Can You Really Find the Right Church for Your Family?

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A few years ago, I realized the importance of taking my children to church and that they had the chance to grow up in a Godly home.  I wanted them to grow up knowing Jesus and to be raised with the support of a church family.  Like most people, at some point in my life I stopped going to church because I didn’t feel connected, I felt like I was doing fine on my own, that I didn’t have time to go to church, or have a church to call my home. Most people will tell you that you don’t have to go to church in order to have a real relationship with Jesus which is true to a certain degree.  Plus, there is a wide variety of media available for Christians to surround themselves with that they might find that they don’t need to attend church to be a Christian.  After all you can watch sermons on television, listen to worship music on the radio or online, read the bible, listen to the bible using your computer or smartphone, listen to podcasts, subscribe to daily devotionals, and so much more all in the convenience of your home, car, or office.  But there is one thing missing from all of these fancy options.

Why Should We Go to Church?

Many people often believe that we go to church to listen to the songs, attend bible lessons, and listen to the preacher preach a great sermon but there is more to a church than this.  When people refer to the word church, people often think of church is being defined as a building where like-minded people go to attend religious services.  However, without people there wouldn’t be a church or a need for a building.  The church’s reach is far greater than the four walls that surround the church’s building.  The people are what make up the church and Jesus wants us to attend church so that we can encourage each other, hold each other accountable without judgement, support one another, love one another, take care of spoken and unspoken needs, and share the love of Jesus Christ.  We were made and designed to be around people.

Finding the Right Church For Your Family

If you don’t currently have a church to call home or your family is searching for a new church, I highly recommend that you begin asking God to show you where he wants you to be.  By nature we are so focused on our own needs and don’t realize that we are put on earth for His purpose.  When we are solely looking to fill our own needs, we often pick apart what we don’t like about the church whether is be the sermon, the music, the ministries, ect.  As we begin picking apart the things that we don’t like about the church, we find ourselves still searching for the perfect church and we might miss out on God’s opportunity.  When you are searching for the right church, don’t be so over-focused that you are missing out on what God is calling or wanting you to do.

As a believer, I don’t feel as if I am supposed to shop for a church but instead I should pray about where God wants me to be or where he is leading my family.  When looking at a church home, you can also see what gifts and talents that you have to offer the church.  Could those gifts and services be useful to the church?   Below are some important factors that most people think about before they decide on what church they want to call home.

• Doctrines and Beliefs – Many people want to find a church that believes in the same things that you are familiar with growing up.  Many people are swayed to one denomination over the other based on where they went to church as a family.  This is a great place to start when you are looking for a church.  The doctrines are a written body of teachings but they are written down so that you are aware of how a church is run.
• Mutual Care and Comfort of the Members – Are the members friendly, are they caring, and do they greet and welcome you.  While this is only a touch of the iceberg, this is often your first impression of the church and this is what you will likely remember about the church.  Don’t be afraid to reach out to others and to get to know people in the church.
• The Quality of the Sermons – The sermons are usually the most important part of the church service and each pastor does his or her best to deliver a powerful message.  When I think about quality, I personally look for biblical based messages.  Even if the preacher preaches the perfect sermon, there may still be one or more people who either didn’t get the message or felt that it wasn’t for them.  So before you judge the preacher or the sermons, look at your role in hearing the message.  Were you distracted, thinking of 100 other things that need to get done, the bills that are overdue, you get my point.
• Family Orientated – As a parent, I think it is very important that the church is family focused and has opportunities for the entire family to be involved and potentially serve in the various ministries of the church.  Does your church offer age appropriate learning opportunities for your children?  Does the church allow children in the service, in case you want to take them with you?  What if your are being called you to start a new children’s ministry or strengthen their existing program?

Why Do Children Need to Attend Church?

Most children, especially, the younger children may not fully grasp the full concept of what church is all about and this is typical.  However, children are pretty smart and they do realize early on that Church is based on community, a place where other people care about you and what is going on in your life.  While children’s activities are fun and filled with age appropriate biblical stories and scriptures, children are there to eventually get filled spiritually as they begin their own journey with Chirst.  As a Christian and a mom, I feel it is my duty to give my children the opportunity to know Christ and to choose to follow Him.  After all, the children are our future believers and followers of Christ.  Jesus wants us to raise our children with His love, wisdom, guidance, grace, forgiveness, ect.

Hebrews 11:1-3

1 Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. 2 Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation. 3 By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.

Do you attend church with your children?