I cringe just reading this title. Church shopping? It just sounds wrong, doesn't it. Nowadays, there seems to be multiple types of protestant churches to choose from, even within the same denomination. We have found that finding a church is not as simple as going to the local church on the corner and meeting up with your neighboors. Your neighboors are most likely spread out among several churches in the area or they might even be driving well out of town.
Today, church services are so individualized in their attempt to meet the changing needs of their congregations that it is hard to know just want you are going to get walking into a church. One church we visited played Disney music upon entering, while another had the pastor preaching from a flat screen. Traditional services have been redefined. In fact, I would venture to guess that the children of Generation X would have a completely different definition of a typical church service than their parents.
Being a constant visitor at several different churches is not a fun task. And, yes, it is a task. There are just too many and it's exhausting! If you are lucky, you will have a friend that invites you to their church and you feel comfortable there. The unlucky ones will find themselves bouncing from church to church around their neighborhood until they just stop going all together. Inviting friends to church with you is even more important today than ever before. It's easy to get lost in all the options.
More choices isn't always a good thing.
I agree. I'm getting pretty tired of "the process". As much as people are encouraged to invite others to church, you'd think someone would actually do it -- particularly if they knew that the "other" was trying to find one where they would be welcomed.
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