Over the first eight months we were here we visited over ten churches. Some lacked direction, some were too big, some were too conservative. The two most disappointing to me were both close to where we lived at the time in Aliso Viejo. One was very friendly and welcoming, had a great style and lots of friendly people our age with kids. But as we walked around we were overwhelmed with the wealth of the church, heck there were theater quality chairs - the nice type, padded rocking captain's chairs with cup holders and everything. Now there is nothing wrong with a church in a somewhat wealthy community using its wealth to make people feel comfortable. It just wasn't for us. Heck, I was laughing at the four (4!) professional quality video cameras getting several angles of the pastor speaking with close ups and TV's everywhere even though if people were standing in the back they had a clear view of the stage. Throughout the church were fliers, posters and banners for all sorts of programs and groups you could sign up for: but nothing about helping the community, nothing about outreach to help less fortunate people, nothing about supporting missionaries in other countries. About 30 minutes into the service it became clear to me that this church was committed to supporting itself and its members. The other church we gave a lot more time to, we attended for over two months. During the sermons they said all the right things and were theologically in line with what we believed. But after two months we had spoken to the pastor for a total of 15 seconds. Alise signed up for a missions trip and the Associate Pastor ignored her calls, didn't call her back and walked the other way when he saw us after service. People our age were already in set groups and didn't seem to be interested in inviting us in.
My point in this is to say that both of these churches were vibrant, full of people who were learning a lot about God and faith. Every church is different and for different people. Church is about finding the right fit for you and your personality. But it is more than that, some churches out there appeal to people because they say all the right things. Other churches do the right things. We didn't find ourselves fitting in with either of those churches.
After our long search we finally settled with Soul Survivor. We knew it after the first service. The Pastor, Paul was one of the more personable people one on one we had ever met. The Worship Leader John and his wife Lindy drew us in with how real they were and how much they truly loved life and had a genuine compassion for people. Plus we were able to actually engage with the church - it wasn't so big that we were lost in the mass of people. Within a few months John took over as the lead pastor and after some time the church found its focus: the community of Costa Mesa. It wasn't where we lived but we loved the commitment to engage with other people instead of keeping inside our little Christian "bubble." Several members were committed to traveling and helping people in other countries. Soul Survivor was a "real" church in my opinion. So much so that we didn't want to go out of our way to bring other people in and the church may not have grown because of that.
A few months ago something unusual happened; our church joined with another church - Redemption Church. At first I was a little bit hesitant about the merger because it seemed it was more about us becoming Redemption than the two merging. Only two weeks in however I saw that I was totally wrong. People from both churches sought to get to know each other and become one church with the best parts of each. Redemption church has a great direction and clear identity now. And the best part is, it feels like we are on the verge of something different, something big, something exciting. A church committed to being a part of the community. A church committed to helping its members grow as people. A church which says the right things and wants its members to do the right things. A church which is creating the type of environment to be a part of. Since the merger we have been meeting at another church building but tomorrow is the first service at a new location where Redemption is launched on its own and I am pretty excited about it. We are still a young church (I am still one of the oldest people there.) But there is a good mix of single people and new families. Last month there were three new babies. Two the month before that. There are almost as many kids under the age of 4 as there are adults. Why is it so exciting to be a part of this new church launch? Because people want to be there. We look forward to Sundays and going to church. So does Sydney, she can't wait to see her friends and learn about what Jesus did.
So if you are in Orange County and looking for a church which seeks to be genuine in following Christ instead of following traditions, come check it out. Service is Sunday at 10am at Back Bay High School in Costa Mesa (tomorrow is the first service.) Check out the website, come for a few weeks and give it a chance. It may not be the right church for everyone, but you won't know until you give it a shot.
http://redemptionchurch.org/
