The Great Church Search

Posted Jul 30 2011 by Jason Hess with 8 Comments

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    34″ />A long time ago people would attend the house of worship that was in their neighborhood, our orthodox Jewish brethren still do. But our culture of customization and personalization cause many to travel instead of going to the church right down the street…I’m guilty of it…most of us probably are. It’s not necessarily a bad thing. It just shows how far we have progressed from one church to seemingly a church on every corner.

    Not too long ago my wife and I would load the kids up and make an hour and a half trek to attend and serve at a congregation. Don’t get me wrong we enjoyed our time there and we still drive…though not nearly that long.

    In 2003 I was on staff at a church where I lived so close I could ride the church lawn mower home when I needed to mow the grass…I actually did that once; it was quite funny. But regardless of how close or how far someone lives from their place of worship the real issue at stake isn’t finding a church but rather connecting and plugging into a church that resonates with you and your family.

    When it comes to connecting with a church people get hung up on minor issues more so than anything else. They do or don’t believe in tongues…they do or don’t believe in the rapture…they do or don’t believe in seven literal days of creation. Who’s right? Who’s wrong? Perhaps both are. Huh?

    Having recently read How (Not) to Speak of God by Peter Rollins let me explain what I mean. In the book Rollins shares about how two different people from the same congregation had concerns about the teachings of this church. Rollins describes the first person who asked him as “a kind and gracious individual who gave his time and money in a sacrificial manner.” This man enjoyed the church very much…it challenged him. So Rollins tells the individual that yes indeed his church was right…for him. The next guy raised the same question concerning the teachings of this church. Rollins writes that to this man the “teaching was dead to him. He felt neither challenged nor encouraged to live in a genuinely sacrificial manner.” Rollins informed this man that the church wasn’t right…for him.

    To further understand it Rollins shares a parable about two camels that are being led to the market.

    One camel is loaded down with salt while the other is weighed down with cotton. On the way to the market they encounter a river which has burst its banks from a rainstorm the night before and has flooded the road. At one particularly deep part the camels are almost completely submerged.

    When they finally get to the other side, the camel with the salt on its back has gained a renewed sense of strength, as the water has largely dissolved the salt. However, the camel with the cotton collapses in exhaustion, for the cotton has absorbed much of the water.

    The parable shows that this stream was experienced in two strikingly different manners by the camels. One came out of the stream seeing it as burdensome…the other came out seeing it as a place of liberation. For some a particular church doesn’t suit them…it’s seen as a distraction. To others that same church is seen as a place of refuge.. I’m not saying truth is relative. Not at all, truth is absolute. But what I’m saying is that the expression of that truth…the experience of that truth is relative to who the person is. The camels could have each experienced the reverse. The one carrying the salt could have lost heart feeling his purpose was gone and the one with the cotton could very well have had a renewed sense of purpose by feeling the weight.

    Just because a church appears to be the most happening congregation in the city doesn’t mean it will fit you. Not everyone is drawn to the rock concert-style of church just as not everyone is drawn to the quiet library-style church. Some people don’t even take the time to get connected somewhere and choose to sit at home…isolated. They attempt to walk out a faith that demands community all by themselves. True you can be a believer and not interact with others but your faith suffers greatly from it. For instance if a person was raised in isolation they wouldn’t know how to interact, how to connect with others. It’s in isolation that the mind begins to blur the line between fact and fiction. Isolation is no way for a believer to walk out this faith; and it’s definitely no way for a family to walk.

    See part of my significance is found in speaking into your life just as part of your significance is speaking into mine…isolation prohibits that. It’s better to endure in a church that may not fit your style then to write off assembling together out of frustration. Of course the truth is, you don’t have to endure and there is really no excuse to endure. Take the time to explore the diversity found within the Kingdom of God. Once you settle you’ll be glad that you embarked on the journey.

    You can’t get to where you need to be if you never go.

    The Scriptures tell us it’s better to spend one day in the house of God than a thousand elsewhere (Psalms 84:10). Why? Because purpose is found among God’s people. Not in the fortress of solitude. You could be the greatest musician who has ever lived but if you’re not interacting with the multitudes the talent is in vain. They say that a graveyard is the richest place in all of creation…so many riches in the form of talents, abilities, visions and dreams lay there buried and untapped. Intentional isolation is a form of a living graveyard. People weren’t made to die but to live forever. Just as people aren’t meant to soldier on alone but in a group

    In Psalms 92:12-13 (NET) the author says…

    The godly grow like a palm tree; they grow high like a cedar in Lebanon. Planted in the LORD’s house, they grow in the courts of our God.

