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Search for a Church 2.0: First Five Visits (#1734)

2018/05/14 By Greg

photos by Greg Smith
photos by Greg Smith

We have reached the half-way point in visiting the ten congregations on our short list of faith communities located near our home.

Visuals

The first grouping of images showcase #ViewFromThePew photos taken during our Sunday morning worship experiences in the four English language services we attended.

The second grouping of images capture some of our experience in the lone bilingual service we attended.

Variety

The variety within these worship services extended beyond language, including:

  • style: 2 services were blended  and 3 were traditional
  • sacrament: 4 services included Communion/Eucharist/Lord’s Supper
  • length: services lasted between 55 minutes and 1 hour and 55 minutes
  • denominational affiliation:  Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Episcopal, Presbyterian (PCUSA), United Church of Christ

 

So What?

photos by Greg Smith
photos by Greg Smith

When we started our search for a church we knew that it would be impossible to choose a congregation based on a single visit.  Since we completed our last search for a church not all that long ago, we did expect that a single visit would be enough to rule out some congregations.

Two of the five remain on our list of possibilities.  We look forward to visiting them again once we complete our first visits to the congregations still on our initial list.

  • Share one reason you would be unlikely to make a second visit to a congregation based on your past experiences of searching for a church.
  • What do you recall of your first ever visit to your current faith community?

 

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Greg Smith

Greg is a follower of the Way of Jesus who strives to make the world a better place for all people. Currently, he serves as Chief Executive Officer of White Rock Center of Hope and as Interim Senior Pastor of Advent Lutheran Church. He has served ten congregations, taught religion to undergraduates for eight years, and helped three organizations provide quality healthcare to underserved populations. (Read More)

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