Comments on: A Good Church is Hard to Find

By: Lisa

Lisa — Sun, 23 Sep 2012 03:27:27 +0000

Like Amber, we attend a church that has its roots in the Plymouth Brethren movement. It is very similar to the format that you have described and are looking for!

By: deborah

deborah — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 16:43:30 +0000

I agree with you whole heartedly . It is not the building you worship in or the people you worship with. It is your personal relationship on a daily basis with God that is important. Been there, done that too many times and now I finally have found the peace and fulfillment I was looking for right here at home with just family and the Holy Trinity…

By: Lisa @ A Little Slice of Life

Lisa @ A Little Slice of Life — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 00:23:19 +0000

We actually moved here to help friends plant a new church. The last 3 years have been an amazing experience. We meet on Sunday and through out the week in small groups in homes. In the home groups is where we find deeper connections, accountability and bible study. Sundays are all about the lost. Everyone is encouraged to serve. Our pastor is bold in calling out sin and speaks from the bible. He uses stories just as Jesus did in his teachings. Our church motto is Love God, Love People and Start a Spiritual Revolution one Life at a Time. We would not be able to accomplish this if we only met in our homes.

There is no perfect church because there are no perfect people. I feel that’s why there are so many different churches, so we can each find a place that is right for us.

I’ll be praying that you find a church home.
Lisa @ A Little Slice of Life´s last [type] ..Fight Hunger

By: Lisa

Lisa — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 03:02:31 +0000

Elaine, thanks so much for your encouragement and for sharing your own story (although I can only imagine that you barely scratched the surface here!). You are always a blessing to me! Lisa~

By: Diane

Diane — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 02:20:21 +0000

Kathryn, thanks so much for commenting. As I was reading all of the comments I was hoping to find a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as I am a Mormon too =) Everything you said is so true. I also wanted to address the questions that Lisa posed at the end of her post: I have participated in around 8 different Mormon congregations in my life (due to moving around the country) and in each one I have definitely experienced honest, real relationships, where people truly want to get to know you, love you, and serve you. Of course everyone was different and some people were warmer than others. But our church emphasizes living the Gospel and Christ’s teachings, including being actively engaged in personal repentance and service of others. Our general leadership most definitely will call out sin. And the youth are expected to commit to purity and respect, very much so. For the youth especially, we heavily emphasize dressing modestly, speaking respectfully, and abstinence before marriage, among other things. And looking back, I am SO GLAD to have grown up with those standards. Also, the organization and practices of our church are very much Bible oriented. We even have 12 apostles =) Not trying to bombard you with too much info, but I truly love my Church and my Savior, and am so grateful that I have been blessed to be in the place where I am. Lisa I am also very glad I found your blog, as it is inspiring as well as creative. Keep up the fabulous work!

By: Elaine

Elaine — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 00:56:56 +0000

Church….wow, such an interesting topic and one that is so very individualized. I started life as a Catholic, joined a cult called the Way Ministry in the 70′s (bad thing, but God led me away and kept me safe)…then I church hopped, watched TV preachers (back in the Jim Baker and Swaggart days)….Never seemed to find the place i was looking for.

Then God tapped me on my shoulder (my way of hearing Him strongly) and led me to scripture that made things easier for me. Our body is the temple of God, and where two or more gather He is with us, so now as a shut in, I am blessed to have the internet which lets me chose from many sermons all over the world, and I’ve found some great teachers/pastors. In that way I do get fed, but I miss the fellowship and if I had it to do over, I would have hopped a little less, settled a little more, and probably have had an easier time of it

Not really sure I have a point here, just sharing….Lisa I see such spiritual growth in you…I see you boldly stepping out into a world that a lot of us find harsh and dirty, but God tells us to share His word and you my dear are a great example of a good strong Christian woman whether we all agree on political or doctrine really doesn’t matter….He is! Love you <3

By: Lisa

Lisa — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 20:06:25 +0000

Thanks Jacqueline! I appreciate you sharing your thoughts. I am so glad you take that much needed time. Lisa~

By: Jacqueline

Jacqueline — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 16:46:10 +0000

Hi Lisa,
Thanks for sharing.
My comment isn’t so much about church itself (I’m as happy with my church as one will ever be in this imperfect world of imperfect people) but more about the Sabbath Day.
Every week I read your posts about your weekend, and truth be told, I feel badly for you because you’re missing out on a Sabbath. It’s not a commandment issue to me but rather a beautiful gift from our Creator. I lead a very busy life, and if I didn’t believe in honoring the Sabbath Day, I’m sure I would have plenty to do every Sunday. But we’ve made a commitment to keep it as the Lord’s Day. That means 24 hours of no work, a more relaxed pace, time to read those edifying books that get less attention all week, church services, Bible quizzes, time for taking a walk and fellowshipping together and singing together. It’s a day we spend with the Lord, recharging physically, mentally and spiritually, and so often I am thankful for His gift of a Sabbath Day!

By: Suzanne

Suzanne — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 14:38:41 +0000

Lisa, thank you for your very thoughtful and gracious response. I think the issue of church membership should be considered very carefully, both by churches and by individual Christians. Over the years, we have been part of churches which have kept the doors of membership wide open, allowing many to join who were probably not even believers. On the other hand, I’ve seen far too many folks attend a church for years without ever pursuing membership… or opportunities to serve.

I agree that many of the verses included in the link I previously provided could apply to the universal church (all believers). Yet, we can also find ample evidence of church membership throughout the New Testament. Many passages within the epistles, especially, instruct leaders and believers in behavior that can only be effective within a local church body.

I’m not a biblical scholar, but I do strive to be a modern-day Berean. And because, like you, I’m an every day homeschooling mom with laundry to do, meals to cook, and floors to scrub (well, one day…), I’m going to defer to other’s writings:

http://www.gracechurch.org/ministries/Resource.aspx?65 (pdf file)

http://www.9marks.org/journal/church-membership-biblical

It’s quite clear that there were local churches in the New Testament. It’s also quite clear that both the universal church and the local church were young entities at that time. As we study out these passages, a couple of questions come to mind: first, is the instruction in the New Testament toward the universal church, the local church, or both? If it’s only toward the universal church, is the local church obsolete or unnecessary? Or is participation in a local church a matter of personal preference?

So much to ponder…

By: Mandy Gehman

Mandy Gehman — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 03:22:02 +0000

I feel like I have experienced so many different kinds of churches, since I grew up in the church, and with many moves, have been parts of all kinds. My husband also spent some time working in churches. We also hosted a home church in our home. We just recently moved and have been visiting for a couple of months at a church we are really pleased with – our children are welcome in the service; we have already shared meals with other members of the church – so grateful for fellowship!; there are some like-minded people in the church, and definitely a strong motivation to understand and follow God’s Word, even if not popular. I feel like we have been around the “church block” several times, and I have learned to love God’s people so much more, and yet still recognize the importance of realizing the effect of the church on my children and making sure it lines up with the discipleship we have given our children. But how I have learned to love God’s people! And what a joy to worship Him together, formally or informally! Interesting to read so many comments and so many thoughts that we have wrestled with – wanting to be Biblical in the way we conduct church, not just traditional.
Mandy Gehman´s last [type] ..Linen and Books and Linen and Books, oh my!