We are in the process of moving house. I say, in the process as moving house does take a while! And whilst we wait for the build to complete, we are living out of suitcases with our furniture in storage. We are moving to a brand-new area, which means saying goodbye to life as we knew it and embracing the changes that a big move brings.
One of our favourite things that we’ve had to leave behind is our family church. It was just one of those places where you walk in and just feel like you have come home. The church wasn’t a big one, but the love and sense of belonging that we all felt was tangible. So, the search for a new church began.
‘Church shopping’ as it is not so affectionately known, brings shudders to many of us. I love Jesus, but finding a new church that we feel called to and feel at home in is hard.
Sometimes I wonder if it would just be easier to stay at home on a Sunday and watch different church services online from around the world. But God calls us to gather as His body (Hebrews 10:24-25).
So, we prayed as a family and individually as well, that God would lead us to the right church family.
If any of you reading this are looking for a new church, or maybe your first church, I thought I’d share with you some of our top tips into what we are looking for each time we visit a new church.
Pray: I cannot emphasise this enough. The Bible says that we should pray at all times (Ephesians 6:18). God has a plan for your life, and that includes where you go to church. Ask God where that place is. For us, we asked for specific things, so we didn’t just rely on our feelings, which can often mislead us. I was talking to a lady the other week. She had visited a church and was given a prophetic word that could have only come from God; that was her sign to stay. But when you pray, God shows up.
Talk as a family about what you would like and not like about a new church. Do you like loud worship, big warehouses, lots of people, outreach activities for the community, small midweek groups? Dream up your ideal church. But remember that no church is perfect.
Research the area. A lot of churches have websites and/or online services. It makes it so much easier to walk into a new place when you have an idea of who’s who and where to park.
Organisation: When you visit a new church give yourself plenty of time to get there so you can find a place to park and nip to the loo before the service starts.
Look out: As I visited new churches, I’ve asked myself 3 questions:
Where can I see God at work?
Where can I see me fitting in?
How does this compare to my families ‘dream church’?
God is very central to our family, and living out our faith in the places that he takes us is important. Church builds us up; connects us with church family; helps us grow in our faith and challenges what we believe. If you aren’t part of a church, can I encourage you to find one. The pandemic made us believe that online church was an okay place to be. And whilst for some, mobility issues mean that attending church has not been possible in the past and now online church means they can virtually listen to a service, and that is wonderful. But nothing can replace meeting together in person and worshipping together.
I think the devil has two main tactics to keep us from meeting together. Number one is the excuse that our children need to do sport on a Sunday morning. And number two is the latest one, that we can watch online and don’t need community.
Don’t let the devil isolate you and keep you housebound. Rise up. Find that church. Stay for a brew at the end. Join a small group. Become part of a church family.
Comments