Mandy and I visited Southcliff Baptist Church this morning. It had been recommended by two different couples of friends, so we though we'd give it a shot.
On a minor side note: It seems that having a coffee shop just outside the sanctuary where members can buy coffee is becoming increasingly popular in churches.
So Mandy and I walk in the front door, and once again, not more than a few seconds into the door, we're greeted by someone. Now this guy has a name tag on, so chances are this is what he's supposed to do. But still, it's nice that at least someone is looking out for new faces.
He led us over to a booth where we filled out info about ourselves. Mandy filled out the form while I spoke with the greeter. He found out we were from LA and mentioned that the senior pastor was also from there. Once our info was in, they handed us bag with all sorts of material in it about the church and what they do. We also got coupons for free coffee, which Mandy used to give herself a little caffeine boost.
The service itself wasn't all that dissimilar from a normal service. There was singing, a recorded baptism (the live one happened in the 9:20 service), and then a prayer time and then preaching. The pastor spoke on Faith Amnesia, how to not forget what God has done for you when things go bad. He used the text Mark 8:1-9. Not 100% sure the text he used related to what he was preaching, but then again I wasn't the one that studied the text, he was. (The problem with going to Seminary is that it teaches you to be very critical of what you hear. And though that can be a good thing at times, it can also get in the way and make you seem arrogant.) What he had to say was good, especially the part about building landmarks for ourselves to remember God's faithfulness, i.e. a journal or diary where one could record God's working in your life.
Afterward, our friend the greeter came back and took us up to the front to meet the pastor. Very nice guy, seems real easy to talk to. We talked seminary chat for a while, then said our goodbyes. Then the greeter told us that if we needed any help to call them, and if the LORD leads us somewhere else, then wonderful, and if not, they look forward to seeing us again. So no pressure on joining was the point he was trying to make, which I appreciated.
Looking through the material given to us, I did notice a few things that I appreciated. (1) Joining the church was fairly simple. You attend a new members class where they talk about what being a member means, and then if you agree and want to join, you simply sign a statement and you're a member. I've become kind of burned on the whole walk down the aisle thing, so that was a pleasant change. (2) They have a class specifically for married couples age 21-29. So that means we don't have to pick between going to class with college freshmen or to a class filled with couples that have three kids and a good ten years into their marriage. There is a class for people at our life stage. (3) In late September they have a dinner scheduled specifically for New Seminary students looking for a church home. These people realize that there is a ministry there and they're jumping on it.
So, all in all, a good visit this morning. Plus on the welcoming newcomers, classes offered, and membership guidelines. The only bad thing is that it is a big church, and I was really wanting to go smaller this time around. But once again, God did not speak to me and tell me that this is the church he wants us to serve at. If He does, I wouldn't be heartbroken, but I'm not feeling anything now.
Mandy did make the comment that Freedom Church in Fort Worth seemed less polished than this church, and that made them seem more real and genuine. I agree with her; the conversation at Freedom Church felt less forced. But Southcliff is a mega-church, where individually recognizing visitors may be impossible. So I can't fault the church for being practical in training greeters on what to say in order to catch everyone. Forced conversation or not, it was nice that someone made the effort to talk to us.
So, those are my experience of the morning. Feel free to comment or ask questions. I'm always here.
Keep Soaring,
B
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