Visiting Another Church (Part 2)

Jess and I went with our friends Hanley and Meryl to visit another church. Hanley is on a sabbatical leave, so he’s taking the time to check out other churches. We asked to tag along, and last Sunday we went to visit a new church in Los Angeles.

This new church is only a 25-minute drive from my home. They have a mixed congregation, but I noticed a lot of Asian Americans. They also have a wide age range, although everyone on the stage leaned toward the younger side. We went to the night service, and I’m sure their day services catered to a different demographic. 

While I went to worship, I did take notice of how their church is different than ours. Here are three things I would like to see at our church after visiting another church.

1. Professional, cohesive design and branding. 

This church was renting out an old cathedral to meet in. The fliers, signs, and PowerPoints gave an identity to the church and the people. The printed and graphic materials gave a sense of belonging. I felt welcomed and comfortable.

2. Spectacular sound. 

The worship team was small, but they sounded huge. And they knew what they were doing. They only had one visible audio engineer. You would expect murky sound in a huge cathedral. But the speaker set-up gave conviction and clarity to the sound.

3. Online presence. 

This church has an up-to-date website with accessible information. They announce their online resources at their physical worship service. The church website serves church members and visitors.

Last week I wrote about three things I am thankful for about our church after visiting another church. You can read that here. Jess and I talked about this topic in a recent episode of the SVRGN podcast.

While it may seem that I am being critical, our church is actively working on the items I have listed. It’s worth pointing out that we are all on the same team. May we glorify Jesus Christ in this city.