This past year, I struggled to find a church home that I really fit into. I guess that's one of the problems with living in the Bible belt…so many options and so few choices. Anyways, I found a church that I really agreed with. I knew they were preaching the Bible in its wholeness, they were leading people to Jesus, and they were encouraging people to connect with each other. There was virtually nothing wrong with this church—except that it was huge, and I felt like I was lost in the crowd.

As fall semester went on, I found myself coming to this place, sitting in a row in the back, hiding among masses of people. I kind of enjoyed it, honestly. I told myself that it was my time alone with Jesus and that I didn’t have to know anybody to go to church. I told myself I wouldn’t listen to the enemy telling me to stay home. I would just go, even if I sat alone.

And so I did. Until one morning when going to sit alone just didn’t sound appealing anymore. I was craving community, and I couldn’t stand to think of one more Sunday, sitting in a row, staring at my phone until the music began. So that morning, I stayed home and drank my coffee in bed while streaming a worship service.

It really was such a good way to start my day. I was still able to hear a solid sermon and get in the Word before my day started. However, it was most definitely not the answer for every week, and I knew that. There was no connection with people. And I think that’s why God wants us to physically gather together.

Now don’t get me wrong, this was not my every week routine, and I was getting community from other places. I had an amazing small group that I loved dearly, and I had a college ministry I attended on Wednesday nights. But somehow, that wasn’t enough.

I was frustrated because I felt like church was the exact same when I streamed it online. There was no connection. Something in me knew that church was not a group of young adults from my college ministry gathered together to sit in rows and then leave. Church involves give and take, older and younger, mature and immature.

Church requires not just listening, but also doing. I needed to find a group of people to join hands with and work alongside. This is so important, but I was completely missing it hiding in the back of that church. Connection with other believers is important, and that is not going to happen if I just go listen to a sermon and then leave.

So if you’re a college student, looking for a church home, push yourself to make that connection. You can’t rely on other people to do that for you. You have to decide that if you want to be involved, it’s time to make yourself. The connection is necessary because a community with various ages is so important when you're constantly surrounded by peers.

So instead of giving up your Sundays to stream church when you don’t feel like sitting in a row alone, go somewhere, ask questions, and find a way to immerse yourself in that body of believers. It will feel uncomfortable, maybe even awkward, to put yourself all in right away, but I’m sure that is when connections will be formed. Instead of experiencing church, it’s time to be the church.