You will find links to kerux noemata: The Value of a Local Church Where God Is here and over at Noneya today, as this is a topic very pertinent to our lives right now. The kerux has gotten us to thinking today.

As those of you who read this blog will know, Hubby and I have been searching for a church for over a year now. We have discussions like this ALL the time. When we first started our search we developed a scoring system similar to the silliness Tim posted the other day. We abandoned it, though, and for several good reasons (which I won’t go into now).

Hubby and I left comments and questions, and kerux graciously responded:

How will you know if God is there? You are correct to suggest that the visible manifestations of God’s presence were certainly a help in the older covenant… but I think there are very tangible things to look for in a local church when searching for the same. Is the Word of God read? Are those who lead in prayer praying Biblically? Do the songs that are sung reflect the Truth of the Word of God? Is there a humility on the part of the people before the Lord? Is Jesus central to their understanding of life? Is justification kept distinct from sanctification? Can members testify to personal growth in the Lord? Is there an authenticity to all that is done? Things like this.

We have had numerous unexpected visits from pastors and ONLY ONE asked us about our salvation. He said, “It’s obvious you’re believers, but I’m going to ask you anyway…” He and two other men sat around our kitchen table for over an hour but Jesus didn’t come up in the conversation until they were ready to leave. They did have brochures and information about their activities and their new building campaign, though. Most pastors talk about what they are doing and planning and how much fun their church is. “We have great programs for children” is a favorite line. Other churches have their own schools and so they come hawking for their school and why we need to enroll. No one really talks about Jesus. I received a phone call from one yesterday who basically apologized if we didn’t like the service. “The worship leader was out of town.”

The worship services themselves? We visited the popular churches first. No hymnals. Just huge rooms, big screens, big bands, Jesus-is-my-boyfriend songs, and plenty of donuts. At those we found a couple of disillusioned pastors who monologued about their discouragement and how we should all read Blue Like Jazz. One thing I found very interesting is that very few people actually sang the songs. In more traditional churches, I have heard a lot of talk about how they wish they could move to more contemporary stuff to liven up the worship services and “bring lost people in.” Well, the people in the contemporary services are just as dead as the ones in the traditional services. Music style has nothing to do with it!

Very little scripture is read in the churches we have visited. The pastor may use a couple of verses to start, but once he reads those he does not go back to them nor to any other part of the Bible. The bulk of the message comes from some other source. This is especially evident when words and names are mispronounced or fumbled over excessively. We have not heard many pastors whose sermons are born out of their own personal study. It is just too easy to search the internet for a prepackaged one. It’s almost as if some pastors throw it together the night before and hope for the best. Are they too busy?

We have heard pastors who use lots and lots of stories in their messages, too. Some stories may help the listener understand the point, but most stories are used to solicit or manipulate an emotional response.

Lest you think we are only visiting a certain kind of church, I want you to know we have visited churches that welcome men in shorts and flip-flops and churches that require women to wear head coverings. We have visited the non-denom coffee bar churches, the big city churches, and the small country churches. We have visited the very traditional and the very contemporary. It’s always the same thing: three quick points, a story or poem, do this and your life will be better.

I usually take some time to read through a church’s website (if they have one) before we visit. While most churches look reformed on paper (or screen), their practice is more works-based and VERY man-centered.

Kerux’s post has helped to clarify for us what we need to keep in mind as we visit. I guess it is good to find someone else who echoes what we believe rather than thinking that we are being too picky and should just join somewhere and make the best of it.