The Great Church Search Of 2008 pt.1

So...in the time that has passed inbetween posts, quite a lot has happened.

I ended up lasting on staff at my last church for about a month and a half longer, before my staff parish committee decided not to renew my contract, in favor of opting for a more traditional worship style. I'm often tempted to flame my former employer and church, but...i'm better than that(i think...). At any rate, i was nearly bending over backwards to fulfill the requests given to me, and i know that i could not have gone any further down the road towards a traditional style service and been happy and felt like my gifts were at all being used.

I also flirted with a possibility at another Methodist church in Maryville, but i didn't follow through with it because it didn't feel right. 

So that places us here, at my current conundrum.

I am a worship leader, lead YoungLife at a local high school, work at a homeless shelter...and i don't have a church.

So i've compiled a list of 10 churches that will hopefully sort out to just one in the coming months.

Oh yeah...i almost forgot: I'm choosing where i go each week by drawing names out of a hat. 

Here's the list, if you're interested(and we all know you are). (and these are in no particular order.)

1. Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church-

This was my first official church visited in the Great Search Of '08. I went last week, and was really encouraged by both the worship and the sermon, even though it was apparently the b-team on both fronts because of traveling by both the senior pastor and the worship pastor, and i also had an encouraging conversation with the folks in the visitor lounge(i was the only visitor to show up, which kind of surprised me, actually).

2. Fellowship Church-

I used to go here, until i started in a small group. I didn't know any of the guys or the leader, and they made a marginal attempt at best to get to know me outside of the group, and then they started trying to speak things into my life(granted, i believe that the Holy Spirit binds the church together, and complete strangers can be given knowledge by the Spirit for each other(i've seen it happen), but still...), and without that relationship outside of the small group to build on, their advice didn't really sit that well on my heart. However, the pastors and worship folks i am very familiar with, and hold in high regard. So there's that.

3. Antioch Community Church-

I also used to go here, and still have many friends(and some family) that i care about that go here. I was deep in the fabric of the church, and in some leadership stuff there(lived in a discipleship house, led worship for a small group), but God grew me a different direction than the church was growing. I also differ with the leadership on a number of points of methodology, but i dealt with that stuff for 2 years, and i'm not really interested in dealing with the same differences of opinion again. However, Antioch is on the list because of the folks i know there, and because i'm not about to tell God what he's doing. 

4. Powell Church-

My friend Greg Adkins is the worship pastor here, and because of that, Powell Church is on the list.

5. Knoxville Life Church-

Most of the churches that are on this list fall into a specific category: They are all recent plants(meaning they are new churches). This makes it on the list b/c of that. Oh, and they're also located downtown. That helps bunches.

6. Redeemer Church-

Yet another church plant, Redeemer is of the Presbyterian persuasion, and is located in the Fort Sanders district of Knoxville near downtown which is enough good stuff to land on the list.

7. Sevier Heights Baptist Church-

I don't think I'm going to end up at a Baptist church, but i've been to their college service a couple of times and felt welcomed and really enjoyed it, so i feel like i need to at least go and give it a try. 

8. Grace Community Church-

I would be lying to you if i didn't tell you the real reason this is on the list: a girl. But then again, it's only gonna get picked if God wants me to go there on a sunday.

9. Crossings Church-

My friend Bill Wolf is the worship pastor there, and they will be moving their services to the Square Room on Market Square downtown at the beginning of the year.

10. All Souls Church-

If they met on Sunday mornings, this would be my church. Their pastor is great, and i've got some good friends that go there. But, they meet at 6pm on Sunday evenings, and since i still live in Halls, that would mean going back home and sleeping, and then waking up for church, and the additional driving would not be kind to my bank account.

Well, that's the lineup. Maybe it won't take me two months to post an update.

(actually, i'm probably going to do one middle of the week about this morning's experience-so look for that.)