A couple of months ago, Matt and I were struggling with the decision to stay or leave the church we had been attending since last December. In a nutshell, the only thing keeping us there was our commitment to the youth there. It’s funny looking back and remembering how much we did struggle with the decision. Were we supposed to stay and stick out whatever hurdles our church was experiencing? Or were we supposed to leave and finally go to a church that had people our age group and preaching that we learned from? If you put it that way, the decision seems obvious.

And now, a few months later, and having only tried four other churches within the last month and half, it’s quite obvious that God has brought us to another church that truly fits what we had in mind. In previous entries, I mentioned three other churches–none of which Matt and I were gung-ho about. There was always something that didn’t feel quite right.

Enter Church #4, which we attended the past two Sundays. It’s a young, small church in downtown Renton that really desires to reflect the multicultural community in which it’s set. There is still much to be accomplished in that area, but nearly everyone who we have met from church also are focused on that…to bring in more people from the neighborhood, to get to know people in the community, to make sure people of all races and walks of life feel welcome. It’s refreshing to see that the church is actively doing things to reach that goal.

And not only the church as a whole is doing that, but so are individuals in their own lives the rest of the week. Tonight, we attended a community group that is only about 10 minutes from our house. Nearly everyone in the group lives within 10-15 minutes of us, and it just blew us away that all of them had such hearts for other people, for their neighbors, for people around the world. Many of them have and continue opening up their homes to their neighbors, either through meals or tutoring. And this is not an “official church event.” This is what they do on their own time. I was truly inspired.

And it’s not like they were intimidating “super Christians,” either. They were all so easygoing, genuine, friendly, and I felt comfortable with them right away…and that’s not something I experience often. There was a lot of joking around going on, and a lot of harmless friendly banter between people that made us feel comfortable. People were comfortable enough to make fun of one another, without taking offense, and I really liked that. But people were also very open and honest about themselves.
Another plus for the church is that the sermons are great. Of all the churches we’ve been to, the sermons we’ve heard in the last two weeks have been the most interesting and well-given sermons of our other options.

So, now looking back, I feel almost foolish to think we might have stayed at our old church, when this was waiting for us. I know no church is perfect, and over time (if we stay at this church), I know flaws will show themselves. But that’s expected at any church, any job, with any relationship. But to see so many of what was on our list of “Top Things We Want in Our Church” in one place was just a humbling reminder that the nudge away from our old church was not just our way of copping out of an awkward situation. Picture me doing a Wayne and Garth, bowing down, saying, “We’re not worthy! We’re not worthy!”

Life would be much easier if we saw our paths laid out clearly before us, but where would the fun and the faith be in all of that?