Church Shopping Progression Leads to Resolve

I've been in and out of churches a lot lately, trying to find a Biblical church. Do those really exist anymore? It's like looking for a needle in a haystack.

In church shopping, to check out churches by website is usually a good "step one" (I call this window shopping - you can see the goods, but you aren't really having contact with them). And to visit one of their services is a good "step two" (I call this browsing - you're in there with the goods see them upclose and to feel them out, but you're not really buying anything). To revisit to the point of being convinced to keep coming back regularly is a good "step three" (like taking a product off the rack and trying it on). You guessed it, becoming a "member" or dedicating yourself to that local body of believers would be the "final step" (buying). I have been in step three for a while at one church, while intermittingly been doing step two at other churches and constantly doing step one all the while. Why? Because even though I know no church is perfect, there should at least be one that's Biblical in my geographical reach!

When I say "Biblical", I don't just mean churches who hold to and do MOST of the Bible, or believe big chunks of the Bible, or back up their own doctrine with the Bible, or place Biblical terms over pagan practices - I mean the real authentic deal... an assembly of people who believe and do God's Word cover to cover. Like church was done between the time Christ lived on the earth and the church became a catholic institution. Where are those churches? I know there must be some out there!

This past weekend, I visited a Messianic church. To be honest, it didn't seem all that different from any other small non-denominational church - which sort of disappointed me. It had a lot of traditional gentile influences, like an order of worship (worship, prayer, message, offering, closing) and passing the offering plate. I may have just gone to the "gentile service" at the church, and there may be something radically different for non-visitors, however I was expecting (hoping for) more. It did have a few distinguishable differences and some great qualities, but I doubt I'll go back again unless it's for a Holy Day celebration. I also went to a Christian church this past weekend - it also left me wanting, but it's actually one of the only churches within my reasonable driving distance that's non-denominational. They also do a "passing of the plate" event, and there's a one-man minister in leadership, but there's lots of room for growth there - so if my husband likes it - we might end up there for a while. I was really looking for a place to submit myself to more spiritual authority... not in general, but to be mentored and trained in more diverse and in-depth ministries.

No matter where I go, I find that only the mega churches have a large leadership team, which is hard to fight through the crowd to get a lot of personal time with, and that the smaller churches have only one or two full-time ministers, and women ministers are even more rare in both situations. Since one-man isn't called to do it all, and one man is usually all a church gets, it's hard to find that one man who can show you how to counsel, take you with them as they visit prisons or hospitals, or evengelize, or show you how they pray for the sick or cast out demons or study God's Word and teach it to others, or how they pray or how they lead and serve their families. Most pastors don't want you that close to see it all to begin with, not to mention that most pastors can't possibly do all those things, much less for everyone in their church body and in their communities. So I look for churches with associate pastors, but these are also specialized. Where is the rest of the five-fold ministers?

Where are the churches that celebrate the festivals and meet for corporate worship on the true Sabbath? Where are the churches that meet in homes and use the gifts of the Spirit to minister to each other and learn God's Word? Where are the churches that hold God's Word and power to grow up strong and win the lost to Christ, to feed the poor and love those in need. I'm looking for the one church that does it all. If one church has even 50 adults in it, then that church should be doing it all - even if it's on a very small scale! Yet - people are not discovering their spiritual gifts, they are not taught the whole Word and raised up into leaders, they are not shown by example the practical uses of spiritual gifts by their elders and ministers, they are not held accountable to grow up past first grade for years and years so that the fruits of the Spirit are not cultivated in their lives, their faith is not built up, they are not trained in service or giving to those who have less, they are not taught spiritual warfare! It's an outrage that so many of God's people are left mere infants in the kingdom! There's a church on every street corner in the South, and not one of them is willing to be the body of Christ that Christ calls for!

I've been doing a lot of praying about this - in where to go now, over churches, over God's hand to reveal an authentic church for us. I know no church will be perfect this side of Jesus' return. I expect mistakes will be made, because Jesus chooses to work through human beings and human beings are prone to be faulty. But to not even try to break from paganistic Christianity and religion in order to fulfill God's Word seems beyond sad - it is damaging. A true reformation that completely returns the church to God's Word is long overdue! If there is not a local church within my driving distance that seeks to be what we are instructed to be, then I must start one! Someone should - and there's no point going on about what the church needs if I'm not willing to do something about it! If I know better, I ought to do better! God's been leading me in this direction for a long time anyway, and it's about time I got to it! I know what my calling is, and I know what God's purpose for me is. I know what God's Word says about His church and what His mission is on this earth - I can't just sit by any longer and look to the left and the right for someone else to take a stand! It's time I got ready and prepared for what lies ahead and to rest in God to make it happen!

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Related blog entries:
Church Shopping
Desperate Housewife or Not • Part I and Part II