Finding the Perfect Church

Are you searching for the "perfect church"?  My husband and I

have been on the quest for the last seven years.  We left a church

we were a part of for many years.  Here we  served as  Sunday School

teacher, choir member, soloist, deacon, nursery worker, committee

member,  and many other roles during our time there.  We had many

friends and many ministries there.  We were always anxious to 

see what God had for us while we were a part of this wonderful

fellowship.  

You many wonder why we left?  We got caught up in a typical

church scandal.  You know the kind . . . she said/he said

things were going on that were clouding our ability to worship

and serve.  We didn't agree with some of the things that were

going on. . . . we felt leaving was our only option.  

Many of us find ourselves in search of the "perfect church",

diligently seeking one where every member is in perfect

harmony . . . where everything runs as it should.  A church

where everyone is so holy the halos are almost visible, where

every doctrine that is taught is identical with our beliefs, and

every aspect of the worship service is just as we imagine it

should be.  So, after seven years of searching . . . we have

come to the conclusion that there is no perfect church and that

we are far from perfect church members. 

  I think we  have visited every single church with similar beliefs within

a 30 mile radius of our home.  We went so far as to hypothetically

creating the perfect church.  We took our favorite pastor, worship

leader, youth minister and congregation and rolled it all up in a

perfect church.  That seems silly to think about . . . we finally

realized that this place we were searching for did not exist.

It surely didn't exist on earth because perfection is only found

in heaven.  

We agree now that leaving was the wrong thing for us to do 

seven years ago and that we walked away from a ministry

God had so carefully placed us in.  What we have learned

from the years of searching is how to be better 

church members. . . . we have visited so much that 

we know how it feels to be the new face, how

good it feels to be greeted at the door, and for someone

to remember our name.  We can now serve with this

knowledge that we have learned and turn it all into good

as we begin to serve the Lord again in this fellowship 

of believers.  

So, if you are looking for the perfect church . . . STOP.

It is not there.  Pray that God would place you in a 

church where you can serve him. . . . and hang in there

even when things seem impossible.  Be part of the 

solution and don't walk away . . . because peace

has come for us when we swallowed our pride and 

went back to the ministry God has placed us in.