Shortly after students arrived at Calvin to begin the 2025 academic year, Campus Ministries held one of their best-attended events — the Church and Ministry Fair, which brings together many churches from across denominations. For many Calvin students who don’t know where to attend church, the fair can help point them in the right direction.
If you’re trying to discern where to attend church, or trying to discern if you want to attend church at all, a useful question to ask is this: what is church?
Church and church-like activities
When Dr. Todd Cioffi, senior advisor of the Calvin Prison Initiative, associate professor of ministry leadership, and adjunct professor of religion, was asked to define church, Cioffi said, “A very simple definition is that church is where the word of God is proclaimed, and the sacraments rightly administered.” Cioffi also distinguished between “church” and “church-like activities,” saying, “All these activities — bible studies, gathering to pray — they’re not church: they’re church-like. And we learn how to do those in the church, then we take them on the road. All of a sudden, a coffee shop can then become a holy place where we study scripture, share concerns and then pray together.”
When Dr. David Urban, professor of English, was asked to define church, he mentioned the interconnectedness and “family” feel. Urban said, “Foundationally, we are the body of Christ, and I think the church needs to be the family for any given believer.” Urban also emphasized the core aspect of the church being an institution and also distinguished between “church” and “church-like activities.”
Campus Pastor Mary Hulst defined church a bit differently: “Church is a gathering of those who love the Lord and want to grow together. That’s the simplest way to put it.” Hulst pointed out that “…there has to be an external aspect to a church community. From the beginning, the early Christians saved abandoned babies, and helped pay to get slaves set free. So there wasn’t this phenomenon where we’re in this little bubble. This has to make a difference in our world, or what’s the point?”
In-person
When asked if simply watching church online by yourself was enough, Hulst was quite clear: “No.” Hulst noted that “Jesus became flesh and lived among us, full of grace and truth. And so for us to really understand what church is about, we need to sit with people and be among them. We need to hear them, we need to see them, we need to have the sacrament with them…Church is a community to be joined. It’s not a product to be consumed.”
Cioffi succinctly said, “To really build the body of Christ, it seems that you’ve got to have real bodies.” He continued, saying, “Sure, we are the body of Christ with people halfway around the world, but if this world is going to see our witness as the body of Christ, we have to do church literally together… That’s the nature of the gospel, if you will. The true Word of God is incarnated, Jesus Christ. If we are in union with Christ, we must be in union with one another.”
When Urban was asked if one could watch online and call it church, he said, “I don’t think that’s church. I think it’s better than nothing…and it’s something we should celebrate. Not to the exclusion of the church.”
How can you find a church?
When asked what advice they might have for a student looking for a church, Hulst, Urban and Cioffi were all eager to assist. “I always have a little short list of churches that I can recommend,” said Urban, “but you want to go to a place where the Word of God is preached without apology, and where the Word of God is affirmed without error. Go somewhere that has a truth-telling role at its core.” Hulst was quick to point out multiple resources that Campus Ministries provides, pointing out that “we have a website on Campus Ministries that has a ton of churches listed, but the easiest thing to do is just ask a friend. Find a church buddy or a church posse, and go together. It makes everything easier.” Hulst pointed out that “some of the churches still show up with vans over by the old Knollcrest Dining hall. The one time you ever get in a van and don’t necessarily know where it’s going is in one of these church vans … but the best thing to do is ask your professor. If you have a professor you really like, ask them where they go to church!”
Cioffi noted that you could just find something you’re comfortable with, something familiar that reminds you of home, and that’s not a bad thing. However, he says, “I would look at it in a more exciting way, ‘what would it be like to attend a church that I, frankly, wouldn’t pick right away?’… Treat your four or five years as an opportunity to explore different churches. I wouldn’t do it every week. I would try to put some roots down for a minute. Maybe you feel called to go to a different church every year, or maybe you feel called to go to one church all four years — that’s fine too.” Cioffi likened trying multiple churches to going on a semester abroad through Calvin’s Off-Campus Programs as he said, “It could be really great to get a variety of experiences at different churches. And then wherever you end up, whatever you end up doing, you might be able to bring more to the table later. It’s almost like a semester abroad in that way. I wouldn’t want to see this as a lifelong pattern, but college is a unique time.”
Bottom Line
Calvin is well situated to equip students for their church experience in college, and partner alongside them through that. Use those resources well, and enjoy your experience at church.
