Finding a church....

Dessa and I have been trying to find a church. This process is somewhat different than picking a gym or deciding which grocery store has the best selection. We always look for an element of "what we want" in a new church, much like the grocery store. We also like to hear "what they can do for us" as in a gym. But finding a church is more personal.

At first I wanted simply to find somewhere I could play. I like music, and I like playing music. Therefore I was willing to take any theology, any worship form, as long as I could be a part of the music. This has changed recently, as my theology has grown more developed. I find myself looking for a theology I can worship in, rather than a style of worship.

Having been inundated in Southern Baptist church life recently, I have found that lack of theological focus and emotion-based worship is welcoming at first, but as I have outgrown the milk of my youth, I am finding a love of liturgy and theology. The ability to openly discuss topics pertinent to the community of faith is paramount, as is the knowledge that disagreement does not automatically result in breaking of fellowship.

Now it is no longer important whether I can pluck my bass on Sunday mornings, but that I am fed, challenged, and encouraged in my faith and understanding. I hope I have now found that place, and I look forward to much thoughtful discussion and a lifetime of authentic, meaningful worship.