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.
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.
We Must Reform Our
Behaviors Through the Lens of Scripture
In the Bible we see example after example of Jesus extending love, grace, and mercy to people, especially those who are searching, who don’t fit in, and who the religious leaders reject.
There’s only one group of people who Jesus regularly criticizes. Who might that be? Yep. It’s the religious leaders, especially the Pharisees who value their human traditions and practices.
Human Traditions
One time Jesus sarcastically affirms their excellence in elevating their own human traditions above God’s commands (Mark 7:9). Then he gives them an example.
From a safe distance of our perspective some two millennia later, it’s easy to see their hypocrisy.
It’s easy to shake our heads in dismay and boldly affirm that we would never do such a thing.
But we do. Every day.
It’s just that it’s hard for us to see our shortcomings when we elevate our human traditions over biblical commands. It’s as hard for us to see our hypocrisy now as it was for the Pharisees to see theirs two thousand years ago.
And I say us, because I include myself. To claim I’m impervious to this problem would be to confirm a bit of self-righteous arrogance.
What Does the Bible Say?
Though I’m not immune to placing human traditions, spiritual practices,
and religious customs above what the Bible teaches, I’m always on the lookout
for my failings. Please join me in this search.
We must look at everything we do with a critical eye. We must ask, “Why?”
Why do we do what we do? When it comes to church, the unexamined answer
is that we’ve always done it that way. But that doesn’t make it right.
As we look at our practices, we must do so through the lens of Scripture.
Does the Bible support—truly support—what we do? In many cases it doesn’t. Much
of what we do on Sunday has strayed from what God commanded and Jesus desired.
Yes, we can prooftext about anything to support our actions. But that doesn’t make it right. It just gives us a smug satisfaction to ease our guilt for falling short of what God has in mind for us.
We must scrutinize everything we do through the lens of Scripture. The goal isn’t to justify the status quo of our human traditions but to reform our behavior.
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.
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This week we visit another new church, our third one so far (the others are Church #2 and Church #7).
This one is essentially a church reboot, with the intent on offering a more accessible gathering within a traditional, conservative denomination. It’s a bold experiment.
The decor is by far the nicest we’ve encountered. Everything looks new; nothing is worn or dated. I suspect the touch of a professional interior decorator.
There are several inviting sectionals, making the lobby look more like a den than a church.
Beyond it is the sanctuary, which is wide, but not deep. It has padded chairs. These traits are common in all three of the new churches we’ve visited (as opposed to longer, narrower sanctuaries with wooden pews).
This church arranges their chairs in a 180-degree arc; everyone is close to the front and has a good view.
There are ten on the worship team, with half singing and half playing: guitars, drums, and keys.
The opening song is seemingly for entertainment, without words, no one sings along. But soon words appear overhead and the people gladly join in.
Some raise their hands in varying degrees of physical worship.
Plans are underway for Vacation Bible School, held in partnership with other area churches. I appreciate their ecumenical spirit in working together.
The pastor begins a new series on the book of Philippians. He asks, “What does it mean to rejoice?” and then reads chapter one from the NIV Bible. The chapter arc is of Paul in jail, facing almost certain execution—and rejoicing.
After the service a couple introduces themselves. They confirm my understanding of the church’s formation, calling it as “a bold experiment”—one that not everyone at the founding church is enthusiastic with.
As for me, their bold experiment is wildly successful.
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.
Sunday we visited a newer church. Their website says “multi-generational contemporary worship service”—and it is. They’re also non-denominational “because God has called all believers to unity.” I like that.
We walk in and people are informally mingling; several introduce themselves. Of all the churches we’ve visited so far, this is the most effective at pre-service interaction.
The sanctuary is a simple rectangular room that seats 55, but I only count 24 present. I forget it’s Memorial Day weekend. There are no pews but comfortable chairs instead.
They say attendance is often near capacity and on Easter they maxed out.
Soon they’ll move to a different facility, much nicer and more inviting; it’ll seat 160 and they’re confident they’ll soon fill it.
