how did you guys find the church you attend? was it a question of convenience, or finding the right pastor (is that the right word? sorry, late night brain malfunctions). What went into your decision?
I burned it. Har har, no my mom dragged me along. It would be fun though if it burned down. It's an ugly building.
ive never gone--i am thinking of going to all of the churches in town here [well not ALL of them, like i won't go to both United churches, just one]...i plan to make my first one the Anglican church [cause i know the least about it] sometime around Remembrance Day
haha, my roommate goes to a massive church here that has its own gift shop and cafe and hosts monster truck rallies and fashion shows and stuff. they have elaborate television commercials on regularly. i wouldn't be surprised if they started clearing space for a mcdonald's and began flanking the pastor with chicks in bikinis.....
I soooo dislike the massive churches--especially the ones with the gift shops, coffee shops, etc. Don't even get me started on those. My pastor at the church I was atending is leaving in December, to go into full time hospice care. So I've started looking for a new church. Last week, I went with this girl to a pretty cool place. They didn't ask for money, they didn't make people stand up and introduce themselves, and they have some cool outreach ministrys to the homeless. Oh, and last thing...it's really convenient to get to beacuse it's so close to my house!
How I look for a church is simple. I just go along to one usually after discussing it with other people. I then go and test the church to see if it fulfils me spiritually. If a church feels like it could be over bearing on my personal decisions then I will avoid it. Some churches I feel have a strong emphsis of going out and trying to convert as many people as you can. Any whiff of this and I run. I have had one church that I kind of went regularly to but realised they were starting to put the pressure on and that is when I left them and went to another church. I believe that a church must have good worship and sermons. The church must also be spiritually dynamic. Whats more they must be friendly and non judgemental. A true christian is non judgemental. Matt
I just got really involved in my college chapel, and then sought out a congregation of the same denomination when I finished school. But churches are different across denominations. You can have a great reformed church called ..like "The New Bible Church" or something, and you can have a really crappy one...you can have a rockin Lutheran church, or a terribly unwelcoming one. Just visit some. It took me about 8 years and maybe 50 churches to find the one where I finally became a member
Some times I go for a few weeks without even setting foot in a church. Sometimes I just need a break and I need my own space. I don't believe you have to actually be in a church to draw close to God. Often times, I feel really close to him in Nature, or with other believers outside of the church setting, or just alone sometimes. So I don't think the place matters that much.
I agree with you midget. Jesus said, "that where ever three gather in my name there I will be". I would love to go to a church service in the middle of the woods somewhere. Just like witches do sometimes. A lot of people make the big mistake of thinking church is a building where it is infact the congregation. I can imagine it now. Gathered in a circle in surounded by the beauty of nature worshiping the God who created it. That must be very spiritually profound. Matt
I look for one that is sound in their Bible teaching one that is not legalistic but follows what is in the Bible and does not at nor take away from it... Yes, the pastor plays a vital role in what church I attend.
I like the places with the good worship, and cool folks, and a short message with plenty of time to fellowship. Saturday nights, in my oppinion, are much better than Sunday mornings. Barefoot_Surfer--thank you, brohter...you found the verse I was looking for.
