What are your thoughts on multiple church visiting?

[Eye4Eye26]

For the most part I know a number of us go to the same church weekly but I was curious to see what is everyone's opinions on visiting more then 1 church? Like alternating between 2 different denominations week in & week out?

 

[John MacK]

For the most part I know a number of us go to the same church weekly but I was curious to see what is everyone's opinions on visiting more then 1 church? Like alternating between 2 different denominations week in & week out?

I don't think there's anything wrong with visiting multiple churches in order to find the right one, but I think eventually a person needs to come to a decision and choose one. Just my opinion.

Good question!

 

[Eye4Eye26]

I don't think there's anything wrong with visiting multiple churches in order to find the right one, but I think eventually a person needs to come to a decision and choose one. Just my opinion.

Good question!

Yeah I definitely agree with you bro! I went to a couple different ones (non denominational, Lutheran & etc.) until I found mine. I know a few people that go to 3 at the same time then on the 4th Sunday in a month would go to one of the 3 for a second time. I found that interesting & they've been doing it for a WHILE now.

 

[Odetta]

On the one hand it can be good to expose oneself to different sources of the Word being preached. I mean, when one studies a passage in the bible, it is sometimes helpful to read it in several translations. However, in terms of building fellowship with other believers, that happens best with a commitment to one church.

Maybe your friends are just having a hard time deciding.

Are they single, married, with kids? When I was single, it was kind of a thing to regularly visit other churches looking for fresh meat. I didn't do it, but I knew several who did (and actually found spouses that way, so go figure). I've also known families who split themselves between one church the kids really relate to, and one where the parents get more out of, when they couldn't find one that had both.

 

[RileyG]

My thoughts are I have never done it and have no intention on doing so.

I don't think there is anything necessarily wrong with it- people are just trying to figure out what's spiritually right for them. *shrug*

 

[Akara]

For the most part I know a number of us go to the same church weekly but I was curious to see what is everyone's opinions on visiting more then 1 church? Like alternating between 2 different denominations week in & week out?

It can be an insightful experience, IMO. Every sermon is different in the way the Word of God is perceived and told. A different perspective can lead to deeper understandings.

 

[JCFantasy23]

I don't see an issue. I have a friend who visits two of the same churches on Sunday to get something different out of the churches and he feels he has made a home with them both. To me church hopping is usually when you are trying to find the right church for you, which I have done

 

[trentlogain2]

My home church doesn't have an evening service on Sunday nights so I will usually attend others on those nights.

 

[Andres88]

While the Catholic Church is one, sometimes I visit parishes other than my own. The reasons are varied: To see some friends, to visit a poorer area, to know other priests, to listen to their approach to the readings of the day, etc.

I think it's not bad in itself, as long as you have a church you can call "home." After all, one has to make his "life" in a community, serve there, develop there, and be lifted up there.

 

[keith99]

Seems to me that why becomes a huge question.

If to expand your horizons and to listen to sermons that may be challenging and perhaps to make sure you have a check on any one teacher leading into dubious doctrine it is a good thing.

If it is to avoid challenges and to find one that agrees with you biases it is bad.

 

[homeofmew]

Well I personally don't go to church anymore but there's nothing wrong with moving churches.

 

[DMMullinax]

I think it's initially alright to visit a few churches. But it gets to be an issue when people migrate every few months or so. I've seen a lot of people move around because the "entertainment value" of church wasn't pleasing them. I'm not saying that's everyone's concerns with choosing a church, but we should focus most on how we can serve. There's a lot of problems with many western churches today, but I think this is the biggest area where we miss the mark. We should focus on pouring into community, and I don't see how that is achieved with heavy turnover. All this to say that interacting with other churches isn't bad, but it should be balanced.

 

[LovelyWife3]

This is a good question! Though some might call this church hopping I like having the option/freedom to attend different churches....though it can make it hard to connect and build community. I recently moved which started my search for another church to attend. I found a church that I really like that I attend on Sunday. There is a Calvary Chapel close to my house where I started a 12 week mentoring program Titus 2 (it was an answer to my prayers) and my husband works so we also attend Calvary Chapel in the evenin because they are the only local church that has a 6 p.m. service. I would like to eventually attend and become involved in one church in the future but at the moment this is what works with my season of life

Oh I grew up Baptist and visiting other churches (Four Square Church, Dutch Reformed, and more over the years has helped me to learn more about relationship with God over ritual/tradition) !

 

[Unix]

If You are speaking of contemporary worship style, it's wrong to search for just that:

I've seen a lot of people move around because the "entertainment value" of church wasn't pleasing them.

Personally, I basically don't actually feel welcome anywhere, or don't fit in when others bring kids, when all others are engineers, or when in a certain Catholic parish they tell me not to take notes from the sermon (I should try not to sit next to the person who tells me that but I haven't attended regularly so I find it hard to memorize who it is). But that's not the biggest reason. The biggest reason is that I don't believe in the exact same things as any of the Churches in this city. This is not a really big city and this is said to be the most atheistic city in the world.

