Looking

Our family is in the process of looking for a new church home. I have never thought of how weird that sounds until recently. To be "shopping" for a church; to be "looking" for one as though you have lost something. To weigh pros and cons as though buying a new car or something.

We joined our previous church mainly because I had become involved in helping with the small group ministry. I felt that if I were going to be involved, then I should be a member. This happened just shortly after we moved to the area. We hadn't visited many churches before we settled, either.

Now it just feels so strange. The only reason I have ever left churches in the past was because I moved or got a job at a church. Now it is that we have not left the community, but have left a church. Though I know it isn't, it feels somehow wrong or something. But we are certain of our decision and so we keep "looking."

Our church in Iowa was amazing. So full of worship and so mission-minded. It had such a heart for the surrounding community, and the people were not afraid to get their hands dirty. I was amazed at how the church reached out to everyone. The ministers and the members would drive half an hour or more to visit other members. (The church was surrounded by rural communities and lots and lots of corn). There were fellowships of some kind just about weekly. We felt like family with this church right away.

Same with the church before that. So community-minded, mission-sending, and it felt like family. Rewind to California. I was so close to my church family there, and that church was constantly in the community, worshipping God, and fellowshipping with one another.

None of the above churches were perfect. But we are not looking for a perfect church. We are looking for a church that consistently: worships (has a heart for worship), reaches out to the community, does and supports missions, and feels like family (gets together often and checks on one another). We are not looking for a particular denomination, though we do have certain doctrines that we adhere to and we want to attend a church that adheres to the same ones. We weren't Baptist in Iowa (sh, don't tell), but after I found out that God isn't Baptist (don't tell that either - there are some Baptists who still don't know), I figured it might be OK.

We are becoming discouraged, and especially having no family here, it is hard to be in "church limbo." We still have strong friendships to people from our other church, but not having weekly worship with a church family can just make you feel so empty. So, please pray for us as we search. We'll keep you posted.