70% of the United States population considers themselves to be Christian. That massive number of worshipers has made it so churches all across America have flourished.
If you’re just starting down the path of faith or if you’re moving to a new area and are looking for a church to start attending, you might find yourself overwhelmed by your choices. Fortunately, finding the right church can be made a lot easier by exploring a few key considerations.
In this post, we share some practical advice that can help you narrow down your place of worship options so you can find the perfect congregation.
1. Consider Your Preferred Denomination
When searching for a Christian church, you’ll find that there are several denominations that practice in a community. Some common Christian denominations include Protestant, Catholic, Mormon, Orthodox and Jehovah’s Witness.
If denomination is something that’s important to you, you can immediately narrow your place of worship options by searching online for church’s that cater to your preferences.
For those of you that don’t have a preferred domination or like inter-denominational worship, there may be specialty churches in your area that align with those tastes.
2. Talk to Loved Ones
To further cull your list of potential churches, talking to the people that you love and asking for recommendations can be helpful. After all, if you have a lot in common with the meaningful people in your life, chances are, you’ll enjoy the same church that they do.
If you don’t know anybody in a new area who can offer recommendations, look at online review boards and discussion forums to see what other Christians have to say about particular places.
Churches that are getting a lot of positive word of mouth recommendations should make it to the top of your list of spots to explore.
3. Look Into Services Offered
Depending on how funded your church is, the level of services that are offered will vary. For example, some churches only do mass on Sunday mornings and holidays. Others do multiple Masses on Sundays and on Wednesdays.
Consider what your schedule looks like and when you’ll be best able to attend church. Then, compare your needs to what a church is offering to see if everything aligns.
4. Think About Your Children
When you’re trying to find a church, children are often a consideration. While most churches will allow you to bring your kids to adult-oriented Sunday mass, do you feel that’s where they’ll find the most value as they begin to explore the meaning of their faith?
If you’d like more tailored church services for your kids, ask a church that you’re considering what youth programs they offer. Some churches will have special programs for elementary-aged, middle school and high school children.
5. Congregation Size Might Matter to You
Some people feel closest to God when they can sing his praises alongside hundreds of people. Others feel closest when they worship with just a small handful of individuals.
What congregation size allows you to feel closest to your faith?
If you know the answer to that question, don’t compromise when it comes to trying to find the perfect sized church for you.
Your goal at church should be to feel close to God. Anything that you can do to uphold that aim is worth doing.
5. Understand Your Formality Preferences
Depending on the level of formality that your church features, you may be required to dress up for services and sermons might be more traditional. More modern churches allow for attendees to come as they are and sermons are written to be colorful and topical.
If you have a strong preference regarding formality, be sure to inquire about how your church conducts itself before committing to them. It’s important that you find a place of worship that’s a good cultural fit for you so you feel comfortable attending.
6. Don’t Forget About Distance
The easier that we can make it on ourselves to find our way to church, the better. Nothing makes it more difficult to attend church than selecting one that’s far from where you live.
To ensure that you never feel too burned out to get to service, we recommend that people choose a place of worship that’s within a 20-minute drive of their homes. Not only will that make commuting simpler, but when your church does work in its community, you’ll be contributing to where you live.
7. Pray On It
At the end of the day, God knows best which congregation you’re destined to be a part of. To try and get his input, the best thing that you can do is pray on the subject.
While very few answers that come from God are direct, with ample prayer, your finding the right church decision will make itself clear to you in its unique way.
Use Our Finding the Right Church Tips to Locate the Ideal Congregation
Finding the right church can be a stressful process. By following the tips that we’ve shared with you though, we’re confident that you’ll be able to work your way through any trouble that you bump into and eventually happen upon a congregation that will have the potential to change your life.
Our existence is filled with all sorts of questions that we turn to prayer to have answered. Our team aims to assist in answering many of those questions on our blog, which is targeted at curious people that are seeking solutions.
If you have more questions on your mind, browse the newest content on our site today!
