Are you off to Uni this year, and wondering how you best live a life of faith when you get there? Or wondering how to share your faith with your Uni mates?
Let’s talk about how we start Uni well – confident in our faith and in sharing the good news with the people we meet. Let’s talk about how we shape the culture around us and leave a legacy in our Uni.
Here’s some top tips!
Tip no.1: Be yourself!
Starting Uni can be really daunting, and we can end up hiding who we really are, or hiding our faith just to try and fit in but we don’t have to. Jesus said “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden… let your light shine before others.” (Matt 5:14-16) We are called to be a light to those around us at Uni, not to hide who we are or our faith in Jesus.
This can be scary though, so how do we find the courage to do this well? Know your identity in Christ! It is God who defines who you are, not what others think about you. We find courage to be ourselves when we’re reminded of what God says about us. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago,” and there’s loads more truth like this about who we are in the scriptures. So spend time with God, spend time reading the Bible. Remind yourself of the words God has spoken over you, about who you are in him. Enjoy the peace found in his presence. Meditate on Bible verses that speak about your identity.
Tip no. 2: Find a church!
Faith was never meant to be something we do by ourselves – we need to be in it together – as part of a church where we can both be blessed and be a blessing to others. In 1 Corinthians 12:1 it says "The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ." The church needs students, and students need the church!
Church is a family who can support you during your time at Uni – practically and emotionally, but also in your discipleship, your calling and your mission. It’s super helpful to have an intergenerational family to walk out your faith with. You can also have an impact in the church that you join – you’ll be able to serve them and get stuck in with serving your city together.
Check out the Student Linkup App to help you find a church in your Uni city. Christian Unions often do a church search at the beginning of term as well.
Tip no. 3: Shape the Culture
When we think of Uni culture it can make us a bit fearful: of peer-pressure to do things we don’t want to do; of being the odd one out if we don’t join in with what everyone else is doing; or of giving into to pressure and temptation. Remembering our identity in Christ can give us the courage to be ourselves and to live differently from those around us. Living differently can cause our friends to ask questions and can lead to conversations about faith.
One of the most prevalent features of Uni culture at the moment is that students are incredibly spiritually open, and this presents a huge opportunity for you to share your faith and shape the culture.
62% of 18-24 year olds say they are ‘spiritual’.
76% say they would Try Church if a friend invited them.
33% of non-Christian students said they would like to read the Bible with a friend.
You can seize the opportunity to be bold and have spiritual conversations, invite people to church, and even to read the Bible with you – you’re likely to get a good response! More than simply sharing our faith and being a witness in the Uni culture, we can begin to shape the culture of the spaces we’re in – for instance in the Uni societies we get involved with.
Annie and Helen* were both Christian students, part of the women’s rugby team at Lincoln Uni, and they were a little nervous about the culture of the team – especially with over-drinking and initiations. They decided to pray together before each game. After a while, the team captain noticed that they were praying, and they were a little worried what she’d think. The captain then asked if they could publicly pray for the whole team before the games! They would still go out on socials and nights out with their rugby mates, but wouldn’t join in with the culture, but set a different culture instead. They ended up running an Alpha course at their church and invited the whole team along.
Tip no.4: Leave a legacy!
Sometimes it’s easy to think that Uni is only a few short years of our lives and the time will fly by. It can be hard to imagine that we can leave a lasting mark on the city we study in before we leave, but that’s not true. Ephesians 3:20 says that God, "is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us". We can expect God will do great things through us at Uni.
We don’t just want to be a tourist in our Uni city, passing through, we want to be a pilgrim, sent by God to lay deep roots for the time he’s called us to be there.
Why don’t you ask God the question – ‘How would you like to use me to impact this city while I’m here?’ Ask yourself the questions – ‘What do I care about? What change do I want to see happen in this city? What story do I want to tell about my time at Uni once I’ve left?’
Why don’t you start to put these four tips into action as you prepare for Uni this year? Pray and ask God about his dreams for your Uni adventure. God is with you, and he can do immeasurably more through you, than you can ask or imagine!
*Names changed to protect identity.
