that a significant part of our mission is to help students slow down long enough to reflect and see where God is at work in their lives. We’ve done this in a couple of ways…

    The first is through an initiative called “The Jesus Experiment” in which students are introduced to spiritual practices like the examen, lectio divina, prayer, and service. It’s a simple one hour a week commitment consisting of either a large group teaching where we introduce new practices and small group meetings where they reflect on their experiences. The groups are small enough (3 people) that they can usually find at least one hour a week that they’re all free, although I’m often surprised at how much of a challenge this is.

    We’ve also tried to make space in our worship gatherings for both individual and corporate reflective practices. It’s hard to resist making worship into a big event (because that’s what gets noticed), but the reality is that most students who do attend are surprised by how much they need this kind of reflection.

    This is definitely still a work in progress but we continue to look for ways to help students make space for God. It can be frustrating to follow this path when students have been shaped by a culture that works against a slower pace, but I’m convinced in the long run that they will be better equipped to live out their faith by slowing down. As you mention, the challenge is that faith is seen as an extracurricular activity, and with all the stuff competing for their attention it can be hard to convince them that this is really in their best interest.

    • Anonymous

      Hey Brian!

      These both sound like GREAT ideas!! I’m curious to know how your students are responding… similar to my question to Scott below, how far down the path of consumption and production have you found yourself having to go in order to “attract” students and lead them towards something different? OR, are you saying you went for it right off the bat, creating something that might look bizarre to students (given the kind of culture we are a part of) and somehow convinced them to give it a try?

      You’ve got me very intrigued Brian! This is SO something today’s students need!

  • http://twitter.com/saj_nachfolge Scott Alan Johnson

    Just discovered this website thanks to a tweet by Brian Beckstrom. Like you, Guy, I’m concerned with much of what you see. Walter Brueggeman has been working with a similar understanding of culture over the past few years, making the argument that we are slaves under the new co-Pharaohs of consumption and production. So, like Brian, we focus very much on making our worship time, in particular, a time to slow down, to refocus, to be valued for whose creation you are and not how much you’ve read, what your last grade was or how many volunteer hours you’re putting in. Thanks for posting this – will share it with others.

    • Anonymous

      Scott,

      Thanks for sharing! I especially like your what you (and Brueggeman) point to — the co-Pharaohs of consumption and production. The tension here, that I always bump up against, is how far down the path of consumption and production do I need to travel in order to connect with students, before then drawing them back towards the other end of the path — peace, stillness and being.

      How do you deal with this tension?

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