To join or not to join - this is a tricky question!

Published on July 25 2016 by Joy Odom

As mentioned before in "Church Shopping", finding a home church is not easy.

For my husband and I, we both have different views on what our home church should be. We both realize that there isn't a perfect church (because there are no perfect people).

There are three (3) reasons for holding back from joining a church: FOR ME!

Are the teachers teaching or complaining? This is difficult for many reasons but basically for one fact, anyone who steps into the position to teach may just be filling the role for the time being instead of a lifetime, you must know the difference. We are not all called to be teachers and some teachers are not able to get over themselves long enough to describe the distinct difference between a testimony and making excuses for their own sins (a perpetual victim). You want a teacher who is transparent and teaches the word of God as descibed in the Bible and if you find one who can led by example moreover mouthpiece, you've got an awesome teacher!
A "can't let go" congregation! This is a congregation who can only hesitantly accept new members. As a whole, they can not accept change well or allow new people to "help". And to take this a little further - for me - if there is gossiping going on, I just can't do it - get involved. Going off track but this is a great example: Someone was talking about how ungrateful their children were and how they were demon seeds then, after some time, turned to ask if I had children and what a blessing I'm missing out on! I beleive that if the person wasn't running the tongue faster than the brain, the contridiction wouldn't have been so quickly stated.
This is the absolute, number one reason to hold off when considering joining a new church - if God tells you!

My husband has his check list for joining a church and I have mine - they are not at all the same but we agree that when God says wait, not yet or nothing at all then we will be obiedant. And just in case you may be wondering, even if God told my husband to join and I hadn't heard it - I would do it, my husband is the leader in this house, he is my spritual leader and friend and I trust that what God tells him, he will let me know that God tells him that I need to know.

Pray about everything!