Everything on this earth changes. TV Shows end, The Doctor regenerates, and pizza gets eaten. On a similar note, you may not stay at your church forever. One day, you may well find yourself looking for a different church to worship at.
The reasons why you’re looking for a new church may vary, perhaps there were theological differences about the arrangement of the chairs? Maybe you were put off by the new lady preacher? Or maybe… you either just fancy a change / ‘called’ to a different church / moved to a different area.
Whatever your reason, here are 10 things to look out for in a new Church:
- Does the Church meet at a reasonable time on a Sunday morning?
- Obviously your new church must be exactly like the Church in Ephesians Chapter 4.
- Make sure the preacher agrees with your understanding of the Bible.
- Ensure the worship music is YOUR style of music.
- Is it a mature Church?
- Does this church have the correct understanding of the work of the Holy Spirit and how that work is manifested?
- Is the truth spoken by people “in love”?
- Is the coffee drinkable?
- The minister is someone who is charismatic, sensitive, clever, musically gifted, open to questions, a natural charismatic, time for everyone, always smiling, and driving the growth of the church.
- Remember. Looking for a church exactly the same as your old church is ridiculous. No one can clone that many people at an affordable price. Yet.
Any other ideas?
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You forgot dress code: Do they allow bright Hawaiian shirts / musical ties / pierced tongues [even more incomprehensible than ordinary tongues] etc?
And BTW, I’m so pleased you made a reference to The Doctor… that could be another point: Does the pastor make allusions to the same shows you watch?
(I’m a pastor, and I once referred to the Meaning of Life being 42 – I’m sure only a quarter of the congregation had a clue what I was talking about…)
Are there plenty of parking spaces close to the entrance? Do they offer free food and drink after the service? Do they have cushions on the seats? 🙂
They will of course gives a role without going back to my old church to see if I left for good reasons and on good terms.
I’d be looking for buzzwords in the sermon, specifically minor swear words which demonstrate the edginess of the preacher. Also any references to beer, whiskey, or going to the pub.
Feel a bit silly for writing a sensible post about this topic now… https://ofbloodandbones.wordpress.com/2017/08/07/pick-a-church/
Are they as money-obsessed as the one I left? What do they do to nurture folk spiritually? How open are they to new ideas /ways of doing things? How welcoming/affirming are they to minority groups etc.?