Three ladies lead us in singing modern praise songs. Instead of instrumentation, they use accompaniment tracks. They don’t have songbooks but display the words on a flat-screen monitor.
The pastor is in week two of a series. Last Sunday was about God’s sovereignty; today is about God’s providence. He boldly delves into some tough questions about these subjects.
Afterwards, he tells me most members are younger in their faith; they’ve come without any church baggage and are eager to learn. Since they don’t know how they’re “supposed” to behave in church, there aren’t any bad habits to overcome.
This explains the informal nature of the service, the socializing beforehand, and their arriving without Bibles. Their eagerness to learn is why he goes deep in his teaching.
Although the church is expanding numerically, their leader is more pleased with their deep spiritual growth.
As is often the case, it’s new churches, and not the established ones, where people discover God and grow into a vibrant faith. Newer is often better.
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.
The church is a traditional-looking building, constructed of brick and stately in appearance. In checking out the sanctuary, I anticipate the service will be just as Facebook promised.
It said “a blending of traditional and contemporary.” Will they have the right mix of music?
The service begins with several familiar choruses. A few people lift their hands in praise, though this is limited and low-key. A team of four leads us: the worship leader on guitar, vocalist, keyboard, and the minister on bass.
The drums sit idle. However, they don’t use the piano during the singing, but it is expertly played for the prelude, offertory, and postlude.
After a time of singing, they give several announcements. The church is a busy place and there’s much information to share. A glance at the bulletin reveals activity every day of the week.
They excuse the children and the offering follows, accompanied by an impressive piano performance. At its conclusion, applause breaks forth. I’m a bit uncomfortable with this.
I wonder if we’re worshiping God with our hands or praising an accomplished musician.
The minister is in the second week of a series on the book of first John. Using an expository style—going verse by verse—he guides us through the text, zeroing in on 1 John 2:16, which is the impetus for his sermon title, “Pollution Free.”
We need to guard against the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—thereby controlling the pollution in our lives.
We conclude the service singing a well-known hymn.
The way they successfully integrate hymns and choruses into their worship service impresses me. They meld the old and new. Their worship music is both traditional and contemporary. They have the right mix of music.
I enjoyed the experience, and I’m glad we were there.
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.
This Sunday we visit a nondenominational church. It’s three years old and I know a bit about it and its pastor, who I perceive as a mostly postmodern guy possessing a modern theology. I suspect the church will mirror that.
Located in a small strip mall, I find a parking spot near the door. Only afterwards do I realize they leave the prime spaces for visitors. A man greets us warmly and we walk inside. The facility is inviting and accommodating.
There are scores of people milling about. All are engaged in conversation, so we take a seat.
Intended as retail space, the rectangular room is narrow and three to four times as deep.
The focal point is the side of the room, allowing everyone to sit relatively near the action. Smartly decorated walls, give way to two flat-screen displays. A wooden cross stands nearby.
Spiritual Growth is More Important Then Numeric Growth
The place fills up and the service begins. The pastor welcomes everyone and points out the church’s guiding goal is to grow deeper, not wider. This is significant; spiritual growth is more important than numeric growth.
The worship team has two on electric guitar, one on bass, a keyboard, drum kit, and a cello; three musicians also sing. There are no songbooks, with words displayed overhead. I estimate 170 present.
The people are dressed casually; jeans and t-shirts abound while ties and dresses are absent. It’s a younger crowd. The feeling is one of excitement and life.
There is a break in the singing for “connection time,” an informal opportunity to mingle, get a coffee refill, or grab another doughnut. There are many people to talk to.
The pastor is an insightful Bible teacher. After the message, they serve communion. It’s open to all who acknowledge a saving faith in Jesus, so we happily participate, with the bread and juice passed in quick succession.
After a closing prayer, the service ends; there’s no offering. There are more people to talk to. It’s clear no one knows if we’re first-timers and some question if we’re visitors. We could have even been unknowingly talking to other visitors.
