I love visiting churches. It is very interesting to see the dynamic another church can bring to the overall mission of the church. I was thrilled to visit a church this Sunday that provided me with some insight on how our church can best minister and be a beacon of light and hope. Hear are some of the interesting things that struck me.

1. The worship was a great blend of new, contemporary and older hymn type songs. We sang songs I remember from the hymnal, songs from the contemporary array, and a couple of newer worship songs that I have not even heard.
All of these songs were well lead and mixed with scripture. The service itself was about an hour and a half, which I much prefer and about 30 minutes of that was music. Many churches have moved to more of an extended music time during worship, and I do believe music is a huge part of our culture and if we want to be a church of relevancy it is something to take a deep look at.
The most impressive part of worship was the overall quality. From the instruments to the lead and even up to the screen, it was all high quality. The sound was well blended and loud enough from the front to the back. The leader knew the songs very well and wore a wireless mic which allowed him the freedom to move and worship with us. Great use of music in the service.

2. The leaders of the church were very obvious. From the elders, to the associate pastor, each wore a name tag with their name on it so that they were known and available. Each name tag had a name and a title which allowed no confusion as to whom you were talking with and as a visitor it allowed me to see who was doing and available for what. Name tags seem so commercial and my first reaction to them was a little squeamish, but all in all they are a good idea if there is some confusion as to who leadership is, especially in larger churches.

3. The sermon was topical and lacked application. I really appreciate when a preacher can give some serious application to the lives of his people. I have found application very difficult to come by when preaching a topical sermon. I much prefer to see a guy take God's Word and preach from it. People in our churches need to go home with a clear understanding of the word and how it applies to their lives. They need encouraged and challenged. I didn't feel that.

4. Linger Longer. This was an incredible tool. This church had a fellowship hall directly connected to worship center. After the service, about 20 pizzas were made available for anyone to come in, eat and linger longer. This was a great way to encourage the fellowship of people and allow them a hot meal. What a great idea and ministry to the church.

All in all it was a very eye opening and encouraging visit. God is working in our communities and I pray this church continues to reach out and be a beacon of hope and light to its small community.