With our journey of visiting fifty-two churches over, I can reflect more on the complete experience. Today, I’ll add to my thoughts about Church #2. Visiting this church, a newer, accessible, nondenominational gathering, was as easy as Church #1 was challenging. Here, there were no awkward situations or outdated practices. We felt comfortable and at […]
With our journey of visiting fifty-two churches over, I have the benefit of time to more fully reflect on the complete experience, starting with Church #1. Every week, it was hard for me to walk into a new church, but the first time was the hardest. Although terrified, I had a good attitude. Because of […]
The More Than 52 Churches Workbook: Pursue Christian Community and Grow in Our Faith You’ve read More Than 52 Churches. Now it’s time to put thoughts into action. This workbook will guide you—if you dare let it. Consider 175 thought-provoking questions to propel your faith forward. Discover how the narrative of More Than 52 Churches […]
There’s a half hour span between the two services. As we wait, we recognize many people, waving “Hi” to some and enjoying meaningful conversation with others. Time passes quickly as we wait for the contemporary service to begin. The stage is reset, with the orchestra section removed. This gives more room for the contemporary worship […]
The church has two services: a “blended” celebration, followed by a contemporary one. We go to both, starting with the blended service. For their blended service, traditional organ music engulfs the space during the prelude, prompting enthusiastic applause. On stage, an orchestra of fifteen plays for the opening song set. The amplified vibrato of the […]
Ideas for Having a House Church Over the years there have been times when I couldn’t go to church. I’m not talking about the Sundays I was ill or traveling. Instead, I’m referring to times when the church canceled its service. These have included weather-related problems, power outages, no heat, and construction issues. Each of […]
Exploring Christian Practices That Lack Biblical Support For years I’ve told people that I strive to write from a Christian worldview. That’s what I believed I was doing. I even regularly prayed that God would empower me to do so, that each word I wrote would embrace, support, and advance a Christian worldview. However, I […]
Today is a doubleheader: a traditional service followed by a contemporary one. Aside from an older crowd, there’s little to suggest a traditional service is about to occur. Everything gives off a progressive vibe, from the informal space, to the padded chairs, to round tables in the back and large screen up front, to the […]
Wasn’t Visiting 52 Churches in a Year Enough? No way. Not even close. Let the journey of discovery continue in this poignant sequel to 52 Churches. This time we take a wider swath as we visit more of Jesus’s churches. More variety. More cringe-worthy moments. And more of God at work. Yes, you’ll get all […]
As I blog about the churches we visit, I desire to focus on the positive. While each congregation has their good points and their weak areas, my goal in my posts is to share their more encouraging moments, to celebrate what is right. Today, I find that hard to do. Perhaps I’m weary from our […]