It’s understandable for parents of strong faith to worry about the spiritual lives of their children who’ve gone away to college. After all, it’s easy for a young person, perhaps on their own for the first time, to succumb to the temptations of partying late on Saturday night and sleeping in on Sunday morning.
But Minister Lawrence Lockett Jr., chaplain at Morgan State University in Baltimore, is packing them into the pews most Sundays. He is engaging them in lively ways during the week. And students are joining the choir, accompanying worship on various instruments and serving as readers and leaders throughout the service.
Lockett, who’s beginning his second year as the school’s director of chapel, has grown his flock from the 25 or so students who showed up at his first services to more than 200 each Sunday. Sometimes, it’s standing room only.
“We’ve been trying to figure out what to do next because on Easter Sunday we had 342 people, and some were standing in the back,” he says.
Word In Black talked to Lockett about the secrets of his success. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Word in Black: How do you get so many young people to chapel every Sunday?
Lawrence Lockett: I changed the time of service from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. A lot of the students like to sleep in late. It gives them time to do whatever they need to do. I’m sure many of them still like to party hearty over the weekend. So they have a chance just to refocus, recalibrate, get themselves lunch and then come over to the chapel for service.
WIB: Tell me about pastoring on a college campus.
LL: Morgan actually started as a biblical institute, so the Christian traditions have always been here. As a pastor or shepherd, I’m walking students through their questions, not always just trying to preach answers to them. I tell them I was in their same position, just trying to figure it out.
A lot of students focus on mental health, but they really need to focus on spiritual health as well. It should be one and the same. So I’ve been trying to preach that, if anything, spiritual health is just as important as your mental health. But we do encourage the use of the counseling center, for sure, if there is a mental health crisis.
WIB: What does Monday through Friday look like for you?
LL: Mondays, we are usually off because of Sundays. Tuesdays, we have Bible studies, so I’ll host a Bible study at noon along with my colleagues that work in the chapel. And then I’m teaching a class called Hip-hop and the Gospel on Tuesdays at 2:30, dealing with mixing culture and religion.
On Wednesdays, we do something called “breath and balance,” which is just a meditative type of program with breathing exercises as stress relievers. For Thursdays, we started something called the mosaic in which we have different campus ministers gather in small groups just like a mosaic painting. So the students who come on Sundays then get plugged into small groups on Thursdays. And on Fridays at 1 p.m., we do prayer for Muslims. We have an imam lecture and then lead in corporate prayer. It’s a good mix.
WIB: What is “Spend a Block”? Didn’t you receive an award for it?
LL: That started last year. We just basically do services outside: outside the residence halls, in the quad, wherever it may be. Students want something real and authentic, something they can gravitate to and something that’s convenient. We come to them. They don’t have to come to us.
WIB: What should I expect when I arrive for Sunday service?
LL: You’ll see our praise team full of students. You’ll see a choir full of students. You’ll see students reading scripture. You’ll see students giving testimonies. And then I’ll come in and give a sermon, or I’ll have a guest come in to do the sermon. But you’re gonna see a lot of student involvement.
WIB: What about musicians and choir?
LL: The musicians are also students. They say, ‘Hey, I love to play. I wanna use my gifts in some way, shape or form.’ And they’ll ask whether there’s a spot for them. And we say absolutely. And there is a chapel choir. Some of the members are also members of the university choir.
WIB: What is the “next” you see for the chapel?
LL: I want the students to know God, find freedom, discover purpose and make a difference. The chapel really is the heartbeat of the campus, and I want students to know more about where faith and hope and belonging really stem from. I also want the chapel to become more interfaith and involve as many students and beliefs as possible.
This story originally appeared here.