Why You Need To Find A Church Community
Sure, you can be a Christian and not go to church, but you are selling yourself short.
When I moved to Portland, Oregon, years ago, I went to multiple churches over the first few Sundays I lived there. Some Sundays, I would go to a morning service at one church and a night service at another.
Then, when my wife and I got married and moved to the suburbs in Portland (four years later), we did something similar before landing at the church we called home.
Once again, when we moved out of state to where we live now, we did the same thing. Multiplied churches over multiple Sundays until we landed at one for a time.
Now, we host a home church in our house, and all these experiences have made me think about finding a church body to plug into and why it is essential for our faith.
I used to think…
Growing up, I attended the same church my parents, my grandparents, and even my great-grandparents attended.
Then, when I went to college and my faith became my own, I felt disillusioned by the church and thought the believer didn’t need to plug into a church body.
And while that was true of my college years, once I left college, something seemed to change.
As I was growing in my faith, I realized that the faith community I had been in with college didn’t exist outside of a church in the real world.
So, when it came time to move, I started looking for a church.
It’s not church shopping…
People use the phrase “church shopping” a lot these days. But I don’t like it. We aren’t shopping for a product, though that was my experience when I first moved to Portland.
What we are doing as believers looking for a new church is discovering our people. We need to be on the lookout for a community that will encourage, admonish, and help us grow.
This is the actual test of looking for a church:
Can I grow here?
Will I draw closer to God?
Will people call me on things in my life that aren’t right?
Can I learn more about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit?
Is there a level of authenticity that fosters connection?
Does this church line up with my theological beliefs?
Can I plug into a community here?
These questions and more are essential. Notice I don’t say anything about the coffee bar, how loud worship is, or if there is a bookstore.
Finding your people changes everything…
Two years ago, we met a couple who was launching a church. As we talked, my wife and I both felt the presence of God resting on this couple. Their passion for God’s people and his Kingdom was evident.
Though the church plans were in their infancy, we were hooked. We started going to prayer and worship nights, and slowly, over time, we found our people.
These days, we host weekly church in our home. We share a meal, worship, and dive into what God is teaching us. We lay hands on people and pray for healing. And we even have kids ministry in our homes, no babysitters.
These are our people. We can count on them when times are hard. They can count on us. Holy Spirit continues to connect our families, and we live in a true community.
Recently, I set our home church network next to the early church in Acts, and I was so inspired to see how we have started to live out this passage:
“All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity— all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.” - Acts 2:42-47 NLT
Final Thoughts on Church
If you can find a community where you can connect, like the passage from Acts 2, dive in with both feet. It will be completely worth it.
If a church has hurt you, I want to encourage you that not every church is the same. And the church is still filled with broken people.
While I don’t want you to experience the trauma or pain you had in the past, I think it is essential to find a church family and share that pain and hurt with the pastors or leaders of whatever community you plug into.
My wife and I have never felt neglected or intentionally hurt in the church. We have always gone to larger churches where the community can be challenging.
Yet, we strive to create a community of safety, health, and healing for those who have experienced such trauma. I believe you can find that in a church and find your people.
J.R. Heimbigner is a #1 Bestselling Author on Amazon who loves helping people grow in their faith and help writers become authors. You can connect with him on Medium, his website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Substack!
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I believe that all Christians should belong to a church family. My husband and I travel in our motorhome full-time now, so a home church on a regular basis doesn't work. We've found some fantastic churches in our travels. when the Holy Spirit is present in a church you know it. I would not go to one where He wasn't. Thanks for the post. God bless