<p>Only if you have done something significant with it, are going to pursue similar endeavors while at Stanford, etc. Think of it like this: they’re looking for someone who can contribute to campus life. Not someone who just has high scores and a high GPA. So they’ll look for those who have a strong record of contributing, and more, who have a passion for what they do. Those are the ones who will thrive at Stanford. So if you have significant accomplishments with it (either through extracurricular activities - say organizing significant church events, etc. - or through awards that recognize your contributions), it will help.</p>
<p>At the same time, whether church work can help depends on how narrowly the admissions office defines “intellectual vitality” - some say that it’s more of a focus on academic topics, others that it’s flexible and meant to assess general achievement that requires great facility of mind.</p>
<p>If you want more certainty than that, then what do you think your major will be? That’s definitely a way to go about demonstrating passion, drive, intellectual curiosity, etc. Of course the admissions office assumes that students will likely change their majors, but it’s undeniable that displaying a strong commitment (achievements, awards, activities, independent work) to some academic endeavor goes a long way in college applications.</p>