    Just be sure to plant yourself in the right soil (i.e. church)…otherwise you’ll never be happy. However, that doesn’t give you the license to “church hop” (i.e. change churches like clothing). I have heard it said that through Jesus, we all have to face the embarrassing truth that we ourselves are our primary problem (Richard Rohr, Things Hidden ). Sometimes, perhaps more often than not, it’s not the church that has a problem…but you and me. We don’t like how things are done and so in a fit of resignation we just leave.

    The early believers gathered together to celebrate God…not in solitude but in mass. They ate, prayed, played, and worked together. With each passing day may we continually commit to the group of people we have chosen to do life with. May you evolve your thinking by seeing just how much those around need you…and how much you need them.

    —-
    Jason Hess is a husband of one, father of three, minister with Next Leadership Association, blogger and pest management professional. You can find more of his writings at his blog – http://www.eckSermonator.com


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      Jason HessJason Hess is a husband of one, father of three, minister with Next Leadership Association, blogger and pest management professional. You can find more of his writings at his blog - http://www.eckSermonator.comView all posts by Jason Hess →

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      • Mikosukicarl

        I think Jesus came to establish a lifestyle not another organization. It feels so good to be free from organized religion. That killed my spirit, and that does not mean that now I have a licence to do whatever I please, that means that now I am accountable to Him. The Kingdom of God is whithin Me. I love you :)

      • Anonymous

        Good article.  I recently left a church after 12 years of enduring.  I like how Rollins puts it–that one church may be right for a certain person and not right for another.  Currently I’ve been visiting churches much closer to home than the church I left.  That church was only 20 minutes away, but in a different county.  Now, I’ve been visiting churches within 10 minutes of my home and that has been purposeful.  Because I left the church hurt and burned out, I was not in for putting much effort into church (the drive included).  I need this time to heal and being able to go close to home, with little effort on my part for getting there and having to do anything (I served as an elder in my last church) has been refreshing.  I get to experience different worship venues and observe the congregation from a distance.  I have no intention of jumping right back into a church, but will continue to visit and allow the Lord to lead me to where He would have me to be. 

         I must admit, when I first left my church, I didn’t go to church and would probably still not be going if it were not for my mother asking me if I was or had gone to church.  While time is needed at times away from the church, balance is needed or else it becomes too easy to stay away.  So your point is valid about the importance of meeting together and let’s remember, that meeting together can take many forms and it’s about what’s right for each person.  

      • Noel Pendley

        Agreed, good article.   I wonder if the differences you spoke of (some don’t like rock concert, some don’t like library style . . .) is a function of the mobility of people that makes us more able to travel those distances and “know of” the differences available – our understanding of community is different than it was 100 years ago.   I think there are pro’s and con’s both ways.

      • Doane

        You talk about how each person thrives in a different setting, but then discount someone who thrives in solitude.
        True, we are social animals and need others to thrive and to practice charity, but that does not mean any one person must attend church to interact with others. We can love people without a club to belong to. We can love all those around us, and seek God in our secret closet.
        Purpose can be found in many places, not just among “God’s people.”

        • Jason Hess

          The solitude I speak of is isolation from the body; the act of not connecting with fellow believers. Christianity is a WE faith not a ME faith. I firmly believe that we must seperate ourselves from a ME centered Christianity. You can practice acts of charity without other believers but can you really thrive? Aren’t we missing the point if we choose to shun community? After all as believers we are the body… the hand needs the eye etc etc etc.

          As to loving people regardless of whether or not you belong to a
          “club” you’re right you can…but that’s not what I’m talking about. My post is about how the
          believing community needs you; whether you think they do or not.

      • AT

        Try living in a country in which the Christian population is less than one percent.  That’ll surely put a damper on church-hopping.

        It is imperative that we leave behind our inclinations toward control and entitlement when looking for churches (or the Church).  Our paradigm of entitlement and criticism is nailed to the cross; we have been raised up with a paradigm of gratefulness and opportunity-seeking.  Maybe we need to “count [our] blessings” and “name them one by one” (to quote an old “Babdist” hymn).I am grateful for your message.  Praise God, I am finding His community here, and desire to bring others into it.  A prayer would be appreciated.

      • Jennifer A. Nolan

        This piece is thoughtful, but I wish Rev. Hess had given some thought to distance and travel time; churchgoers who stick as close to home as they can save gasoline, which keeps the weather just a little cooler.  Environmental stewardship is a part of the good life.

        • Jason Hess

          You could always consider the gas spent as a burnt offering. :-)

          But seriously environmental stewardship is indeed part of the good life. Sadly, for one reason or another, not everyone sees it as important. When it comes to finding the right church, especially in America, you don’t have to travel very far at all to experience the diversity in the Kingdom.

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