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I'd like to share a blessing about a new church...

Goshin said:
Thanks. I haven't had a "home church" for a long time, a community of believers I felt at home with is another way of putting it, and I've felt the lack.






Understood, but generally it isn't really like that.

Anyone is welcome to come who isn't unreasonably disruptive. I've known people to attend church 2-3 services a week as a "visitor" for years.

Membership is slightly different, because members VOTE. They vote for the Deacon board, who manage the church finances and whatnot, and vote for/against accepting someone as pastor, and for or against building this or donating that or sending money to missionaries in the Congo. That makes membership kind of significant.

Even so, most churches of my experience are fairly casual about membership. Basically you visit for a while so people can get to know you,e you then you tell the pastor you want to join. If nobody knows of any strong reason to deny you (like maybe you run a Meth lab) then you stand up in front of the congregation and the preacher says "So-n-so and family have asked to be members of our church on their public profession of faith (or letter from previous church) what is your pleasure in receiving them?"

99% of the time the congregation shouts "AMEN!" (which is taken as a "Yea" btw, lol) and that's that, you're a member.
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Sounds like a country club where the snooty members can blackball a candidate.
 
Manc Skipper said:
Sounds like a country club where the snooty members can blackball a candidate.
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It might sound that way to you, but in my experience it almost never is. Most churches I've ever attended, even the sorta-snooty ones, will accept almost anyone as a member just on their profession of faith.


Offhand I can't recall a single time anyone was refused membership tmk, in any church I've attended. It is typically very rare to get booted off the membership rolls, as well...usually you have to do something pretty darn heinous and then refuse to repent of it.
 
Goshin said:
I've been looking for a new "home church" for a long time. More than once I thought I'd found it, only to find things going on disagreeable enough to cause me to stop going.


Well I've been going to a new church, and I'm very excited about it... I'm considering asking to be a member there, though I'm not rushing things yet.


The church is very active in service and doing good works, helping the poor and those in trouble. In particular the pastor, who is a recovered addict himself, has a rescue outreach for addicts trying to break free of their downward spiral. This is greatly needed, meth has become a real scourge in this rural county.

One of the things I really love about this church is it is very informal, casual dress, and stands on an often-repeated principle that no one is any better than anyone else: we're all sinners saved by Grace trying to follow God as best we can. There is a distinct humility and lack of pretentiousness I have found to be regrettably rare elsewhere.


Everyone I've met there so far is very "real". "Fronting" and self-righteousness is actively discouraged.


So many churches I've tried it seemed like too many people had a stick up their butt, pardon my french lol, and were too concerned with appearances.

This church is very no-stick, if you follow me. :)


Son Numbah One, for instance, is tall and burly, has long hair and a beard and mostly wears black, and looks more like a Viking or a biker than a college student... but nobody at this church was put off by his appearance, he was welcomed without reservation. They aren't judge-ey about appearances... most people wear blue jeans and tennis shoes or cowboy boots. Some come in overalls and work boots, and nobody cares. :)


IMO, that's as it should be. Jesus don't care what you look like, He cares what's in your heart.


The pastor preaches the Word and preaches it straight and without apology, but he's also very real and unpretentious, and I've already seen him put his money where his mouth is.


So far, I'm pretty impressed. Going to keep visiting and see how things work out.
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Good for you, brother. May the positive experience continue for you and your boys (young men). Finding meaning and peace is a great thing.

Best to you and your pastor and his congregation. I sincerely hope the church is all that you want it to be. May your fine attitude and example have influence within the congregation.
 
Risky Thicket said:
Good for you, brother. May the positive experience continue for you and your boys (young men). Finding meaning and peace is a great thing.

