{"id":448,"date":"2008-05-22T01:01:50","date_gmt":"2008-05-22T01:01:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2008\/05\/recommendation-1-clarify-what-you-value-most-in-a-church-though-with-an-open-mind-and-heart.html"},"modified":"2008-05-22T01:01:50","modified_gmt":"2008-05-22T01:01:50","slug":"recommendation-1-clarify-what-you-value-most-in-a-church-though-with-an-open-mind-and-heart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/05\/recommendation-1-clarify-what-you-value-most-in-a-church-though-with-an-open-mind-and-heart.html","title":{"rendered":"Recommendation #1: Clarify what you value most in a church, though with an open mind and heart."},"content":{"rendered":"

Part 4 of series: Choosing a Church: Some Recommendations
\n<\/em>Permalink for this post<\/a> \/ Permalink for this series<\/a>
\nAs most of my blog readers know, recently my family and I moved from California to Texas. We had a fairly easy time deciding that we wanted to live in Boerne, a small town on the outskirts of San Antonio. The schools are excellent in Boerne and it is located halfway between Kerrville (where my office is) and San Antonio (a major city with shopping, an airport, and where I frequently go for meetings).
\nDeciding to live in Boerne was easy enough, but deciding which house to buy was much trickier because there were so many variables. Did we want more land (which is amazingly inexpensive in Texas compared to California)? Or did we want a view of the hills? Did we want to live out in the country? Or did we prefer proximity to school and church? Then there were questions of price, style, floor plan, etc. etc. etc. It took us a few months of looking around before we were able to identify what we value most in a house. We learned, for example, that it was important to live fairly close to town so we didn’t end up spending lots of extra hours each week in the car (and burning gasoline!). (Photo: Our house hiding behind the trees.)
\nAs you consider what you value in a church, as in shopping for a house, you’ll probably come up with top priority items (like solid theology), mid-priority items (proximity to home) and low-priority items (not too big). A prioritized list of values will be of great help as you try to settle in on a church. For example, when it comes to preaching, I don’t need my preacher to be a fantastic public speaker. That’s a low priority item. I don’t need great stories or jokes. I don’t need engaging PowerPoint. But I do need my preacher to be a person of solid Christian integrity, somebody I can trust. That’s a high priority item. I also need my preacher to have at least something worth saying each week. I don’t need twenty minutes of brilliance. But I do like to receive at least one thought I can take to heart. My pastor at St. Mark Presbyterian in Boerne fits the bill here, both in his character and in the wisdom of his preaching.?
\nAlso, one of the benefits of clarifying your values will come if you’re not the only person making this decision. If, for example, you have a spouse and\/or children, then the clarifying process will be a corporate one. It will be essential that you know, for example, that your spouse really doesn’t like music led by a rock band (or a choir, or a DJ, or whatever). ?
\nWhen you’re looking for a new church, you may or may not be able to say at first what you most value. Or you may think that you care about certain features which, in the end, turn out not to matter. I know many people, for example, who begin the church search believing that they are looking for a church in a certain denomination (or independent), but in the end they find a wonderful church in a different denomination than they had expected.
\nOne way to discover what you care most about in a church is to visit several churches and see what happens. I’d encourage you to be engaged, attentive, and open to the direction of the Spirit. You might be surprised by the result.
\nAs you’re visiting churches, try to clarify<\/em> what you care most about. Most of us have expectations and values, but these are often unexpressed. The process of clarification will enable you to know what you value and even to consider whether, in light of your theological convictions, you should in fact value these things. But remember to have an open mind and heart in the process, because God might have in mind a church that’s different from what you expect.
\nAlthough my example of going to Irvine Presbyterian Church isn’t ordinary, since I was being called as the senior pastor of this church, it does function as an analogy. If you had asked me in 1990 what I valued in the church to which I would be called as pastor, I’d have told you that I absolutely did not want to go to a church that needed to build buildings. I had seen churches in my area go through major crises associated with building projects. I had seen the conflicts, the financial drain, and the fiascoes. Moreover, I knew that there were hundreds of Presbyterian churches, often in cities, that had giant facilities but dwindling congregations. I believed I’d be a perfect fit for such a church, given my experience in Hollywood. I could focus on ministry without having to worry about buildings. That is what I thought in 1990, passionately. In fact, I told the search committee at Irvine Pres that I had major reservations about building projects. I said this knowing that this church was on the verge of building a sanctuary, and had more building on the distant horizon.
\nWell, as most of you know, God had the last laugh here. I ended up going to Irvine Presbyterian Church in 1991. And we did indeed build a sanctuary while I was pastor there, and also an administration building. I provided pastoral leadership for four, count ’em, four capital campaigns. For the most part I enjoyed the challenges and opportunities of building, even the capital campaigns.
\nSo, before you tell yourself, “I absolutely will not go to a church that [fill in the blank],” be aware that God might want not only to clarify your values, but also to change them.
\nAt this point I can imagine some of my readers wanting to object: But aren’t there some bottom line qualities of a church that are non-negotiable? You’re not urging me to be open about everything, are you? You’re not suggesting that I should be open to going to a church that has lousy theology, are you? I’ll answer these questions tomorrow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Part 4 of series: Choosing a Church: Some Recommendations Permalink for this post \/ Permalink for this series As most of my blog readers know, recently my family and I moved from California to Texas. We had a fairly easy time deciding that we wanted to live in Boerne, a small town on the outskirts…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-448","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-choosing-a-church"],"yoast_head":"\nRecommendation #1: Clarify what you value most in a church, though with an open mind and heart. - Mark D. 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Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/448","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=448"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/448\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=448"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=448"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=448"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}