The Pendulum: Church Shopping

I’d never really been in the position of choosing a new church before now.

When I first became a Christian I went to one of the churches that met on my university campus. I guess I chose it, but I wasn’t really aware of the choices out there. I went to that church because I knew a few people who went there, I could walk there (I lived on campus and had no car), and it was non-denominational (I didn’t know which denomination I was supposed to be). I stayed at that church for six and a half years until I got married and left Perth in April 2008.

When I moved to Buntine, there wasn’t much choice in regards to which church I was going to. I went to our church in Dally because Duncan went there and it was the only church in the district that met weekly. To me, it was either go to that church or stay at home.

Now, we are in Kojonup, we have choices. Not many, certainly nothing like in the city, but choices nevertheless. We could go to church in Kojonup, Cranbrook or Frankland, all of which are within relatively easy driving distance from our house. You can see in the previous post that we have chosen Cranbrook, but Duncan and I have certainly discovered during our marriage that we have very different criteria when it comes to ‘church shopping’ (for want of a better phrase).

A friend of ours is keen to go to Bible college one day and be a part of what he calls ‘restoration ministry’. When I asked him what that was, he explained that he has a deep desire to go into a church torn apart by divisions and conflict and be involved in restoration – to help relationships be restored so that the church might have unity in the things that matter, namely the gospel. Some might say he is an idealist, others might say he is a fruitcake, but I can empathise with his passion. So many people my age and even older are all about what church can do for them. As I wrote in Me, Myself and an Online Sermon, I know many people who go ‘church shopping’, but then stop going to church at all because they can’t find one that perfectly suits their needs. They treat church like a shopping centre or a product that they need to test and critique to see if it’s the right fit. I certainly agree that we should carefully examine a church before being part of it; I don’t want to have anything to do with a church that isn’t on about Jesus and His gospel. When I ask people what they’re looking for in a church, it’s nearly always good preaching, a good Sunday School, a good youth group, music that suits their tastes, people their age. Rarely do I hear someone say they’re looking for a church where they can make a difference, where they can serve, where they can commit to a body of people (Christ’s body) for the long haul, working towards a common goal – that people might hear the message of Christ crucified and resurrected and come to trust Him for their right standing before God and salvation. That’s why I admire my friend. He’s not looking for a church to suit his needs. I have no qualms about going to church that has a shabby building or a small congregation or doesn’t have a weekly schedule bursting with programs. I wanted to visit Frankland for this reason. Apparently it’s a small , struggling church plant with only half a dozen regular attenders, mostly middle-aged or older. I could see the opportunity of being a part of something small and watching it grow. For this reason, church planting really excites me.

But Duncan doesn’t feel the same way. Now, first of all, I’d better clarify that I’m NOT trying to say Duncan is a selfish person who wants a big comfortable church while I’m the unselfish one who just wants to serve. Far from it. We both have very different backgrounds. Duncan was raised in a small conservative church with hymns where for a few years he felt like he was the token young person. Once he left school, he started attending a young people’s Bible study in Busselton for fellowship with people his own age. For this reason, he was not keen to go to Frankland. He didn’t want to be a part of a church where we would be seen as the token young people and shoved onto rosters (although I’m not sure how much of a roster you can have with six people). Cranbrook has a lot of young people around our age. I can understand where he’s coming from.

My story is very different to Duncan’s. I was raised non-Christian and the church I attended in Perth was planted to be a ‘student church’ (although now it’s more of a ‘family church’). I’ve had plenty of fellowship with young people. To be honest, having lots of people my own age in my church isn’t one of my prerequisites. It’s nice, but I’ve seen its downsides. Having a church run by young people with only a handful of people over 50 means that there are often a lot of ‘pie in the sky’ ideas and people end up burnt out. Many a time I’ve wished for a few older folk to join the church and say to the young leaders, “Buddy, slow down, you’ll burn yourself out, sometimes you need to let God be God.”

While I have a keen desire to join a struggling church, like my friend, I realise that idealism needs to be mixed with a significant dose of realism. Some people are stubborn and unless God does a mighty work on their hearts, they will continue to be resistant to good, needed change. I think it’s unwise, and even dangerous, for a Christian to deliberately go to a church where they know false teaching is rampant. They may have the best of intentions, but if the leaders of that church will not listen to the truth, it is best to get out of there and look after your own spiritual health. Look for a church that speaks the truth, where its members want to live godly lives, and are keen for others to know Jesus.

I’m torn when it comes to church shopping. I want a church that is keen to move forward, but is committed to the truth of God’s Word. It doesn’t matter whether that church is thriving or just trying to survive – what matters is whether they’re striving. I don’t care whether my church is full of young people or not. I’d like to be a part of something new and exciting like a church plant or a small church that needs a helping hand. But on the other side, I can see it can also be beneficial to join a church that is moving forward rapidly where you can instantly say, “Yep this is my family, and I’m keen to get involved in what they’re already doing.”

Ultimately we chose Cranbrook for the latter reason. It’s a group of people that are keen for others to hear the message of the Lord Jesus. Compared to city churches they look rather pitiful. The congregation would be no bigger than fifty, they don’t have a big music team, and the building is not aesthetically pleasing. But we saw their heart is for Jesus and they don’t seem to be on about things that divide rather than unite which is what we want to be a part of.