In reply to Stephen Ringlee.

Stephen,

The author took the need for a Lutheran community as a given, in part because we recently published an article on this topic (https://witness.lcms.org/2022/clinging-to-christ-in-the-exciting-college-years/). But yes, of greatest importance is finding a local Lutheran congregation.

In my estimation, a good local LCMS congregation is even more vital than the selection of the school. Even if it's the best school in a particular field, it's absolutely worthless if there's not a local Lutheran church to encourage your child in the faith. In fact, in this podcast (https://www.kfuo.org/2022/07/12/lutheran-witness-podcast-kansas-district-convention-part-part-2-nones-and-the-our-witness-in-the-home/) I said that if there's not a faithful Lutheran church in the area, then your child should not attend that school. Period. No questions asked.

So yes, a local church is of vital importance.

RSA