We drop off our guest card and head home. Two and a half hours have elapsed. Time passes quickly when in the company of winsome people and an embracing community. This is as church should be.
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.
The first of fifty-two churches is a small Baptist-affiliated assembly. With forty or so normally in attendance, this Sunday has only seventeen.
The service is not unlike churches my wife attended in her youth, so she feels comfortable and is familiar with their format even though it now feels quite dated.
The people are friendly and—despite a bit of awkwardness when the pastor asks “first-time visitors” to raise their hands—I feel a contentment, a peace perhaps best attributed to God’s presence.
There’s nothing remarkable about the service—a few old-time hymns with piano accompaniment, sharing prayer requests, an offering, a message, and a low-key alter call—but the people make the difference.
They’re comfortable with each other, liking and accepting one another.
There’s no pretense in their actions or words, just nice folks who are real. It’s like family, good family, albeit an eclectic one.
The hour and a half service is mostly preaching, with reoccurring themes of Jesus, faith, and heaven. Our future in heaven is also a theme of several of the hymns.
Afterwards, the people linger to chat; no one rushes out. Though our stomachs tell us it’s past time to eat, we tarry as well. Many sincerely thank us for visiting and invite us to come again but do so without being pushy.
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.
Churches Close for Tangible Problems, But Maybe Some Should Close for Spiritual Reasons
In the book of Malachi, God laments about his people. Specifically he’s down on the priests because they show contempt for him. Their worship is so off-track that God wishes one of the priests would just shut the temple doors.
This would at least keep them from lighting useless fires on his alter, from having useless worship. He’s so frustrated with them that he won’t accept their sacrifices anyway.
So why bother? Just close the temple. This is a shocking thought, a seeming heretical idea.
Churches Close Every Day
We hear of churches closing all the time. It’s usually due to one of two things. Often it’s for a lack of funds—because the people left aren’t giving enough to keep the church’s doors open.
The other reason churches close is a lack of people—for too many have left.
Generally these two items are tied to one another. Attendance drops, and then giving drops. Programs get cut, and attendance drops more. This continues in a downward spiral.
Eventually there aren’t enough people left to do the work and not enough money to pay the bills. Shutting down is the only option.
Spiritually Dead Churches Should Close Too
I’ve never heard of a church closing because they lost their way spiritually, because their worship has become offensive to God. Yet I wonder if this spiritual malady isn’t just as common—perhaps even more so.
That their reason for gathering together each week is too off track from what God yearns for.
I wonder if God grows sick of these misled congregations and wishes they would just close their doors.
These spiritually impotent churches are just as dead—perhaps even more so—as the ones who no longer have enough people or money to continue.
Shutdown Institutional Churches
Most churches (and especially denominations) become institutions over time. As institutions they seek to perpetuate themselves regardless of the circumstances.
In their struggle for survival, they lose sight of why they existed in the first place.
Instead of seeking to serve their community and offer salvation through Jesus, their focus grows inward. Their priority is on self-preservation at all costs.
Malachi Speaks to Us Today
Some would argue that God’s words through his prophet Malachi apply only to the priests and to the temple of his day. This is an Old Testament thing. Projecting them on today’s church is taking the text out of context. Perhaps.
But if we can’t learn from the Old Testament, why bother to read it?
In an appropriate application, Malachi’s words to shut the doors of the temple are a warning that we should take seriously today.
When our churches and their service become spiritually dead, God may want us to close our doors and not further profane his reputation.
Before you assume I’m talking about someone else’s church, take a serious look at your own. Is it time to close church?
Learn more about all twelve of the Bible’s Minor Prophets in Peter’s book, Return to Me: 40 Prophetic Teachings about Unfaithfulness, Punishment, and Hope from the Minor Prophets
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.
When It Comes Time to Change Churches, Attitude Is Everything
Last week we talked about when not to change churches, instead of looking to find a new church. Too often people treat their church as a commodity and behave as a consumer, switching their loyalty over trivial things.
Most of the time, however, the best action is to view your church as a marriage and try to make things work. Seldom should you divorce your church and seek a new one.
