Category: Visiting Churches

My wife and I visited 52 churches in a year. Then we attended a bunch more. Here is what we learned.

A Laity Led Service (Visiting Church #29)

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date November 7, 2019
3 Comments on A Laity Led Service (Visiting Church #29)

The lighting of three candles ceremonially begins today’s service. The pastor is gone and a lay speaker is filling in. She opens with announcements and some updates. Then we sing to organ accompaniment.

Another layperson leads us in a liturgical call to worship. We sing a second song and a bell choir follows, which is a first for our journey

52 Churches: A Yearlong Journey Encountering God, His Church, and Our Common Faith

Then is a time of greeting. Many people flash wide smiles and give warm handshakes. The scripture reading is next with two selections from today’s lectionary: Job 42:1-6, 10-17 and Mark 10:46-52. Prior to each reading, the leader explains the context of the passage.

Afterwards we sing a third song to welcome the children forward for their message, given by yet another member; it’s based on the reading from Mark. The chancel choir is next, with their song preceding the message.

Today’s speaker connects the two readings, which she ties in with a poignant personal story. She wrote out her presentation and reads most of it. Though she’s not an accomplished speaker, I commend her actions.

Afterwards, she reviews a list of prayer requests and joys, followed by her reading of a liturgical prayer. The bell choir returns to play during the offering.

The congregation responds with applause, which also happened for the chancel choir and our speaker. They’re an appreciative group, supporting one another.

To conclude our time together, we sing the doxology and recite a prayer of dedication. A hymn of commitment follows and then the benediction, both using the piano.

Someone extinguishes the candles, ceremonially ending the service.

The entire service, led solely by church members, proceeds without the participation of clergy or a guest speaker.

This, it seems, is how it should be.

[Read about Church #28 and Church #30, start at the beginning of our journey, or learn more about Church #29.]

My wife and I visited a different Christian Church every Sunday for a year. This is our story. Get your copy of 52 Churches today, available in ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Tags 52 Churches, laity led service

Visiting Churches

I Want to Learn More (Visiting Church #28)

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date October 31, 2019

Sunday we visit another small church. I expect a traditional, liturgical service. The sanctuary is simple, filled with color and symbolism. Several lit candles mesmerize as incense fills the air.

A worshipful instrumental piece, courtesy of a CD, plays in the background.

The music stops and the opening liturgy begins. We hear the minister but don’t see him. He enters the sanctuary and performs a series of rituals, perhaps preparing the altar for worship.

His actions produce a mystical aura, both comforting and confusing.

Ornately attired, he wears a combination of what I suspect a priest and a rabbi might wear for their respective services. The liturgy progresses and we follow along in the Book of Services: The Celtic Episcopal Church.

One member has already prepared us for the liturgy. Now, each time the service jumps to a new section in the book, she slides up behind us, whispering the page numbers. We appreciate her assistance.

To start his message, the minister looks at the congregation for the first time. He smiles, suddenly affable. The service, once solemn, now becomes casual.

The sudden switch from the formal to informal confronts me with a contrast I can’t fully grasp.

His concise message lasts only ten minutes. Then we celebrate communion and with more liturgy, conclude the service in the original reserved manner. Without any singing, the meeting ends an hour after it started.

Although most foreign to me, this tiny church and their worship intrigues me. I want to learn the meaning behind their rituals, understand the history of their practices, and discover the rhythm of their liturgy.

It’s there but will take repeated exposure for me to grasp and then to embrace it.

Though they worship God much differently than is my normal my practice, it’s no less viable and offers valuable illumination. I want to learn more.

[Read about Church #27 and Church #29, start at the beginning of our journey, or learn more about Church #28.]

My wife and I visited a different Christian Church every Sunday for a year. This is our story. Get your copy of 52 Churches today, available in ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Tags 52 Churches, communion, community, fellowship, high church, liturgy

Visiting Churches

More Youthful Worship (Visiting Church #27)

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date October 24, 2019

We arrive at church about ten minutes early, and after milling about for a while, we sit down.

A mostly youthful praise team assembles on the stage to worship God, which is a mere eight inches high; the low ceiling allows for little more. In addition to three who play guitar, there’s one on bass, a drummer, and two backup vocalists.

