Things You'll Need:
- An open mind
- Patience
- The ability to listen
-
Step 1
Leave all preconceived notions at the door. You may have come from a prior bad experience, many have; however, it is important to leave that behind, before you enter into a new situation. People are hurting and they go to church for comfort. Your aim is to not bring your prior bad experiences with you and, by the same token, realize that others are struggling also. The Golden Rule applies here.
-
Step 2
Get the lay of the land. Once you find a potential church home, don't be so focused on fitting in and being accepted. It is more important to be aware and make sure that the message and its application edifies, enriches and uplifts those who attend the church, than it is to fit in and gain acceptance. Anyone can take the written word and apply it to fit their personal agenda, so make sure that this is not the case before you become intimately involved in erroneous teaching.
-
Step 3
Stop, look and listen: Do not be swayed by charismatic leadership, but be certain that the associate leadership follow the teachings of their God, instead of the leader who runs the organization. This may sound basic, but people and church politics share an often uncomfortable dynamic where the leader becomes bigger in his own eyes as well the hearts of those he is leading. Today, there are dozens of stories where people have been led astray by a church leader who placed himself in a position of deification and you do not want to be mixed up in something on that level.
-
Step 4
Judge the fruit not the people. Although people are flawed, you can still judge the fruit of a person’s actions and their actions will speak volumes if you give people the space to show you who they are. A church is supposed to serve the needs of the people in the church. If, so, then this is a good sign. If not, then find out whose needs they are serving because you may be getting a clear picture of the prior step described above. Another important fruit to judge is whether or not the church serves the needs of the people in the community. A church should, by design, provide outreach services that enrich the community in which the church resides. This is an important phase of a church's growth, so be watchful that you misjudge as you may be visiting a new church and it is not at that stage of its development.
-
Step 5
Do not, under any circumstance, be moved by unhealthy personal interactions. In other words, make sure that the organization does not advocate peer pressure tactics to engage your services, time and finances. Methods, such as the use of guilt laden language, inferences of a person’s inadequacy and/or harshly judgmental and coercive methods used to manipulate a desired response, are not the signs of a healthy church body. Although there are individuals within a healthy body who may use such methodology and can easily be ignored and dealt with by church authority, you want to be certain that this is the exception and not the church prescribed modus of operandi.
