Marie Hugershoff: Discussion Question

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?
- My first thought is yes of course Chi Alpha is a church. Just going off of my experience I would say the church is just a body of believers gathers for the purpose of seeking Jesus so I believe that Chi Alpha is that. Based on what Bird wrote that the marks of a church are onesness, holiness, catholic and apostolicity. Considering all of those markers I would say that Chi Alpha is a church. We are one because we share the body of Christ, we are holy because we are being sanctified to Christ through His spirit, we are catholic because we are located all over the world, and we are apostolic because we hold the apostles' teachings and go to all the world to share the Gospel. I think although Chi Alpha is a church, the students involved in Chi Alpha should also be connected to another church that they attend on Sunday mornings as well as being plugged into its community. Chi Alpha is a great church but it is a church for college students, meaning that the people who attend Chi Alpha are surrounded by peers. That is a great thing because sermons can be more focused and it is easy for students to relate to one another, but there is a lot of wisdom and growth that can come from being a part of a church that is diverse in age. I also think that because Chi Alpha is so unique students are surprised when they graduate and start attending a more traditional church. By being connected to a traditional church along with Chi Alpha, it allows students to understand that not all churches look like Chi Alpha and will help make there transition after college easier. I think my reasoning is more pragmatic because it is more practical and I used more of my experience and what Bird said than what scripture says.