Some Thoughts on Church

Our Pastor has been preaching through the Book of Mark since the beginning of the year. Today’s sermon was right up my alley, as it was on a topic that I’ve been on my soapbox about during our entire church hunt. Today we were in Mark 7, and in my Bible, the heading reads, “Traditions and Commandments.”

Charles and I had been church hunting for almost three years—well before we left Virginia. Those first-hand experiences led me to write about it back in February 2023. I titled the piece “Church and Complacency,” but never published it. I worried that some might find it offensive, and I have no desire to be divisive. I was concerned that the heart of the message might be missed and interpreted as judgment rather than reflection.

The heart of that article centered on passages about the Early Church in Acts 2. I found myself wondering whether early churchgoers also complained about certain aspects of “church.” Did they grumble about sitting on hard ground instead of cushioned seats? About tambourine music when they preferred the lute? About what people were wearing?

Scripture doesn’t mention these things specifically, but because the Church was made up of human beings, I suspect some version of this existed. And if you read the letters of Paul and John, it’s clear there were issues in those early churches.

During our church hunt, Charles and I ended up sorting 21st-century churches into three broad categories: tradition-based, world-based, and Scripture-based. It’s definitely an oversimplification, but for the sake of brevity, it helped us name what we were seeing.

Our goal was to find a church firmly grounded in Scripture and focused on making disciples—a church that feels more like a family, with people we can worship and serve alongside. Sounds easy, doesn’t it?

We visited churches where the sermons were biblically sound, but you can look around and see that it’s not growing. Some weren’t friendly or inviting—two very different things. I could offer plenty of first-hand examples, but many of these churches ultimately fell into the “tradition” category. They were struggling to remain relevant, so focused on how church had been done for the past fifty years that they failed to notice young families weren’t coming. And when they did notice, excuses often followed. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that without a healthy, multi-generational church, the dominant generation will eventually age out. And then what?

We also attended churches that, on the surface, seemed like the place to be—plenty of programs and events, and friendly people. But the teaching and preaching often stayed shallow, seemingly out of a desire not to offend anyone. Attendance numbers and an à la carte menu of activities were points of pride. At times, it felt more like watching a performance than participating in corporate worship. Ultimately, we scratched these churches off our list—we weren’t searching for entertainment.

Our church hunt became a significant learning experience for both of us—one that ultimately strengthened our faith by driving us deeper into God’s Word as we sought clarity on where to visit and how to discern next steps. At the same time, the experience often saddened my heart. I found myself wondering whether God, too, was grieved by what He was seeing. Humans have a way of complicating even the simplest things.

It’s hard to put into words how discouraging it is to walk into a church searching for a home and not have anyone speak to you beyond the door greeters—something we experienced more than once. That reality alone has made me far more intentional about my actions every Sunday. I never want someone else to feel the way we did.

In Mark 7, the Pharisees were complaining about handwashing. Handwashing. Jesus and His followers weren’t doing it “right” according to the religious leaders. In the first 13 verses, Jesus points out how human traditions had taken the place of God’s commands. The Pharisees had complicated the things of God to make their own rules. Sound familiar? Don’t we sometimes do the same thing, imposing our own opinions about how church should be done?

Show me in Scripture where it says a church building must have a steeple, or that music must be played on an organ. Where does it say we need stage lighting or smoke machines, or that flavored creamers must accompany the coffee? What eternal value do any of these things hold? Yet somehow, we focus on them—and complain when they don’t meet our expectations.

I am so thankful that our church hunt ended last summer. Thank you, Jesus, for providing us a home with a community of believers and seekers. We’re a group of imperfect people, working to create a sense of belonging for everyone who walks through the door.

Today’s sermon was summed up in one sentence: “Jesus is after surrender, not spiritual systems.”

Friends, let’s surrender our hearts to Jesus and not get hung up on how we handwash.