If You have a wide variety of nearby Churches to choose from it would be better to support one. But You don't have to decide in a few months.

I'm single and I'd be glad if I would meet a girl from Church. Once I "almost" did but she stopped emailing me after a few emails, and we met at a retreat and were studying in the same university so it was not at Church per se. Anyway, it's highly likely that she will move back to Germany, and I talk too little German and I don't have anywhere near the kind of money to travel there. None of the Churches I attend sport a selection of girls of a suitable age of say 21 (that young are rarely interested in me) - 29, with the exception of one Catholic parish but most of the girls there move back to their home countries after they have studied here for a semester or two.

 

[russianorth]

On the one hand it can be good to expose oneself to different sources of the Word being preached. I mean, when one studies a passage in the bible, it is sometimes helpful to read it in several translations. However, in terms of building fellowship with other believers, that happens best with a commitment to one church.

Maybe your friends are just having a hard time deciding.

Are they single, married, with kids? When I was single, it was kind of a thing to regularly visit other churches looking for fresh meat. I didn't do it, but I knew several who did (and actually found spouses that way, so go figure). I've also known families who split themselves between one church the kids really relate to, and one where the parents get more out of, when they couldn't find one that had both.

That is very true, but if you come to some revelation of scripture from this study that conflicts with a given churchs doctrine you should be prepared to start looking for a new church because they are not going to change their doctrine just for you and they are not going to agree to disagree and can make things very uncomfortable.

I have found the more I study and learn the less and less churches I am able to go to, to the point now where I simply don't go to church anymore. The state marriage licence in the USA has turned into a diabolical legal instrument that is used almost exclusively against men in a divorce and churchs simply don't care. Even if a guy is getting hammered they keep passing the collection plate. As men we will reach a point where we are fed up.

They keep pushing this legal document on young people instead of allowing a non state recognized ceremony for those who don't want to be married to the state. Any church I have found just DONT CARE, if your having sex you either sign the document or your a heritic that going to hell and they site the law of the land scripture which has no relevance to marriage documents.

I don't want to get emotionally invested in people who cease being your friend if you stop going to church with them because you had a disagreement with someone in church leadership. Its just too much of a potential mess.

 

[russianorth]

If You are speaking of contemporary worship style, it's wrong to search for just that:



Personally, I basically don't actually feel welcome anywhere, or don't fit in when others bring kids, when all others are engineers, or when in a certain Catholic parish they tell me not to take notes from the sermon (I should try not to sit next to the person who tells me that but I haven't attended regularly so I find it hard to memorize who it is). But that's not the biggest reason. The biggest reason is that I don't believe in the exact same things as any of the Churches in this city. This is not a really big city and this is said to be the most atheistic city in the world.

If You have a wide variety of nearby Churches to choose from it would be better to support one. But You don't have to decide in a few months.

I'm single and I'd be glad if I would meet a girl from Church. Once I "almost" did but she stopped emailing me after a few emails, and we met at a retreat and were studying in the same university so it was not at Church per se. Anyway, it's highly likely that she will move back to Germany, and I talk too little German and I don't have anywhere near the kind of money to travel there. None of the Churches I attend sport a selection of girls of a suitable age of say 21 (that young are rarely interested in me) - 29, with the exception of one Catholic parish but most of the girls there move back to their home countries after they have studied here for a semester or two.

Churches will not really do anything meaningful to help you with life they just want to play some songs and take your money and have a food drop a few times a year for local shelter but they are all on food stamps anyways and get discounted housing that is nicer than mine. I talked to some women on this site that flat out said church is not your personal match maker. Of course the church will expect a legal marriage because they are compelled by the state so maybe its better you don't meet a girl at church.

So they don't really get the word out, they don't help people form a godly marriage, they don't really study the bible (maybe have some readings from time to time, but you better not disagree with the interpretation). Its a social club where people sing and wave their hands and they wonder why they are loosing relevance.

I would rather spend time sealing shipping envelops to send out bibles than waving my hands around singing songs I don't like.

 

[Unix]

I generally think Church leadership is an important issue regarding which theologians and scholars the Church leadership read and follow:

I don't want to get emotionally invested in people who cease being your friend if you stop going to church with them because you had a disagreement with someone in church leadership. Its just too much of a potential mess.

 

[Unix]

As I don't have success with women within the age-range online, I guess what's left is to walk about in the City:

I talked to some women on this site that flat out said church is not your personal match maker. Of course the church will expect a legal marriage because they are compelled by the state so maybe its better you don't meet a girl at church.

 

[tulipbee]

I really liked some churches but couldn't join them. What's the point of joining arminian churches? It would be a waste of my time and God's time.

 

[Lietuva]

Our youngest two children (18 and 14) have been doing this for a while. Sometimes the whole family attends the same church together (Lutheran), and other times my husband will accompany our youngest two to another church, or just let them go on their own. Most of the other churches in our area are Baptist, although the kids have been to Methodist, Catholic, and Episcopal churches as well.