By Steve

Have you ever been to ___ church?

I don’t visit many churches. For the most part, I don’t see the point. I’m more interested in 1) what goes on behind the scenes and 2) observing the difference the church is making, than I am sitting in on a Sunday service. Still, the question comes up often. And when it does, it seems the list of churches is always the same. It was no different when I lived in Reno, and it is probably similar in any American city.

People always ask about the biggest churches, the emerging, postmodern, young adult or hip churches, the unusual or “different” church and then usually there is a new church thrown in probably because their name has been all over banners, flyers and direct mail. I’m never sure what’s behind the question, but I usually assume people want to know if I liked it. Of course, this is problematic. Did I like what? Did I like the speaking, music, lighting, video, building, ambiance etc.? Are these the things that really matter? But what else could possibly be evaluated on a single visit? And what difference does my opinion make anyway? I don’t visit many churches (there is a deeper reason behind this, the belief that church is something to be lived rather than attended, but I’ll write about that some other time).

But for those who won’t quit asking, I have not yet been to The Flood. I have been to Mission Gathering and there was a guest speaker, whom I “liked” very much. I have been to the Rock, but it was the old building. They just opened their new building in Point Loma and had their first service last Sunday. So I know it’s coming, “have you been to The Rocks new building yet?” (There was an article in Monday’s paper about The Rock’s new building, describing it’s 54 million dollar facility, 3,500 seat sanctuary, Barnes & Noble size bookstore and fully operational coffee shop, as well as the full school and NFL type turf play field. It’s probably amazing; I’ll probably like it. But. More in tomorrows blog).

If you are part of a church, I hope you like it. I hope you know what makes it tick. I hope you are involved in making a difference the other 6 days of the week. If you are not part of a church, I hope you will visit some and choose one. One you like, inside and out. One where you can make a difference. And, if you are a part of, or ever visit Citywalk, I hope you like it!