The lead vocalist is also one of the guitarists. They’re accomplished but without a showy polish. They play and sing with energy and are some of the best we’ve experienced.

Worship God

We’re encouraged to worship God any way we wish, be it to dance, raise our arms, kneel, or even prostrate ourselves. For the second time in the last two weeks, a young child sings loudly and off-key but with unabashed enthusiasm.

I love it and hope no one ever squashes his zeal of singing to God.

The three-song set lasts for about thirty minutes. Although lyrically repetitious, it’s also a visual worship experience. Many dance, some in the aisle and a few in front of the stage.

Theirs is an exuberant expression of joy, which I vicariously experience.

One of the backup vocalist, perhaps in middle school, jumps and dances with abandon as she sings, full of energy and passion and joy.

With an occasional arm raised heavenward and an effervescent smile of delight, she often looks up as she praises God.

It’s as if she sees Jesus and is smiling at him. Her angelic face ushers me into the presence of God. It’s a beautiful thing.

Following this is a time of testimony, prayer, and then preaching. The service ends and we head home, remembering this group of amazing young people who showed us how to worship God in spirit and in truth ( John 4:24).

[Read about Church #26 and Church #28, start at the beginning of our journey, or learn more about Church #27.]

My wife and I visited a different Christian Church every Sunday for a year. This is our story. Get your copy of 52 Churches today, available in ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Tags 52 Churches, laity led service, worship, youth

Visiting Churches

Spiritual Boldness (Visiting Church #26)

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date October 17, 2019

We know nothing about this minority church besides their name, location, and service time. When the service begins, words are displayed overhead while we sing along with recorded music.

Many people raise their arms in praise to God.

The worship occurs organically, so naturally that I don’t realize there isn’t a song leader.

As we sing, people shake tambourines with vigor, underscoring key words and phrases in the songs. This accentuates our worship. Involving the crowd transitions them from audience to participants.

We witness a baby dedication. The pastor’s prayer is passionate as he proclaims protection and favor over the child. He doesn’t say this as a request, but as a declaration. I appreciate his spiritual boldness.

Throughout the service, the minister continues to pronounce blessings. We see it next in celebrating October birthdays, with each celebrant receiving his or her own blessing.

We extend our hands, nodding and voicing affirmation, as the minister places his hand on the head of each one and prays.

After the message, the service ends with another blessing, powerfully proclaimed on us and our schools, work, city, and county. As we leave, the minister thanks us for visiting, invites us back, and asks where we live.

He’s dismayed to learn we live across the county line, an area his blessings didn’t cover. I assure him we’re not offended, but he takes our hands, proclaiming abundance and prosperity for where we live.

His message has given me much to think about; his bold prayers, an example to follow; and their worship of God, an inspiration.

[Read about Church #25 and Church #27, start at the beginning of our journey, or learn more about Church #26.]

My wife and I visited a different Christian Church every Sunday for a year. This is our story. Get your copy of 52 Churches today, available in ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Tags 52 Churches, Holy Spirit, spirituality

Visiting Churches

Who Needs a Church Building? (Visiting Church #25)

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date October 10, 2019

The church for this Sunday meets in a school, just like church #16. They don’t have their own church building. Their service time is later than most, starting at eleven, likely to allow time for setup.

We arrive at the school and see a temporary church sign by the road, confirming we’re at the right place. However, once we park, there’s no indication of which door to enter.

After making a wrong assumption, someone redirects us to the right entrance.

Inside is a team of greeters; they are most welcoming, taking time for conversation with us. People are milling about and many interact with us. Eventually someone announces, “We’re about ready to begin,” and we move to find our seats.

A couple we know invites us to sit with them. This is a welcoming gesture. Despite knowing people at the majority of the two dozen churches we’ve visited, having someone ask us to sit with them is a first.

Though we’re used to sitting alone as we visit churches and don’t need this hospitable act to put us at ease, a typical visitor would likely find it most comforting.

After the service’s official conclusion, there’s time to hang out. We linger and talk. Eventually things are dismantled and stowed, returning the facility for use as a school on Monday.

They’re fortunate to have a place to store their gear on site, eliminating the need to haul it away each week.

Even so, there is much to do, and despite many hands helping, it takes some time to complete.