Best to you and your pastor and his congregation. I sincerely hope the church is all that you want it to be. May your fine attitude and example have influence within the congregation.
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Very kind words, thank you. :)
 
nota bene said:
As I've already said, I generally wear nice jeans and a nice shirt to the service I attend. And I don't think the Lord cares what we wear so long as our butt-cracks aren't showing. But I never thought I'd see the day when folks wore flip-flops to a funeral, and that's pretty much my point.
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but that IS the point
you think jeans are OK
i suspect the fellow in the other pew wearing a suit and tie thinks you are under-dressed for church
just as you believe the person wearing flip flops is being disrespectful for not wearing something better than flip flops
is church intended to be a fashion show or an opportunity to get closer to the Lord
from your comments instead of celebrating the presence in church of the person with the exposed butt crack, you judge them as unworthy to sit beside you in service
 
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nota bene said:
I have never in my life seen anybody turned away from church because of the way he or she was dressed. Have you?
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i have seen such persons snubbed by the churchgoers because of their attire
and those doing the snubbing were wearing their WWJD bracelets and acting all pious

i would believe you would want all who desire to enter to feel welcome. being judgmental about their attire is other than making them feel welcome to attend services
 
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Goshin said:
Thanks. I haven't had a "home church" for a long time, a community of believers I felt at home with is another way of putting it, and I've felt the lack.






Understood, but generally it isn't really like that.

Anyone is welcome to come who isn't unreasonably disruptive. I've known people to attend church 2-3 services a week as a "visitor" for years.

Membership is slightly different, because members VOTE. They vote for the Deacon board, who manage the church finances and whatnot, and vote for/against accepting someone as pastor, and for or against building this or donating that or sending money to missionaries in the Congo. That makes membership kind of significant.

Even so, most churches of my experience are fairly casual about membership. Basically you visit for a while so people can get to know you,e you then you tell the pastor you want to join. If nobody knows of any strong reason to deny you (like maybe you run a Meth lab) then you stand up in front of the congregation and the preacher says "So-n-so and family have asked to be members of our church on their public profession of faith (or letter from previous church) what is your pleasure in receiving them?"

99% of the time the congregation shouts "AMEN!" (which is taken as a "Yea" btw, lol) and that's that, you're a member.
Click to expand...

what happens that remaining 1% of the time?
 
justabubba said:
but that IS the point
you think jeans are OK
i suspect the fellow in the other pew wearing a suit and tie thinks you are under-dressed for church
just as you believe the person wearing flip flops is being disrespectful for not wearing something better than flip flops
is church intended to be a fashion show or an opportunity to get closer to the Lord
from your comments instead of celebrating the presence in church of the person with the exposed butt crack, you judge them as unworthy to sit beside you in service
Click to expand...

Uh, no, where I have to look at it in front of me.
 
justabubba said:
i have seen such persons snubbed by the churchgoers because of their attire
and those doing the snubbing were wearing their WWJD bracelets and acting all pious

i would believe you would want all who desire to enter to feel welcome. being judgmental about their attire is other than making them feel welcome to attend services
Click to expand...

As I've said, I've never witnessed/experienced this. I really can't imagine anybody being snubbed in a house of worship for any reason.
 
nota bene said:
As I've said, I've never witnessed/experienced this. I really can't imagine anybody being snubbed in a house of worship for any reason.
Click to expand...

you have already described just such a scenario

one that dissuades many from entering houses of worship
 
justabubba said:
what happens that remaining 1% of the time?
Click to expand...



I don't know, offhand I can't recall ever seeing someone voted down for membership. I assume it must have happened somewhere, sometime, but I've never seen it personally.
 
justabubba said:
you have already described just such a scenario

one that dissuades many from entering houses of worship
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No, I've described seeing butt-cracks. Are you telling me that people are dissuaded from attending a church service because they know their butt-cracks are going to show and this is important to them? :lol:
 
This conversation is funny - here is a man excited about his new church home and the anti-suit snobs are dissing the suit wearers.

