On College Chapel

We might as well abandon chapel at our Christian Colleges and Seminaries. We fill them with drivel. Announcements about campus thing this, or denominational thing that, or district thing this, or student/faculty thing that. We let speakers speak who seem to be interested in entertaining or promoting rather than exalting the Risen Savior. Enough.

This is what my friend Marty writes about chapel on college campuses. If you schedule the preachers for your college, you desperately need to hear his words. If you are on the schedule to preach at a college, you desperately need to hear his words.

Don’t let just anyone preach there. Only let those communicators who can enthrall the heart of our brightest minds with an intoxicating vision of Jesus.

Make chapel a “can’t miss” experience for every student. Inspire them with a vision of Jesus that makes them go out the door saying, “I will do anything, I will go anywhere, I will endure anything for the glorious Lord and Savior I just saw in the message of that chapel speaker.”

And pastors, do that every Sunday. Make that your goal every Sunday. Some will hate you. Do it anyway because Jesus is worth it.

College students hear enough nonsense that they don’t need more of it from the chapel pulpit. They don’t need to know how well you can alliterate, or how good a story-teller you are. They don’t need to hear about your mystical experiences of God telling you do this or telling you not to do that. They don’t need you to be funny. They don’t need to you be creative.

They need you to unfold the text of Scripture for them and point their hearts to God and the gospel. They need you to challenge their highest aspirations with Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords.

College chapel speaking should be about more than how many students you send there, or how well connected you are. It ought to be about Jesus.

So make it about Jesus.