Finding a Good Local Church
Perhaps, like Colleen and Eric, it's time for you to begin a new spiritual journey ― this time in a healthy church environment. Research studies have documented numerous benefits for couples and families.
Here's how to find a good local church that's right for you:
A. Take a minute to determine what you're looking for. Choose what interests you, then print out a quick assessment of your spiritual wishes. Do you want resources to enrich your marriage? Positive spiritual, moral, and social training for your children? What other benefits do you want?
B. Take another minute to determine your current religious preferences. Describe what matters to you, then print out an assessment of your spiritual preferences. What's your religious background? Your spouse's religious background? What other spiritual factors are significant to your family?
C. Then take another minute or two to decide what options to pursue. Discover and begin exploring your local options. Learn how to get the most out of the church you decide to attend.
Related Articles:
* Spiritual Adjustment in Marriage
Learn five areas of spiritual adjustment that can make your marriage as thrilling and solid as a game-winning Mark McGwire home run in the bottom of the ninth inning.
* Beginning to Pray Together (Part 1 of 2)
Not many married couples have discovered the secret of daily prayer together. Drs. Jan and David Stoop took a survey of couples who pray together. These eight suggestions from this questionnaire can help transform your marriage through prayer.
SPIRITUAL DRIFTING
Leaving your church under bad circumstances can lead to the temptation to abandon church entirely. Here's what some prominent Christians have had to say about spiritual drifiting:
"At a deep level I sense the church contains something I desperately need. Whenever I abandon church for a time, I find that I am the one who suffers. My faith fades, and the crusty shell of lovelessness grows over me again. I grow colder rather than hotter. And so my journeys away from church have always circled back inside." ― Philip Yancey
"Life is full of people who 'used to believe.' But because things turned out darker and tougher than they supposed, they have decided that 'there can't be a God to let things like that happen.' But 'things like that' have always happened, to all sorts of people; even to Christ." ― J. B. Phillips
"Maybe if you have money, health and a busy schedule, you don't feel the need to fellowship with other Christians. But when the storms of life hit ― and they will ― suddenly you'll find nobody's there. If you remain shallow in your relationship to your local church, you will lose out on the support of other Christians when you need it most." ― Luis Palau
Copyright © 2003 David Sanford. David currently is writing a book on spiritually drifting away from God and the church ― and coming back. David and his wife, Ren*e, are authors of the 400 pages of devotional application notes featured in the popular Living Faith Bible (Tyndale House).
