church in lansing - part 1

Today we went to 2 churches right here in the Lansing area. It was a neat experience to worship at some great Christian communities, both of which are actively carrying out their calling.

We visited the first church for a 9:00a service. There was great signage and traffic flow leading to the children's ministry area. We were greeted warmly and led to our children's classes. The downside was security. There was no procedure in place to make sure our kids could only be picked up by us and no way for their group leaders to locate us if any problems were to arise. For whatever reason, there were not many children there for the 9:00a service and many families chose not to have their kids participate, instead keeping them in the "big church" service.

I'm sure the music was solid, but it was hard to tell with the muddy sound mix. The pastor was an old school guy with a huge heart and big personality.

The demographics were pretty similar to Faith Church and the size of the total attendance was very similar. They seemed to be struggling through the tension of large church or small church. They have been growing and doing some great things! But they also have that kind of down-home family feel that can be both good and bad. If you're not a regular, you at times feel out of the loop.

Many of their practices will probably either change with growth or will limit their growth. My prayer is that the latter will take place as they continue to break through barriers. People need Jesus and this church has a role to play in bringing many to Christ.

Tomorrow I'll tell you about our visit to church #2 of the morning!