The Search for a Church: Disclaimer

So, I'm wondering if there are those out there who think my church reviews are a reflection of my seeing the church as a consumer product.  And that I am looking for the church that can best meet my needs, in the same way that I might rate a dining experience or a theme park visit.  Au Contraire! 

My church rating process is simply a way to put down my thoughts and be able to look back at the end of this journey and re-evaluate what is important to me in a church and what is not.  And I am aware that simply because a church has all the "bells and whistles" doesn't mean that it is a church that is fulfilling the role that Jesus desires for it.  In fact, the main criteria for us in finding a church home is not the eloquence of the pastor or the fabulousness of the children's area.  The only criteria that really matters in the end is the same one we as Christians should hold for ourselves:  Are we trying to live like Jesus, and is that apparent in all we do and say....in our activities, our outreach, the way we treat those around us. The key here is "trying"....just as no person can perfectly imitate Jesus,  neither can any church hold up to that standard of perfection.  But I want to be part of a church whose heart breaks for the same things that break the heart of Jesus, and whose people don't just sit there complaining about it, but get out there and do something about it.  With enthusiasm, I might add.    I want my kids to be a part of a church where the spirit of worship is there regardless of the type or quality of the music, where the Starbucks coffee or the lack thereof is unimportant, where the children's workers truly love my kids and want to help me keep them grounded in their faith in the midst of this crazy world we now live in.  And I want to be a part of a church where our family can find our place in serving God....where we can share our gifts and our ideas and our time in helping fulfill God's mission for the church.  Where we don't have to work our way up a social ladder in order to do so. 

So, in these ways, I am aware that it is better to "Ask not what your (church) can do for you...Ask what you can do for your (church)" (my apologies to JFK).  But at the same time....I believe the purpose of the early church was to build each other up in the faith.  That means, I would enjoy hearing a sermon that teaches me something other than the basics of my beliefs.  You might say that I could do that on my own time, and perhaps I may have to....but if I could choose, I'd love to have Sunday morning be that time.  And you might say that the size of a youth group doesn't matter so much, but in our case.....it really does.  Our kids have grown up in a church with very few kids their age.  They need Christian friends to stand by their side as they navigate their teen years in a world where morals are seen as a joke.  I need them to have these friends.  And the more they have to choose from, the better. 

Here is a excerpt from a passage by Pastor Bob Hyatt:

"(Our church) had become more a provider of religious goods and services and less, much, much less than a covenant community. We had made pastors into managers and programmers and party planners… and in so doing kept them from being shepherds.


The standard model of doing church in America today is primarily attractional rather than incarnational. It says this:
If we get our media right, our preaching right, our seating and our parking right… if we offer great children’s programs and a rocking worship band people will come. If things are excellent, and we offer something for every member of the family....if we do all this, and we market it right also, people will come and we will be successful. So what’s the problem with that?  The instant you step on that hamster wheel, you are in trouble. Because your band may be rocking, but what happens when the church down the street develops one that is better? You’ve got good musicians, but they hire (and churches do this)- they hire studio musicians to come play every week.


Here’s what I want you to hear in this article. If you consider yourself a follower of Christ- you need to know this. The church is not here for you. You are here for the church....your community, and your community.... the church, is here for the world. Jesus did not die to make you into a sanctified consumer. He died to bring you alive to God and to a desperately needy world.  And if you really believe that, it’s going to change everything- both the way that you do church and the way that you live every moment of your life from here on out."

So, I'm straddling the line between trying not to be consumer driven in my search for a church, and trying to find a place that will meet the individual needs of each member of my family.  I'm finding the latter is going to be an impossibility.  Perhaps a compromise is in order:  Find a place that meets the needs of my still-growing-spiritually kids, and a place where Roger and I can continue to grow and be able to meet the needs of our church.  Wish us luck.