Though renting space to have church at a school requires extra effort on Sunday, they save the expense of a mortgage and hassle of church building maintenance. This allows for more investment in community outreach and engagement.

[Read about Church #24 and Church #26, start at the beginning of our journey, or learn more about Church #25.]

My wife and I visited a different Christian Church every Sunday for a year. This is our story. Get your copy of 52 Churches today, available in ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Tags 52 Churches, churches meeting in schools

Visiting Churches

A Time of Pure Worship (Visiting Church #24)

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date October 3, 2019

The church we visited on Sunday is a mostly older congregation. The worship team, however, is comprised of teens. What a pleasant surprise. Three play guitars, with one on percussion.

Offstage is a pianist, the church’s worship leader and the only non-teen of the ensemble.

There are several vocalists, with two who sing and play. The church’s hymnals and the pipe organ go unused the entire service.

The teens lead us in modern worship songs and choruses; we sing as the words are displayed overhead. Accomplished, without being assuming, their sound is a safe contemporary and most conducive for worship.

I’m drawn to them and they point me to God. It’s a wondrous time. I stand there, in awe of the moment, so taken that I sometimes forget to sing.

Though this music is not my preferred choice, I find it compelling. They play and sing with joy; their worship is pure. They bring me into God’s presence.

This group is good at what they do, but if they’re aware of it, they don’t show it. They’re confident and poised, without calling attention to themselves. Praising God is their focus.

This is unexpected, an anomaly inserted into a more traditional order of worship. Afterwards we learn that most of these teens don’t attend this church, but were invited in for the day.

Ironically, it’s what I enjoyed most about the service.

[Read about Church #23 and Church #25, start at the beginning of our journey, or learn more about Church #24.]

My wife and I visited a different Christian Church every Sunday for a year. This is our story. Get your copy of 52 Churches today, available in ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Tags 52 Churches, worship, youth

Visiting Churches

A Time of Transition (Visiting Church #23)

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date September 26, 2019

We attend a contemporary service at a Presbyterian church. Their interim minister gives a message on “Listening to God”; today is his first official day on the job.

Their former minister of twelve years left a few weeks ago and they are in a time of transition.

This interim cleric is their “in between pastor” and not a candidate to become their regular one.

His message from Matthew 13:1-17 (the parable of the sower) provides encouragement for this season in their church. He says this is not a time to coast until a replacement arrives. It must be “business as usual.”

While most “congregations are too pastor dependent,” this one is an exception, with their former leader training them to not rely on him or need him to function.

They are well prepared to make this transition. “The new pastor should find us fully engaged” when he arrives. “In the interim, we will listen to God.”

At the end of the service, they hold a brief congregational meeting to confirm the pastoral selection committee. Nonmembers may stay and observe. A team of ten, a nice cross-section of the congregation, is presented for approval.

Afterwards is a time of fellowship. We spend much of it talking with two longtime members. They confirm their former minister equipped them well for this time. They have great respect for him, as well as for their interim pastor.

They expect to be just fine.

As we make our way to the door, we meet more people, who confirm what we’ve just learned: this congregation is ready to navigate their time between ministers.

I heartily agree and pray for God’s blessing on them.

[Read about Church #22 and Church #24, start at the beginning of our journey, or learn more about Church #23.]

My wife and I visited a different Christian Church every Sunday for a year. This is our story. Get your copy of 52 Churches today, available in ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Tags 52 Churches, church services, fellowship

Visiting Churches

Experiencing True Community (Visiting Church #22)

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date September 19, 2019

We arrive at the church to a bustle of activity. Only a few people are sitting; most mill about, socializing. Many make a point of introducing themselves, genuinely interested in meeting us.

Names are important to them. They repeat ours, deliberate and intentional.

When they share theirs, they pause, allowing time for us to truly hear.

The minister’s losing his voice and almost had to find a replacement; I’m glad he didn’t. Today’s message is on loving the world. He establishes the foundation for this.

Then, to save his voice, he invites the congregation to complete the sermon by sharing examples of what others have done for them by showing love and providing care.

What each person relates is appropriate and relevant, heartfelt and often poignant, sometimes with halting voices and occasionally, tears. Acts of kindness, often done in obscurity are now proclaimed.