I wear a suit every Sunday and I don't much care how people are dressed, as long as they are dressed. It's the fact that they are there at all that makes me happy.
 
nota bene said:
No, I've described seeing butt-cracks. Are you telling me that people are dissuaded from attending a church service because they know their butt-cracks are going to show and this is important to them? :lol:
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they are dissuaded from attending church services ecause they do not feel welcome while dressed in the attire that they have available to them

according to the WWJD bracelet, Jesus would not approve of his followers attending service in other than the most impeccable garments ... or not
 
it's just me said:
This conversation is funny - here is a man excited about his new church home and the anti-suit snobs are dissing the suit wearers.

I wear a suit every Sunday and I don't much care how people are dressed, as long as they are dressed. It's the fact that they are there at all that makes me happy.
Click to expand...



Yeah, I mean the whole suits vs casual attire wasn't really the main point anyway, more of a side issue and simply a matter of preference. The big thing to me is the "realness" of the people, the humility of the church's service to others, and the lack of judgey-ness based on superficial appearances.

The way they put their backs into "love one another" as well... after my niece's house was torched by her ex and the county demanded it be demolished or fines would accrue (and she had no money), a building contractor and some volunteers from the church demolished the house and disposed of the debris for her for $0.00 and THAT is what I'm talkin' bout...
 
Goshin said:
Yeah, I mean the whole suits vs casual attire wasn't really the main point anyway, more of a side issue and simply a matter of preference. The big thing to me is the "realness" of the people, the humility of the church's service to others, and the lack of judgey-ness based on superficial appearances.

The way they put their backs into "love one another" as well... after my niece's house was torched by her ex and the county demanded it be demolished or fines would accrue (and she had no money), a building contractor and some volunteers from the church demolished the house and disposed of the debris for her for $0.00 and THAT is what I'm talkin' bout...
Click to expand...

In just about every local congregation I have ever been involved in there is always some faction that wants to take control of the lay ministries, tell the clergy what they can say and can't say, and generally has their fingers in every church pie. We don't have that in my (our) church. Our members are excellent servants of God, humble people, and basically one big happy (if not somewhat dysfunctional) family.

The womenfolk like to get dressed up, the men and boys are construction workers and wear their cleanest jeans, and the people from other nations wear whatever is culturally appropriate.

At the end of the day we are all who we are. We serve God to the best of our abilities and leave others to serve according to their gifts.

All that said, if you find a perfect church don't join because you'll ruin it. :)
 
Goshin said:
I've been looking for a new "home church" for a long time. More than once I thought I'd found it, only to find things going on disagreeable enough to cause me to stop going.


Well I've been going to a new church, and I'm very excited about it... I'm considering asking to be a member there, though I'm not rushing things yet.


The church is very active in service and doing good works, helping the poor and those in trouble. In particular the pastor, who is a recovered addict himself, has a rescue outreach for addicts trying to break free of their downward spiral. This is greatly needed, meth has become a real scourge in this rural county.

One of the things I really love about this church is it is very informal, casual dress, and stands on an often-repeated principle that no one is any better than anyone else: we're all sinners saved by Grace trying to follow God as best we can. There is a distinct humility and lack of pretentiousness I have found to be regrettably rare elsewhere.


Everyone I've met there so far is very "real". "Fronting" and self-righteousness is actively discouraged.


So many churches I've tried it seemed like too many people had a stick up their butt, pardon my french lol, and were too concerned with appearances.

This church is very no-stick, if you follow me. :)


Son Numbah One, for instance, is tall and burly, has long hair and a beard and mostly wears black, and looks more like a Viking or a biker than a college student... but nobody at this church was put off by his appearance, he was welcomed without reservation. They aren't judge-ey about appearances... most people wear blue jeans and tennis shoes or cowboy boots. Some come in overalls and work boots, and nobody cares. :)


IMO, that's as it should be. Jesus don't care what you look like, He cares what's in your heart.


The pastor preaches the Word and preaches it straight and without apology, but he's also very real and unpretentious, and I've already seen him put his money where his mouth is.


