I'm Trying "It" Again...
After months of seeking God for a new church home for our family, I’m pleased to announce that I’m trying it again!
What is “it” you may ask? Formal church membership. Doing life with a new set of believers. Trust pastoral leadership.
This is my third time trying “it” as an adult.
The first time I was a freshman in college living in a new city. Although daunting, attending it was an experience of a lifetime. Much of what you experience in my teaching ministry today is a result of what I learned from Bishop as a young adult discovering what the Bible says, versus what I’d been taught. And I wholeheartedly believe that my prayer life began maturing the day Bishop spoke in my ear and prayed for the healing of my clogged ears.
The second time I was new mother of two with an infant trying to get through postpartum during COVID. I saw it as an opportunity to participate in ministry as the woman of God I was becoming, versus the church girl I’d been. It was also the place I publicly acknowledged my ministry and was ordained as a Minister.
Now I’m doing it for a third time, fully convinced about God’s purpose for my life and too nosy to not discover and possess it all.
I will admit, trying it again hasn’t been easy.
Leaving one church, and trying it again at another church can feel like a bad breakup. That process can mimic many of the symptoms of heartache: sadness, grief, hopelessness, resentment, and even anger.
And after experiencing some of that emotional pain, I was hesitant to try it again. It felt foolish to willingly put myself in a position that could produce the same outcome.
But that’s the downside of being a Bible teacher, I know too much Scripture to only make decisions based on my feelings. And as much as I tried to convince myself that church membership wouldn’t impact my spirit maturity, I couldn’t ignore Hebrews 10:25: “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”
So, with that resolve in mind, I decided to try it again. And careful not to make an emotional decision only, my husband I decided to base our selection according to God’s Word.
At the end of 2025, after visiting several churches and still unable to make a decision, the Holy Spirit reminded me of a resource He inspired me to create for The Religious Detox.
I used the evaluation form I designed to help others, to objectively assess how our prospective church fit with the mission and vision of the indivisible church as described in the Bible. What a full circle moment. The form also can be used to assess whether our prospective church meets the our personal needs, expectations, desires, etc, of a visible church. The areas we evaluated based on execution and/or demonstration were:
Biblical Purposes of the Church
Biblical Principles of the Church
Strategic Balance of the Church
Ministries of the Church
Weekly Services and/or Ministry Offerings
And because the form is intended to be an evaluation of the ministry, not of the people within the church who execute the ministry work, I’m not ashamed to admit that my husband and I trusted the age-old practice of reference checks. We asked anybody we knew who had been connected to and/or familiar with the prospective church about the Pastor, including their leadership style, family dynamic, local reputation, etc.
Going through these great lengths to find a new church home wasn’t from a heart of pride or selfishness. But rather, it was our attempt to get it right. It was our desire to not miss God on this important decision, to follow His leading with confidence and clarity. We knew that as much as we were expecting from our new church home, we would equally sow and pour as new members.
And so, after much prayer, discussions with leadership, and confirmations, I am so happy to announce that my family and I have become members of Truth in Love Ministries under the leadership of Pastors Cobie and Camilla Nesbitt. Here comes the church!