Re-thinking what I look for in a Church. Kristin and I had the pastor of Covenant PCA over for lunch today; he's pastored this flock (currently around 80 folks) since 1979. In addition to respecting his length of service to this body, I also admire this man of almost 60 for homeschooling his children from the start. He was homeschooling before homeschooling was cool. And for the right reasons.

Admittedly, the church has some serious people problems. The gurus in the PCA would probably classify it an ember, not a flame.

But the pastor's admonition about church-shopping hit me pretty hard. "It's unbiblical for Christians to focus on what a church offers. Jesus came to serve, not to be served. God has invested a lot in you; and it's for a reason. He doesn't pour into you, He pours through you for others’ sake". These words don’t deny that the Baileys have legitimate needs; including other like-minded people to spur us on. But my mind has been challenged to wonder, "Is it biblical to reject a church because the laity aren't as strong and healthy as I'd like"?