Church Shopping Simplified

Photo courtesy of FBC Meridan

Since we move a lot, "church shopping" is something we do WAY more often than I would like, but in all of those moves, there are few things I've learned that may help you next time you find yourself needing to find a new place of worship and accountability.

BEFORE YOU GO:
-PRAY PRAY PRAY! Ask God what your family needs in a church body to help grow everyone's relationship in Christ.  Ask Him to help make it clear when you should stay at a particular church.

-Make a list of what you/your family needs from church (IE types of small groups, kids programs, etc.) It is important to know what your priorities are in order to make sure all of your family members are being spiritually fed and encouraged.  Also, making this list will help you realize what small things you are willing to compromise on and what big things would be "deal breakers".

-Make a list of what serving opportunities you want to take part in.  God calls all of us to serve and our church body is where that should be happening.  If you feel led to teach young children, but the church doesn't have a program for that, you have 2 choices, you can ask God if He's calling you to head up that ministry, OR ask God if you should try another church where your gifts will be utilized for eternal impact.

-Look at the Belief statements of the church.  Know what you believe, and know what the church believes.  It doesn't matter how great the music is or how many awesome programs a church has, if there is a theological rift in your beliefs, you will not be able to reach your full spiritual potential in that body.

WHEN YOU GET THERE:
-PRAY PRAY PRAY! Before you get out of the car, ask God to give you clear eyes to see and a soft heart to not only take in the church, but enjoy the worship and community with Him for the morning.

-DO NOT start itemizing good/bad as soon as you walk in the door.  It does not matter if the building looks old, the nursery is hard to find, or there are still hymns in the chairs.  You are there for the entire church experience (which is worship, service, and fellowship), so don't start letting your human expectations creep in and cloud your spiritual judgement of good, Biblical preaching, meaningful worship, and kind fellowship.

-Visit the Welcome Center.  This is the brains of all the "extras" this church has to offer. Anything from small groups to service opportunities will be answered here, so pay close attention and gather as much information as you can.  That will help you know whether or not this church as the things on your list and is a place that will give you opportunities to serve in areas of your spiritual gifts.

-Enjoy true worship and take in what God has for you in that moment.  Even if you think, after only 5 minutes into the service, "We are NOT coming back here", worship God, listen for what He has for you.  God's word never returns empty and all worship is meaningful, so take it in for the moment and be thankful for the freedom and opportunity to worship The Everlasting God of the Universe!

AFTER YOU VISIT
-Debrief with the family. Ask how everyone's time was, what they learned and what their thoughts were on going back again.  If you loved it, but your teenage kids didn't connect, you may want to try another place where they feel more comfortable.

-Contact church members to see what ways you can get plugged in.  Use that information you get at the Welcome Center to contact the people in charge of the ministries you are most passionate about.  This will give you an idea about whether or not these ministries and groups really will meet the "requirements" for your family on the list you wrote before you even started the church hunt.

-PRAY PRAY PRAY!! Ask God where you should be and really listen for the Holy Spirit's guidance.  Don't dismiss a church right away, take next few days to really pray about it and let God speak to your heart.  If a church doesn't feel right, that's OK, don't feel badly about it not working out, do a little research and try again next week.

God has the right place for all of us somewhere, it's just a matter of following the Holy Spirit's prompting, knowing what your family needs to mature in their walk with Christ, and being will to compromise on the little things (Obviously, you should NEVER compromise on the big things, like your personal beliefs about the sovereignty of the Bible, but compromising in such things as "I don't really like the service times").

Remember, church is supposed to be about worship, service, and fellowship that will encourage us to continue our maturity in our relationship with God!