Amanda Middleton theology discussion

1. Is Chi Alpha a church? Should a student be involved in a local church on Sunday mornings in addition to their involvement in Chi Alpha? Are your
reasons more pragmatic or theological?

If you define church as a group of believers that meet regularly to worship God and live life together, then yes I believe Chi Alpha is a church. Acts 2:42-47 shows a good example of what the early church looked like, and from my observations, XA functions in a very similar manner. However, if a student is only involved in Chi Alpha and does not attend church on Sundays then I would encourage them to change this habit and begin attending church services. I have two reasons behind this. The first being that the average American church operates a little differently from XA and if a student isn't involved in a church outside of XA then when they graduate they may have  a harder time transitioning into a regular church community. My second reason is based on church population. XA students go to school with people their own age, they live with people their own age, and they go to Chi Alpha with people their age. Most churches consist of people of various ages from different backgrounds. You can learn a lot from people that are older than you, and churches need young people to add vitality to the environment. I believe Chi Alpha is a church but I still encourage XA students to attend church. My reasons are more practical than theological.