They do this with sincere humility, lacking self-aggrandizement or calling undo attention to the person mentioned.

This congregation is a true community. They prove it in the quiet ways they help one another. Caring for each other is their witness.

The engaging community, present before the service and confirmed during it, continues afterwards. The pastor chats with us briefly and then excuses himself. Perhaps it’s because he doesn’t feel well, but more likely because he doesn’t need to be present.

The congregation envelops us into their community.

[Read about Church #21 and Church #23, start at the beginning of our journey, or learn more about Church #22.]

My wife and I visited a different Christian Church every Sunday for a year. This is our story. Get your copy of 52 Churches today, available in ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Tags 52 Churches, community, witness

Visiting Churches

A Fresh Experience At Church (Visiting Church #21)

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date September 12, 2019

If you view church in a tradition manner, then we didn’t go this Sunday. However, if church is two or more people gathering in God’s presence, then we had a most significant time.

The pastors begin by sounding the shofar (a trumpet made from an animal horn, as mentioned in the Old Testament) and we sing one song a cappella. The pastor then begins her teaching, interspersed with dialogue.

We turn to Hebrews 6, but as she establishes the foundation for her planned message, the Holy Spirit guides her in a different direction.

I think the Holy Spirit should lead all our meetings, and I’m dismayed to realize this is the first time it’s happened in 21 Sundays.

She jumps to Ephesians 4. We go through most of the chapter, focusing on verse 11; we never make it back to Hebrews. I’m not sure what the teaching from Hebrews was, but I know Ephesians was what God wanted us to hear today.

We discuss how the passage applies to us. Although church services generally consist of a one person giving information and the rest receiving it, I see mutual interaction as being not only appropriate but preferred.

We then segue into a time of praise, moving to a different room. We part curtains as we enter. Inside is a recreation of the Ark of the Covenant. I feel as though we’re entering the Holy of Holies.

We only sing two songs, but the first one lasts for an extended time. I’m drawn into it. We conclude with a typical benediction, but instead of leaving, we end up talking even more.

We pray again and finally leave; we were there almost three hours.

Today was not a typical church experience, but it was a fresh—and refreshing—one.

[Read about Church #20 and Church #22, start at the beginning of our journey, or learn more about Church #21.]

My wife and I visited a different Christian Church every Sunday for a year. This is our story. Get your copy of 52 Churches today, available in ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Tags 52 Churches, good teacher

Visiting Churches

No Language Barrier (Visiting Church #20)

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date September 5, 2019

There’s a Mandarin service followed by one in English;. We attend both. The worship team leads us. The words to the song are displayed in Mandarin and have the English translation underneath.

They sing and I listen to voices of a different tongue. God’s presence engulfs me.

When others raise their hands, I wonder if I should too, even though I don’t understand the specific reason why. It’s a question I can’t answer.

A prayer follows. I comprehend not one word until “Amen.” Next is the scripture text, read in unison. The woman in front of me has a parallel bilingual Bible, so I know they’re reading Exodus 19 or 20.

Later, the projector displays “20:3-17” surrounded by Chinese characters. I turn to Exodus 20:3-17 and see the Ten Commandments.

The minister is a dynamic speaker, animated, and at times joking. I find myself laughing too, even though I don’t know what’s funny. Laughter is contagious, a universal language.

I don’t expect to understand the message, but I do expect the Holy Spirit to speak to me. He doesn’t—or perhaps he did and I missed it. I know the sermon is over when I hear “Amen.”

We sing the “Doxology.” The tune is familiar, but the words are Mandarin. I consider their English equivalents as others sing. The service concludes with the “Threefold Amen.” This time I can join in.

The second service uses a different song set, but the scripture and sermon are the same, albeit in English.

They invite us to stay for lunch, something they do every Sunday. “Sharing a meal is important to us,” one lady explains. We gratefully accept and sit down to eat, making new connections as we enjoy the food.

Today is a great day at church. Although our only language is not their primary one, we manage just fine.

[Read about Church #19 and Church #21, start at the beginning of our journey, or learn more about Church #20.]

My wife and I visited a different Christian Church every Sunday for a year. This is our story. Get your copy of 52 Churches today, available in ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Tags 52 Churches, good music, praise, worship