When you are looking for a church - what do you look for? What elements are essential to make it feel like "home?"We are new to this community. In the last decade+ finding a church has not been as difficult. When moving to the midwest, church invites abounded. One of those invites led to a church home.
Recommendations from that church home in Topeka led to a church home in Kansas City. That was "home" for nearly a decade.
When moving to North Carolina, again church invitations abounded. One of those invitations led to a church home. This was the same story in Cambodia, as well as in Mozambique.
One might think it more difficult to find a Christian church to attend in an all Buddhist country, but apparently I am having a harder time in my homeland.
At the MLK event in Fredericksburg, there were multiple churches represented. We visited a few of them and found one we really like, but now that we have moved more than 30 miles away that seems too far to drive and really be involved. We have done this for the last few weeks, but then I came to the conclusion that it isn't enough to just show up. If I were content to sit and listen Sunday to Sunday and not really get involved it might be okay. But, that is not what I want. So, we are in the hunt for a church home in our new city - without an invitation or recommendation. Simply deciding where to go is tougher than imagined.
I have done an internet search. I acknowledge there is only so much one can glean from the internet, but I couldn't come up with another option and it did provide enough information to short list which ones to visit. This process had me asking, what am I looking for in a church?
Here is the basic criteria:
- Teach the Bible (usually found on the "About Us" page)
- Have an ethnically diverse community, and that is best demonstrated by a diverse staff
- Have outreach programs to the community that are aimed at the poor and under served (more important to me than vast ministries serving church members exclusively)
These are the elements that the church I am looking for will possess, this is the description I believe God has given for his desire of the church on earth.
On the surface this seems like a simple criteria. I assure you, it is NOT. I have found a dozen churches that meet two, but not all three. I have found only one in the city we live in that demonstrates all three through the information on their website.
We will visit a couple of times and hope for the best. If it doesn't work out? I am not sure what our next strategy will be for finding a church home in our new city.
Suggestions are welcome.
just Sheri, searching for a church
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