#4 Down, ? To Go

We visited our 4th new church this morning. Each of them has had good points & bad points, but this one was the best so far. We've come up with a new rating system for churches - on a scale of 1 - 10. A rating of 10 is equivalent to Hillsong United or heaven. A 9.5 is equivalent to the Michael W. Smith/Third Day Worship Tour. Our previous church lands at about an 8 or 8.5.

Church #1 - 5
Church #2 - 4
Church #3 - 5
Church #4 - 6

Tommie & I agree (amazingly, since we hardly agree on anything else!) on what kind of a church we are looking for. Tommie grew up Baptist and I grew up in a non-denominational church that was very charismatic/pentecostal. We met at a "Christian" denomination student ministry that had a huge mix of kids from various denominations. Upon getting married, we quickly realized that we would be happy somewhere where I can raise my hands & clap and he can stand and sing - neither of us feeling pressure to do or not do either. We have been involved in different denominations each time we have moved - first, a "Christian" denomination, then an "Evangelical Mennonite" and finally a "Formerly Baptist?/Non-Denominational". I personally don't care for denominational titles and regulations, but we are not set for or against attending a church with a denomination.

Here are some of the qualities we do desire: friendliness, warm & welcoming, good children's programs, energetic & heartfelt worship, sermon with solid scriptural basis and some life application. Ultimately, we are looking for deep friendships & accountability. A place where we can love & be loved. Know & be known. (To use one of Pastor John's old phrases!)

The first step to sizing up a new church is the website. Whenever I hear about a new church, I look at the website. The lack of website tells us that the church is either REALLY small or REALLY lame. A website with graphics from 1980 or the only church event photos are from a hoedown do not speak great things about the church. Knowhaddamean? You can tell a lot about a church from it's website. Most churches list their beliefs, church history, current activities, information about the services and how to get there, etc. One of the key things that I look for on the website are the staff photos. What is the average staff age? Do the pastors have trendy haircuts or are they all wearing suits? The main thing that will cause me to scratch the church off of the list of potential churches before walking in the door are graphics from 1980 or beliefs that we do not agree with. We have personally experienced the fact (one week ago) that trendy pastoral haircuts DO NOT mean the rest of the church is trendy! It must mean that they both go to the same stylist.

The second step to sizing up a new church is to visit. At our old church, I was intimately involved in the First Impressions/Newcomer's Ministry. I had no idea that we were on the cutting edge of guest relations. I am overly critical of other churches when it comes to this area, because I have a lot of knowledge and experience on how to make a first time guest have a good experience. So far, 2 of the 4 churches have done a really cruddy job at first impressions. I'm thinking of offering my services as a consultant to help them get their act together! Sorry - I know that sounded cocky... I just think that the people running most churches have completely forgotten what it is like to be a first time guest.

For some reason, the biggest obstacle we are running into at churches in this area is the style of worship. Each of the four have been solid Bible-teaching churches with decent children's programs and sermons that include both scripture & life application. After visiting each church, we have both had the same reaction - "well, I guess we could attend that one, if we don't find anything better." The problem is that the worship is LAME. Today's church was the most promising so far. The worship leader was actually holding an ELECTRIC guitar. He barely used it, but still. I am not against hymns or praise songs from 1991, but I prefer a church that seeks to worship God with a style that is heartfelt & transparent. One where you could raise your hands, clap or cry out to God without others thinking you are off of your meds. Or one where the worship leader has actually listened to praise & worship songs that have come out in the past 5 years. (By the way, I have been to several churches that sang hymns in a heartfelt, meaningful way -- not lame.)

We will keep searching and seeking... We know that no church is perfect. We are blessed to live in an area with an abundance of churches to choose from... we just haven't found our home yet.