Thursday #7: Campus vs. Church

There are a number of differences between getting along with people in the church and at school, but I have tried to identify my top three.

1. Generational Differences
Almost everyone we encounter at school is within a couple of years of our age. This brings to the table the idea that we most likely share a great deal of presuppositions about life at this particular point. Even is someone is different from you in school, there is likely to be a significant amount of common ground on the simple fact that you are both in college. This is not the case within the church, where we must deal with people from all walks of life, at different points in life.

2. Unavoidable Interactions
In college, if we don't like someone we can simply avoid them. We don't have to live with them, we don't have to talk to them, we don't have to sit by them in class. This is not the case in the church, as often the people we cannot stand are people we will be forced to interact with. In a sense our relationships in college are optional, whereas in the church they are often mandatory.

3. Elevated Position
In college, we are peers. People see us, and while others may view us as leaders, or have respect for us, we are still for the most part equals. At school, we are people, just the same as everyone else. Nothing magical happens between here and the real world, other than once we are in the church we are "Pastor so-and-so." Whether we like it or not, we have been placed in a position where we are expected to care and relate to people in a way that demands much more than simply being a peer.