There are many churches in and around the Cedarville area. I go to a church 30 minutes away from Cedarville, but there are also closer options and plenty of churches that provide transportation. Finding a local church can seem daunting if you’ve only gone to one your entire life like me, so here are some criteria to help you in your search for a church away from home!
Know what you’re looking for!
A good place to start is the Involvement Fair. At the beginning of every fall semester, Cedarville University puts on an Involvement Fair. This is a good place to find a church that is looking for students! There will be people to talk to about transportation, involvement, and the general vibes of a church, but continuing with your own research may be helpful too!
Researching churches in the area can be helpful to gauge the distance from Cedarville and see their website. Looking for their mission and doctrinal statements is an important part of discovering a church that aligns with your beliefs. When you visit churches, looking for these differences can help you decide whether a church is the right fit for you: their accessibility, how they preach, their community in and outside the church, and their worship style.
Accessibility
Accessibility is very important, especially at this stage of life. You are in a new area, and you may not even have a car. Some churches provide vans to get students to their church, others are within walking distance, and a few may have carpool options with fellow students. Ultimately, how you will get to the church is a necessary point to consider.
Preaching
Once you start visiting a church, the first thing you should take note of is the preaching. Feeling welcome is important, and the worship style may be moving and glorifying, but if the preacher doesn’t have sound doctrine, doesn’t teach from the Word, or doesn’t shepherd his people well, everything else is a moot point. I won’t pretend to know what perfect preaching looks like, but I do know that the Word is the ultimate authority and that the main source of the preacher’s knowledge should be found there. Look to the preacher to understand the church.
Community
Next, as our esteemed President Dr. White stresses, getting involved and connected with your church is very important. Chapel is supposed to help foster growth and fellowship during the week, but this does not fill your need for church-centered fellowship and spiritual growth. Your church should promote student involvement: children’s ministry, welcome and hospitality teams, outreach groups, small groups, Bible studies, worship teams, and tech teams. Finding an area you want to be involved in and reaching out can help foster relationships in your chosen church.
Personal relationships are also important in church. Not only should you be involved in ministries inside the church but also involved in other members’ lives. You will most likely find other Cedarville students outside of your major at churches in the area — fostering relationships at church can provide relationships on campus as well. Creating relationships with older people in your church can provide mentorship and meaningful connections too. I joined an “Adopt-a-Student” program in my church my freshman year, and I still get lunch with the family as a junior.
Worship
Church worship can look different depending on what you’re used to and how you interpret what the Bible says on the matter. I don’t have specific guidelines for you, but worship should be a fellowship-driven pursuit of glorifying God. Whether that looks like a full band, one guy with a guitar, or a choir with an organ playing in the background, the worship should stress glory to God.
Personally, my church back home includes drums, guitar, and lights. I love it, but my church here at Cedarville utilizes a lot of the music majors that attend, so we have exclusively hymns with flutes and violins and sheet music up on a screen. At first, it was so different that I wasn’t sure that I liked it, but after listening to the preacher and getting involved in small groups and the “Adopt-a-Student” program, I realized that I could hear everyone’s voice and that it sounded like a choir. I could hear the harmonies of people singing different parts of the sheet music. And I learned how to read sheet music better. The corporate worship is one of my favorite parts of church now.
Finding a Church
Ultimately, it’s most important to find a consistent church. You don’t want to hop from one church to the next, never settling anywhere. Find a place where the preaching is good, the atmosphere is welcoming, and the worship glorifies God, then get involved!
Major and Year of Graduation: English major, class of 2026.
Favorite Study Spot: I love studying in the library at a high table by the window.
Favorite Music Artist: I’m a big fan of anything folksy, but I’m particularly obsessed with everything Noah Kahan right now.
Favorite Quote: “I guess you could call it a ‘failure’, but I prefer the term ‘learning experience’.” -Mark Watney from The Martian by Andy Weir
What do You Like to do in Your Free Time? Read (obviously), but also painting and watching Youtube.
Favorite Bible Verse: Luke 10:42
Tags: #cedarville, #church, #helpful, #studentguide, #studentlife, #students, #tips
Posted in: Church, Practical Tips, Student Life