Even so, sometimes we need to find a new church home. Maybe we just moved, or our church closed. Perhaps we do it for the sake of our kids, seeking a church community to encourage them in their faith and support our efforts at home.
Sometimes newlyweds decide it’s best to not subject one of them to the other’s home church but to find a new one where they can start their life together with a new church family.
If you find yourself in a situation to change churches, here are some tips to do it wisely and enjoy the best outcome. In doing research for my book 52 Churches and subsequent works, my wife and I visited over a hundred churches.
In doing so we learn how to visit churches, both the right things to do and the wrong things. But before you go church shopping, first ask, “Is changing churches necessary?” If the answer is, “Yes,” then take these steps:
1. Research Options Online
Look online to learn about the church before you visit.
When considering church websites and social media pages, be aware that some are more like dating profiles, showing you what they want you to see, obscuring reality, and ignoring faults. Others are more realistic.
Look for what to expect and how to get the most from your experience there. Note their location and service times.
Sometimes it’s worth double-checking this information, as more than once a church’s website gave us wrong information. Then schedule a time for your visit.
But what if the church isn’t online? If a church today doesn’t have an online presence, it’s unlikely they’ll be around tomorrow. Save yourself the grief, and skip them.
2. Pray Beforehand
In visiting fifty-two churches, my wife and I prayed as we drove to each one. And once we finished visiting churches, we continued this practice each Sunday.
These prayers often vary, sometimes focused on our own struggles and other times on our desire to learn what God would have us to learn.
Often, we pray we’ll have a positive impact on others, and sometimes we ask for an openness to receive what others would give to us.
More than once I’ve had to pray for my attitude. But the key is to pray, and let the Holy Spirit guide those prayers. Prayer makes all the difference.
3. Look for the Positive and Expect Good Things to Happen
If you visit a church looking for what’s negative, you’ll find it. If you seek things to criticize, you’ll uncover plenty. The key is to arrive with God-honoring expectation.
Every church has something positive to offer, just as every church has its struggles.
No church, just as no person, is perfect. Look for the good and celebrate it.
4. Arrive Early and Be Prepared to Stay Afterward
It’s hard to connect with people at church during the service. And even those churches that allow for connection time as part of their service, often fail to do it well. I
nstead, plan to arrive early so you can interact with people before the service begins.
And don’t schedule anything afterward, so you can stay as long as you want without the pressure of time.
Sometimes my wife and I would hang out for five or ten minutes after the service and leave because we weren’t able to talk with anyone.
Other times we’d be there for an hour or two after the final “Amen,” enjoying rich Christian community. Often this involves food, which is in added benefit.
Finding Christian community is the main reason we should not give up meeting together (Hebrews 10:25), which most people think means going to church.
If you can connect with the church community, it makes all the difference.
5. Adapt to Their Practices
Visiting a church is like visiting someone’s home. You want to respect their practices. This means if you’re a raise-your-hands or jump-up-and-down type of person, but the church isn’t, follow their practice.
Don’t stand out in a bad way.
This distracts from your experience, as well as their worship. However, if their style is more exuberant than you’re comfortable with; feel free to be yourself.
6. Look for Ways to Contribute
Whether you’re visiting once, making a follow-up appearance, or attending as a regular, look for ways to give back to the church.
This might mean offering encouragement, looking to pray for people (either out loud or silently), or being a positive influence anyway you can.
Though my wife and I didn’t contribute monetarily to the churches we visited, you may feel differently. In which case you can also give financially.
7. Make Repeat Visits
Visiting a church once makes an initial first impression. This may be accurate, but it might not. One church encouraged us to come back twelve times before deciding.
Of course, they knew anyone who came back that often, would form a habit and stick around after the three months was over.
I’m not sure if you need to visit twelve times, but certainly more than once is needed. When my wife and I moved, we faced finding a new church home.
For those churches that we revisited, our first experience often differed from our second.
Sometimes it was better, and other times it was lacking. Regardless, one visit isn’t enough.
