If you’ve moved to a new city and are trying to find a church, you may realize that it’s harder than you expected. It’s important the congregation you join is one where you’ll feel at home and a place where you’ll continue to grow emotionally, spiritually and intellectually.
Here’s how to pinpoint a new church in Houston that’s a good fit for you:
Ask These Questions Before You Start Searching
Are you committed to a particular denomination? If so, this helps to narrow your search considerably. If not, you have a plethora of options available to you.
Small, medium, or large? What size congregation are you comfortable with? Some prefer small churches where everyone knows everyone else. Others like large churches with lots of things to get involved in and lots of people to fellowship with.
What clothes am I comfortable wearing to service? Some churches are fairly casual when it comes to church attire. Then you have churches where members come to worship in their Sunday best.
How far am I willing to travel? When you begin your search, you can limit yourself to a 5 mile radius, or 10 or whatever you designate. How unfortunate will it be to fall in love with a church that’s 25 miles from your Houston apartment if you won’t be up for the ride to and from service? If you plan on getting involved in lots of church activities, you’ll be making that 25 mile trip more than once a week.
Who are the members of the church congregation? If you are a college student, you probably want to fellowship with other young people. If you’re a young husband or wife with kids, you’ll probably enjoy a church with other young families.
It’s Time To Get Searching
- Make a checklist of your desired characteristics and decide which are highest priority.
- Ask friends and coworkers about the churches in the area and the churches they attend.
- Search the internet to identify churches you’re interested in. On the Google Maps web page, enter your zip code and do a radius search for “churches”. Refine by denominations to return narrower results. Many churches maintain websites that will give insight regarding the type of ministries and church services offered.
- Browse online directories like Churchstoppers.
- Once you’ve singled-out prospective churches, call them.
- And finally, go and visit. Go to church and visit several times before making you decision.
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