Opportunities for community service and mission trips depend on the Christian college that a student attends. Just because a college is Christian does not necessarily mean that they will offer mission trips through the school or offer ways for students to give back to the community.
It is not uncommon for Christian colleges to require a certain amount of “service hours” from students, especially freshmen. Many Christian schools see service hours as a way of training students to serve others and the community around them. If a school requires service hours, there is good reason to believe they will, at the very least, have connections to nonprofits or local community centers looking for volunteers.
Even if a school does not require service hours, students looking for opportunities for community service should ask around, ask professors, ask campus ministries, ask student life, and ask other students what sort of connections or nonprofits they might know of or churches they may recommend that have ministry opportunities for college students.
If all else fails, a student only needs to google “local community service opportunities” and they can be connected to something nearby.
Like community service opportunities, mission trip options will depend on the college itself. Christian colleges are far more likely to offer students the chance to go on mission trips, especially if the college offers a mission or ministry-focused major. In those cases, though, spots for the mission trip may be reserved for students of that major. An easy way to find out about mission trips offered by the school is to ask Campus ministries or the student life department.
If the Christian college does not offer opportunities for mission trips, there are plenty of other ways to get involved in missions as a college student. The first would be to go through a local church. Find a church that adheres to Biblical truth and that you feel welcome at and see where you can get involved there.
There are also many organizations who will connect eager college students with mission groups or put together a group for a mission trip themselves. Students can go through Cru (campus crusades for Christ), Praying Pelican Missions, Experience Mission, FCA (fellowship of Christian Athletes), or many others. These websites provide plenty of opportunities for mission trips, ministry, and discipleship.
Many Christian colleges will provide opportunities for community service and mission trips, but not always. Luckily, there are plenty of other options for students looking to be involved in ministry or outreach. If the college does not offer it, students can find opportunities in a number of other places, they need only open a new tab.