| Lee Ella's recent posts on the qualities one looks for in a church have inspired me to share my own experiences. Jonathan and I have lived in the same town for three and a half years now, and we are currently attending our fourth church. It was really hard for us to find a church that fit. The first year of our marriage we attended a small Episcopal church. We started going there just because it was different from Jonathan's non-denominational background and my own Pentecostal background. At first we really enjoyed the order of worship, the responsive readings, and all of the things we said together as a group each Sunday. The liturgy moved me. But as the year passed I had an increasingly difficult time focusing on the meaning behind the words rather than just saying them on cue. The church was also rather lacking in people our age. Our next church was Baptist. We visited on the recommendation of a friend from school. The congregation was large and the songs reminded me of my childhood church. We liked most things about this church, but the first time we heard the pastor preach he frowned through his entire sermon. I thought it was related to his topic, but over time I came to find that this was the norm rather than the exception. If fact, he seemed arrogant and hateful towards unbelievers. We tried a Lutheran church next on the recommendation of my uncle, a Lutheran minister. This pastor was very friendly and made his sermons come alive in a way that convicted me without making me feel as if God hated me. I began wanting to live my life in a way that served the Lord, not because it is demanded of my by a tyrant God, but because I was so grateful for His gift of salvation that I wanted to show my thanks by fulfilling the purpose for which I was created--to worship Him and to lead others to a saving knowledge of God. There were many good things about this church. After about 9 months we decided to attend their membership class in order to learn more about their beliefs. We found that they believe the sacraments (baptism, communion, etc.) serve as a means of forgiveness of sins. Jonathan and I believe that all sins are forgiven when you accept the gift of salvation. The purpose of communion is for Christians to reflect on that gift, to thank God for His grace, and to redidicate themselves to live in His service. We believe that baptism is an outward symbol of a prior, inward change. Now we attend a non-denominational church. We love everything about it and are planning to become members next month. The church has a very active newlywed/young married Sunday School class, which has helped us to feel like "insiders" quickly. In fact, we have already made friends with 5-10 other couples and get together with them regularly outside of church. We finally know what it is to have a social life with other believers! I have been wanting this ever since we moved here. If I could give advice to anyone out there moving to a new town, I would recommend visiting different churches every week for the first couple of months. Otherwise, you might find yourself repeating our mistakes. Trust me, when you find the right church, you will know. We were so determined to find a home church that we singled out the good qualities in each church and brushed past any flaws. We told ourselves, "Well, this particular aspect leaves something to be desired, but no church is perfect. We can deal with it." This would work for a while, but inevitably we would begin to regret settling in too quickly. I am just thankful that we have finally found the right church for us. We wish we had been going there all along. |
