The unity and spiritual growth that is obtained through campus chapels are unparalleled from any other form of student body event. Christian high schools across the nation have a mandatory chapel during the school week, and although it may take away from an hour of class time, the growth and break is welcomed with open arms from student believers everywhere.

As students from Christian schools enter the college ranks and move on from the controlled environment they had, many lose sight of their spiritual lives.

According to an article on christianpost.com, “over 50 percent of our Christian kids who go to Christian colleges are renouncing their faith at Christian colleges.” I believe this is due to the fact that many Christian colleges begin to focus their resources away from their core beliefs and toward enrollment.

The real issue from not having chapels that are mandatory is that it leaves students with a lack of spiritual guidance, while also not giving commuters the ability to enjoy bonding moments with their fellow students.

Even though California Lutheran University does have a chapel, it is not required for students to attend, so many choose not too. Master’s College requires students to go to chapel three days a week, which may be tedious and detract from learning.

On the opposite spectrum CLU doesn’t require their students go to a single chapel a week. If these schools took a note from local private Christian schools such as Grace Brethren High School, they would be able to see the unity and overall companionship that comes from having one mandatory chapel a week.

Dr. Corin Slown, Grace Brethren professor said, “As we are blessed to live in a country that protects the freedom to worship, I believe it is imperative that we value and exercise that right. I can worship God alone or in a group, but chapel is an excellent opportunity to reflect on what really matters in my week,” Dr. Corin Slown, Grace Brethren professor said.

Slown clearly portrays the importance of coming together to worship in a group manner. She emphasizes the importance of taking time out of our busy lives to come back together and grow spiritually.

There are a large number of students who may not initially enjoy being required to attend weekly chapels. There are many ways the CLU administration could make the student life easier by adding a chapel. To allow the students to not have to move their schedules around too much to accommodate chapel, CLU can shorten all other classes on the day of chapel and give the students two separate chapel times they can choose to attend at their leisure.

Not all students may be Christian believers but CLU could make an effort to bring in different perspectives to shed light on what it means to worship, without pushing people who do not believe in the same way as others. CLU does in fact identify itself as a Lutheran (Christian) university, and adding one simple hour of chapel per week could really improve their credibility as a private religious university.

I truly believe that in taking the concerted effort to rally the student body together in making chapel mandatory, CLU would see massive improvements all over campus.

Student unity and moral would go up from building togetherness in a new spiritual emphasis, students would be rejuvenated by having shorter classes one day a week providing the much needed break, and most importantly we would start to see the campus trending in a positive fashion from the moral guidance being received.

Not all students will be thrilled with the new changes, but it will be welcomed with open arms by most and will mirror the setting implemented to current students at Christian high schools.

Jordan Slider
Staff Writer
Published May 7, 2014