So far, I'm pretty impressed. Going to keep visiting and see how things work out.
Click to expand...

I hope you find what you are looking for. As for me I stopped going to church after entering the building one day, and having the the person on the elevated platform look at me then his bible then back at me and say.." oh did you think this is about you" ?
 
hado117 said:
I hope you find what you are looking for. As for me I stopped going to church after entering the building one day, and having the the person on the elevated platform look at me then his bible then back at me and say.." oh did you think this is about you" ?
Click to expand...



Odd sort of thing for a preacher to say merely because you walked in. Are you sure he was addressing you personally?
 
I'm curious, as Christians what do you generally look for in a Church? In a pastor/priest?
 
Goshin said:
I've been looking for a new "home church" for a long time. More than once I thought I'd found it, only to find things going on disagreeable enough to cause me to stop going.


Well I've been going to a new church, and I'm very excited about it... I'm considering asking to be a member there, though I'm not rushing things yet.


The church is very active in service and doing good works, helping the poor and those in trouble. In particular the pastor, who is a recovered addict himself, has a rescue outreach for addicts trying to break free of their downward spiral. This is greatly needed, meth has become a real scourge in this rural county.

One of the things I really love about this church is it is very informal, casual dress, and stands on an often-repeated principle that no one is any better than anyone else: we're all sinners saved by Grace trying to follow God as best we can. There is a distinct humility and lack of pretentiousness I have found to be regrettably rare elsewhere.


Everyone I've met there so far is very "real". "Fronting" and self-righteousness is actively discouraged.


So many churches I've tried it seemed like too many people had a stick up their butt, pardon my french lol, and were too concerned with appearances.

This church is very no-stick, if you follow me. :)


Son Numbah One, for instance, is tall and burly, has long hair and a beard and mostly wears black, and looks more like a Viking or a biker than a college student... but nobody at this church was put off by his appearance, he was welcomed without reservation. They aren't judge-ey about appearances... most people wear blue jeans and tennis shoes or cowboy boots. Some come in overalls and work boots, and nobody cares. :)


IMO, that's as it should be. Jesus don't care what you look like, He cares what's in your heart.


The pastor preaches the Word and preaches it straight and without apology, but he's also very real and unpretentious, and I've already seen him put his money where his mouth is.


So far, I'm pretty impressed. Going to keep visiting and see how things work out.
Click to expand...
If I could ever find a church like that I might begin a new life and go there.
 
Sherman123 said:
I'm curious, as Christians what do you generally look for in a Church? In a pastor/priest?
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A church has to have a good roof. Heat and air conditioning is nice. There should be enough chairs.
 
Hope this new church works out well for you :)
 
Sherman123 said:
I'm curious, as Christians what do you generally look for in a Church? In a pastor/priest?
Click to expand...

I am interested primarily in: worship, fellowship opportunities (good small groups, for example), and service opportunities. Those are things that either can't be done alone or are best done in community. When it comes to doctrine, I do enough self study that the pastor is going to be just one voice among many I listen to, so it isn't that important.
 
Sherman123 said:
I'm curious, as Christians what do you generally look for in a Church? In a pastor/priest?
Click to expand...

I always hope that the clergy have a calling or vocation. I'm thinking of one of my best friend's former pastors, who clearly, clearly was not called to the ministry. He fortunately no longer has a pastorate, but he is a United Methodist rising star. I'm just happy I had to listen only once to an interminable (over an hour!!) sermon that was mainly about him.
 
CrabCake said:
I am interested primarily in: worship, fellowship opportunities (good small groups, for example), and service opportunities. Those are things that either can't be done alone or are best done in community. When it comes to doctrine, I do enough self study that the pastor is going to be just one voice among many I listen to, so it isn't that important.
Click to expand...

How important is denomination to you? Are there a broad number of denominations you'd consider, and some you just couldn't? Or is it really just about the community/pastor?
 
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