Any church! Keep going. Somewhere. Okay, make sure it’s a Bible teaching church. We can scrutinize that until Jesus comes back. And from what I understand that’s pretty soon, so you better get going.
There are so many to choose from, and you’ve got a finite amount of Sundays. You may even need to go on Wednesday nights just to cover them all. But get started. Find one.
Maybe you have one, but haven’t been in a while. Go back. Get past the initial awkwardness and you’ll be fine. Nobody notices anyway. They’re all more concerned about what you think about them.
It’ll be worth it. There are good things there. Good people. Bad things and bad people too, but that’s in the eye of the beholder. The church is full of people, so of course it’s flawed, but you’ll discover some pretty unique and interesting features and personalities there.
Like the guy up front. The preacher. He’s easy to recognize. He’s often the best dressed guy there. He may be the only guy still wearing a jacket. He’s also easy to critique because he’s the most visible person in the room, but don’t be too hard on him. He’s got the hardest job on the planet.
By the way…If you haven’t been to church in a while, you’ll be amazed at how we dress now. You’ll think you’ve stumbled onto a beach club. But that’s okay. They’re just trying to make you comfortable by being “casual”. I know. Some people have no business wearing some of the things they wear, but that’s not our concern. Pray their families speak the truth in love to them.
There’s the lead singer, aka the “worship leader”. This used to be known as the “song leader” or “choir director”. He’s usually a good singer who dresses cool, sometimes plays guitar, and many times doubles as a youth pastor, Sunday school teacher, and director of family/life/hospital visitation and recreational therapy coordinator. So again, any slack given will be balm to his soul and very much appreciated.
And you can’t miss the guys roaming the halls, walking the parking lot and taking the offering. The “ushers”. They’re many times middle age or seniors. If he’s younger it’s because his dad does it too. Sometimes these guys have been at it for generations. Some of them take it quite seriously and perform an important service to the ministry. Some just want to hang out in the lobby and talk because the music’s too loud. But one thing is certain. You can bet these guys are packin’.
So go to church! You’ll be glad you did. You might even learn something. Maybe you’ll get to know God a little better and finally get some peace. It’s worth a shot.
Heck, they’ve got coffee, food, clean restrooms, childcare, a live band, a good speaker, and people at the door telling you “It’s good to see you”.
And we could all use a little more of that.