How to find the right church in the age of Google and Wal-Mart
When it comes to shopping, most of us have learned the art of surfing for the best deal, finding the features that fit our needs, and even optimizing the delivery. But when looking for a church, there are plenty of road blocks that range from confusing terminology to parsing underlying beliefs. The good news is the same research skills that helped you find the best hotel last summer can take you a long way toward finding the right church.
Online church finders or published church guides might be useful and can lead you to specific Church Websites. Searching ‘Christian Fellowship’ or ‘Christian Church’ will certainly return many results. But the search will be more efficient if we can be explicit with keywords, and the best place to start is with a little back ground.
First of all, the term ‘church’ has many meanings. To narrow the search, you can focus on the fact that every church consists of people, and these people have preferences, personal interests, and specific beliefs. Just listing your beliefs and doing a fast Google search on those terms might help you locate a “horse enthusiasts for God” blog (substitute your keywords here), which might provide general background about church services for those with similar interests, or even lead you to a local church where you might find some experts on the topic.
Another good practice is researching standard belief systems. Just because your father or best friend buys Ford, doesn’t mean it’s the best fit for you. The same principle holds with faith, and you might be surprised how much information is available on line. Major Denominational Churches (denomination examples include Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist, and Catholic) have spent centuries collecting and codifying belief systems which can easily be researched online. However, and this is a big however, no two churches are exactly alike, and churches within denominations can have tremendous variety. So don’t expect cookie cutter replication.
If you are looking for something less formulaic, non-denominational churches tend to fill voids where traditional belief systems may have been too constrictive. A Non-denomination church might be a bit more difficult to locate in your community, but can be an excellent alternative for anyone who is looking for something non-traditional. Of course, there is tremendous diversity among non-denominational churches, which might make the search a bit more challenging, but you are looking for specifics and this will help a lot.
Denomination churches can be hard to define as well, and there are many times where non-denominational churches act like denomination churches and vice-versa. So start with some general search terms. Keep your mind open, and you might find a spiritual fit where you would least expect.
Style is perhaps the most overlooked aspect, and since it’s easily searched, it’s a very good place to start. Do you prefer contemporary worship (modern songs and instrumentation), traditional hymns, or perhaps a full gospel choir? How structured should the service be, what would you like to wear, and what time, or even day would you like to meet? Would you like to meet in a dedicated building, a coffee shop, or in a home environment?
Churches with a wide variety of beliefs are beginning to offer a wide variety of styles to help visitors locate spiritual environments that are expressed in a way that resonates with them. And keep in mind ‘what do I wear’ is an easily searched Google phrase.
After you’ve visited a few churches, it can be very useful to compare and contrast terminology as many key words have evolved radically different meanings over the years. ‘Religion’ and ‘religious’ are potential negative terms when describing dogmatic or destructive behavior, while the same term can be positive when describing a strong personal faith. ‘Worship service’ can refer to the entire meeting, a subsection where praise or other offerings are made, or could even describe a standalone music event.
The primary pitfall to avoid… due to the variety of beliefs and terminology, it’s best not to assume that you understand how a particular church acts or behaves. You almost always have to visit (often more than once) to have a real understanding what a specific church offers.
And this is also a good segue into the positives. Both traditional and non-denominational churches face many challenges, but as we more specifically define who we are and what we want to be spiritually, it’s likely that we will find that we are all very much alike and ultimately looking for something very similar.