The Church Search

My honey and I have lived in our current location for over 6 months now, and unfortunately we still haven't found a home church.

Part of my previous church family in California

I miss it. I miss having a church family. I miss the chance to encourage and uplift one another, to worship together, to turn to each other in times of need. I miss the fellowship.

After all, that's what church really is - people, not a building, denomination, or set of beliefs. Church is people fellowshipping, all servants of the same Master...or at least, that's what it is supposed to be.

You see, we've visited several churches in our area so far and just haven't found what we're looking for yet.

There was the church that was so worried about money that they repeatedly reminded congregants that the building was up for rent - it was mentioned in the bulletin, the announcements, and from the pulpit. Oh, and the pastor declared from the pulpit that tithing any LESS than 10 percent is sin, although MORE than 10 percent is certainly allowed.

There was the huge church whose pastor, via video screen, reassured the congregation that, at the end of the sermon, everyone would understand the reason behind communion... I was more confused at the end of the sermon than at the beginning.

There was the church that had a good service...that lasted over two hours. It's probably the best we've found so far but there are a few issues we're not entirely comfortable with, besides the fact that we both work night shifts and fell asleep during the long service.

BLUF:* After visiting several local churches, we still haven't found what we're looking for. Not to mention that working weekends, and particularly working night shifts and overtime, makes it difficult to get time on Sundays to keep searching. Sometimes a few weeks will go by before we get another chance to visit a church.

And that makes me sad. Because:

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17

We live in the midwest - there are churches practically on every corner. Yet so many churches are completely different from God's design for the church. I wonder how often God is grieved by what church has become.

A country church tucked away in the trees

So many of the people around us go to church simply to fulfill a perceived social obligation, without a second thought about what church is supposed to be. Their lives reflect nothing the rest of the week, but they checked that box on Sunday morning.

How many churches are involved in their communities? How many churches are doing anything for God's people outside the building on Sunday morning? How many churches actually look anything like Jesus?

When Jesus was here, he didn't isolate himself to the religious leaders of the day, the people that were convinced they were righteous by making everyone else look dirty and sinful. In fact, He condemned those people.

Instead, He hung out with the prostitutes, the tax collectors, the fishermen, the people His society considered outcasts and not worth the time of day. He reached out to the people who didn't even know they wanted Him. He went out of His way to help the people who thought they were unworthy even to touch Him. He healed, helped, raised the dead - and people flocked to Him in record numbers. People saw what God really looked like, what the love of God really felt like. And when they found love instead of judgment, healing instead of condemnation, faith grew on that foundation.

So what would God have today's churches to do? Instead of spending money on every new Sunday school program, perhaps we should reach out to the people around us. Instead of gathering three times a week to gossip and socialize, maybe we should help the widows, orphans, poor, and downtrodden in our own communities. And though international missions are crucial, what happened to the mission field around our homes, our schools, and our workplaces? Why are we neglecting the least of these that are right under our noses? Is that what God intended for the gathering of His followers? Is that what church is supposed to be?

And so the church search continues...


​*BLUF=Bottom Line Up Front​