Finding a Church Home

My husband and I have spent the last 2 months looking for a new church home. We left a church that we loved behind when we moved to our new home in another state. I’ve been unhappily surprised at how difficult it has been to find a church that is a good fit for us.

See, we tend to like small churches where you eventually get to know everyone. However, since we now have two small children, it’s important to us that we find a church that has a good children’s ministry which basically means - big church. We are also a bit old-fashioned and prefer more traditional worship styles. Hey, what can I say, we like hymns. However, most of the non-denominational churches with people our age tend to have contemporary worship.

Finally, we are what some people may call “conservative Christians”. We go strictly by scripture and believe Christians should act and dress appropriately. It seems there are a lot of churches popping up that are what they call “seeker-sensitive” and it appears to me that the message of salvation is getting watered down in those kind of churches. Why do I think that? Because these churches look too much like the world - the messages are kind of wimpy and light-hearted, and people often dress in a way that is inappropriate for believers (see How Shalt We Dress?).

I was starting to feel rather discouraged. We had already visited about 8 different churches and none had really appealed to us. How many more would it take? When would we finally feel “plugged back in”?

Well, I’m happy to report that we went to a church today that we liked. It wasn’t perfect, but by far the best we’ve seen. The biggest drawback is that it isn’t very close to our home. We’re still going to look at some more churches that are nearby, but at least I have some hope now. Although, I am saddened and concerned to learn that there are so many churches that don’t seem to be equipping their people properly and are following the world’s example. Something new to pray about, I guess.

”You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” James 4:4