I’m gonna start this off by saying I absolutely love my fraternity, you should rush, 100%, and that I love Greek Life and DBU so much that I rushed as a junior.
It happens, I get it.
Also, I’m old. I get that, too.
Hi. My name is Ty, I’m from St. Louis, I fell off a cliff one time, I’m in Tau Alpha Phi, and I freaking love Jesus and Sky Ranch.
Most people who know anything about me know at least one of those things. Usually more. What they probably can’t tell you, however, is what church I’m plugged into, and where I find my community. My reputation does, in fact, precede me, but it doesn’t really include my community.
And I hate that.
I grew up without brothers–just 3 sisters–and I had always wanted one because of that. I found it hard as a middle schooler and high schooler to connect with other guys at a level that continued our friendships after high school, and I regret that in a lot of ways. So coming into college here at DBU, it made sense to rush Greek Life because fraternities are nothing but a bunch of guys you can suddenly call brothers that you end up doing most of life with. So I rushed.
I was torn between two specific fraternities here at DBU, and couldn’t choose. I wanted that community, that brotherhood, and I wanted God to give me relationships with other guys that refined me and made me look more like him, or at least that’s what I told myself.
To this day, I don’t know if I can tell you all that motivated me to rush, because I know it was partly the lack of brothers beforehand but I know now, looking back, that it was much more. What I can say is that I missed something huge through that week and much of the following pledgeship: that community had been right in front of me the whole time. I just didn’t want to jump in.
If you’re rushing at DBU this week or at any other fraternity/sorority on whatever campus and you’re doing it to find your community that you will be most plugged into and most heavily dedicated, Greek Life is not the place for it.
I mean, listen, like, you need to hear this and you need to preach this at yourself night and day ’til it’s that random thought that bugs you when your mind has 0.02 seconds to space out:
A fraternity/sorority is not the church.
A fraternity/sorority is not the church.
A fraternity/sorority is not the church.
A fraternity/sorority is not the church.
A FRATERNITY/SORORITY IS NOT THE CHURCH GOSH DANG IT.
It took me almost a year to learn this. Jesus has set up that community for you.
DO NOT rush to find your community at DBU. If you’re not plugged into a church, a fraternity or sorority will not offer for you what the church was originally designed to do.
I don’t want you to read this and hear me saying “Don’t rush at all.” What I want you to hear me saying is this:
“Don’t rush to find your base community. Don’t do it to find what the church is already offering. Rush because you want the guys or girls in your organization to push you toward the cross, to be resources for you when you need a hand and to be there for you when you need them, but don’t rest your spiritual standing with God on the fact that you rushed a Christian fraternity or sorority. That’s not good enough.”
The statement, “I’m cool with God and He’s cool with me on the whole church thing–I’m in a Christian fraternity!” is a dumb statement. Yes. Dumb.
Maybe the church harmed you in the past. Maybe it’s just not doing it for you now. Maybe you’re hoping that a fraternity or sorority will be the community the Lord has called you to dive into first and foremost.
It’s not.
I’ll say it again:
IT. IS. NOT.
He has established the church specifically for all of these things. And don’t think that if you’re not plugged into a church somewhere you’re not going to get a bid. Granted, that’s highly likely, but it’s not an exclusive deal.
But know this: according to Scripture, a.k.a. the Word of God, you should be plugged into a church. That is of utmost importance. To pick Greek Life over the church is not to follow Jesus. If that’s what you do, I’ll tell you right now your faith is not where you’re saying it is. Choosing Greek Life in place of the real thing is straight up just rejecting what God has for you, at least in part, for your personal preference (a preference that directly defies his Word, but you know, it’s whatever)
[It’s definitely not whatever. It’s literally such a huge deal.]
So rush. Do it. Go through the process and have a blast, every single one of you.
Unless you want your organization to be your main source of community and the main way you “get plugged in with God” because I’ll tell you right now, that’s not why these organizations exist.
Get plugged in at a local church. Get serious about following the Lord, and don’t just join a group because they always win Greek Games, or Spring Sing, or because their service project is something you’re really passionate about, or because they’re full of guys/girls “who are just like you,” or because they turned the hill behind the LC into a massive slide, or because they make the world’s meanest jalapeño poppers, or because they have so much fun that nobody really knows what’s going on–do it for whatever reason, just not to find your main sense of community.
It’s been under your nose and all around you since before you ever came to DBU.
PS If you’re reading this and you haven’t signed up for rush yet, you know you have to do that right? You don’t just show up.
Ty Hirsch 