Ever gone somewhere expecting it to be a certain way and been pleasantly surprised by what you found? I have.
My early church years were full of problems, mistrust, disunity and tradition. There is no way to sugar coat it. I hated going to church. I'd call myself a christian and stuff, do the right thing but I hated church and what it was.
When I started going to the church I now attend I had a certain idea about what it would be. All my life I had grown up with and gotten used to the idea that church was a conservative place. A place where you come to be serious, sing a few songs, listen to someone preach then go home. I thought it was a place where fun was never allowed.
And when I first went, that was what I expected. I was wrong. Very wrong. My expectations were shattered by a church that was the exact opposite of my old church and what I thought church should be. It was what I needed. I had hated church. So how would something the same as the old one help me in anyway? Can you imagine me being put off by church/es completely, as so many are, if all I found was another church exactly the way my old one was? I can.
In their minds, most people would imagine church as the boring, serious, stand up, sit down, show no emotion, don't clap and don't even contemplate dancing kind of church. Church is so much different than that. It is exciting and interesting. It can be emotional or light hearted. You can clap during the songs and not be frowned upon and you can dance if you want to.
What I want to say is, don't let what you expect from church be what makes your decision for you. Give it a chance, then make a decision. Experience it and make a judgement. We say don't judge a book by its cover; I say the same about churches. Don't judge this church based on your experiences at that church. Don't label all churches as the same, because they are not. There is one that's right for you and it'll probably be the one you walk into. It's not what you think or expect. I promise you. Please just give it a go.
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Hello. :) It was so nice to read this post for me, because I was always the one that went to random churches with friends if I was invited, but I was never able to call one my own until recently. I completely agree with what you say, because I've been to a lot of churches and they all have their differences, and it was nice finding one that I belonged to.
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