My wife and I visited 52 churches in a year. Then we attended a bunch more. Here is what we learned.
It’s a quintessential country church and our third Baptist congregation in six weeks. With no online presence, what we know is from their sign out front: its name and service time. The sanctuary is smaller than I expected. One lady greets us warmly and another scurries to fetch us a bulletin. We fill out the […]
When I tell people we’re visiting Christian churches, they often assume Protestant and are surprised our plan includes Catholic gatherings. That’s where we head today, to our first Mass. The most noticeable difference is an ornate crucifix in the sanctuary. I’m pleased to see many lay people helping lead the service. There’s a nice range […]
The church is a traditional-looking building, constructed of brick and stately in appearance. In checking out the sanctuary, I anticipate the service will be just as Facebook promised. It said “a blending of traditional and contemporary.” Will they have the right mix of music? The service begins with several familiar choruses. A few people lift […]
“This won’t be a typical service” cautions a friend who greets us when we arrive. The church suffered a tragedy, just three days before and not all the members yet know. The service will communicate this news and provide some needed God-perspective on the situation. I appreciate the warning, while wishing our visit could be […]
This Sunday we visit a nondenominational church. It’s three years old and I know a bit about it and its pastor, who I perceive as a mostly postmodern guy possessing a modern theology. I suspect the church will mirror that. Located in a small strip mall, I find a parking spot near the door. Only […]
The first of fifty-two churches is a small Baptist-affiliated assembly. With forty or so normally in attendance, this Sunday has only seventeen. The service is not unlike churches my wife attended in her youth, so she feels comfortable and is familiar with their format even though it now feels quite dated. The people are friendly […]
Our experience of visiting fifty-two churches in a year is over. I’ve shared the journey, as well as my recap and reflections on our pilgrimage. It was a great experience. What’s next? Quite a bit, actually. 52 Churches is now a book, with a scheduled publication December 4, 2018. I only posted a fraction of […]
When It Comes Time to Change Churches, Attitude Is Everything Last week we talked about when not to change churches, instead of looking to find a new church. Too often people treat their church as a commodity and behave as a consumer, switching their loyalty over trivial things. Most of the time, however, the best […]
When We Go Church Shopping We Behave as Consumers and Don’t Honor God In today’s practice of retail religion, we pursue faith has a consumer and miss the purpose of church. We’re quick to change churches over the smallest of issues. Yet, usually the best action to take is no action: Don’t change churches. Often […]
Can You Have a Church Service Without Hearing a Preacher Speak? My wife and I recently visited a church. Though we didn’t know it before we walked in, their service would be different that week. There was no sermon. The church used the normal sermon time to talk about the missionaries their church supported. They […]