This means avoiding notions of consuming, attending, and criticizing—which are all too common at most churches.
Instead the goal is to be engaged on Sunday morning.
This requires that we be active, adopting three alternate perspectives: we need to give instead of consume, we need to be active not an attendee, and we must be a disciple and not a critic.
This simple change in attitude will alter everything we experience at church.
If you find yourself needing to switch churches, follow these tips to get the most from the experience and home in on your new church community.
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.
When We Go Church Shopping We Behave as Consumers and Don’t Honor God
In today’s practice of retail religion, we pursue faith has a consumer and miss the purpose of church. We’re quick to change churches over the smallest of issues. Yet, usually the best action to take is no action: Don’t change churches.
Yes, there’s a right time and a wrong time to change churches. We need to discern between the two and act accordingly. Here are some reasons not to change churches.
Don’t Change Churches If You’re Angry
Did your church do something to hurt you? Are you angry over something that someone did or said? Though the impulse to change churches is understandable, this is the wrong time to do it.
Don’t leave mad because you’ll hurt others in the process.
And don’t leave hurt, because you’ll carry baggage to your new church. Instead, seek reconciliation with your church and its people. Then you can switch with a clear conscience, but if you patch things up, why not stick around?
Don’t Change Churches If You’re Not Being Fed
It sounds spiritual to say you’re switching churches because you’re “just not being fed.” This sounds virtuous, but it’s really a sign of laziness. It’s not church’s job to feed us spiritually. This is the wrong expectation.
Yes, church aids in spiritual growth, but they shouldn’t be the primary provider of our faith nourishment.
Spiritual growth is our responsibility. We need to feed ourselves and not expect a minister to do our job for us. Changing churches so we can be fed only masks the real problem.
Don’t Change Churches If You’re Not Getting Anything Out of It
In today’s culture, too many people view church participation as a transaction. They put in their time expecting something in return.
They donate their money and look for a return on their investment. This, however, reduces church to a commodity that we shop for.
The truth is, we only get out of church what we put into it. So, if you’re not getting anything out of church, the problem falls on you and not church.
Don’t Change Churches If You Fear Heresy
Another spiritually-sounding complaint about church is heresy. Yet disagreement over theology is why we have 42,000 denominations in our world today and not the one, unified church that Jesus prayed for.
When we charge our minister with heresy, the implication is that we know what is correct and they don’t. We need to embrace the possibility that we might be wrong.
Instead, we squabble over things that don’t matter and leave the church. What does matter? Jesus. Everything else is secondary.
We need to acknowledge that we can have differences of opinion over matters of faith and still get along.
Don’t Change Churches If You Don’t Like the Music or the Message
Another side effect of retail religion is changing churches because we don’t like the worship service or the sermon. Again, this is consumerism infiltrating church.
All music can praise and worship God. Just because we don’t like the tone or tempo—or volume—it isn’t worth changing churches. Instead, seek to worship God regardless of the musical style or the performers’ ability.
Remember, we’re not there as consumers seeking entertainment; we’re there as followers of Jesus to worship God in spirit and truth (John 4:24).
The same applies to the message. Yes, some speakers are gifted, and others aren’t; some presenters are entertaining, and others are boring. But every message has something we can learn from it, if we’re willing to listen and look for it.
Don’t Change Churches If You Have No Friends
If your church lacks community or you have no friends there, who’s fault is that? Yes, some people are easier to connect with then others, but that’s no excuse to give up.
In fact, the problem might be in us. If we have no friends at church it might be because we’re not approachable or don’t make ourselves available.
The best time to make friends at church is before the service starts and after it ends, but too many people miss these opportunities by arriving at the last moment and leaving as soon as possible.
If you have no friends at church, seek to change that.
There are many reasons to change churches, but most of these are selfish, shortsighted, and reflect a consumer mindset. This displeases God and serves to divide his church.
If you don’t like your church, the better approach is to stick around and be a catalyst for change.
Seek to make the church where you’re at become a better one and don’t take your problems someplace else.
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.
