Believers, Family, & Friends Converge at GracePoint

I love my church, I’ve been attending there since 2009, and it’s a place I love dearly.

I love going to church with family, and friends, and a leadership team I respect.

I love that the church sticks to the Bible as a whole.

If you’ve ever looked for a church these are some attributes I’d consider.

I would also consider the types of ministries available at a church, whether it’s for the age group you’re in or for one you want to volunteer for, or maybe it’s a church without this and you want to build a new ministry.

Consider also denominations, I realize some care about this more than others, and some see it as a technicality, especially within the protestant portion of the church, what this can often help with though is understanding what the church’s core values and beliefs are, that and some denominations are more like each other than others are.

I very much vouch for not only attending services in person if at all possible (save for maybe a vacation weekend, or waking up sick Sunday morning). I think it’s important to meet with other believers. Something I appreciate about my church is also the community, even outside of gathering in the sanctuary for the service, not just hospitality events but also general fellowship and Sunday school classes for all ages. Not to mention other special events like VBS, craft nights, women’s gala.

I think worship is an important element though I’m not as partial to the more fancy, more elaborately produced services, though I usually enjoy “modern” worship music more but I very much enjoy going to traditional services with hymns every once in a while, it’s one of the reasons I joined choir for a time as well.

Since I’ve gone to my church since 8th grade in 2009, I’ve enjoyed being involved in many ministries, including youth group, as a student and leader, volunteering in early childhood classrooms, as well as helping with clean up for some events over the years and even volunteering for reading during services on occasion. Additionally, I’ve enjoyed participating in and putting on a couple of events for the young adult ministry as well.

I say this to encourage others to try a couple of ministries, and volunteer in a couple of areas over time, if you like. A church would be glad to have you – as long as you follow through with anything you do commit to, whether it’s a one off event, once a month, or even a more consistent leadership position.

Most recently I was voted onto the Nominating Committee, I am thankful to the others in the church who trusted me to be in this role and voted me in. Church elections is an important reason to join membership at a church (please keep in mind this is not a salvation related practice at church). It is a way to be more committed to a church, in my opinion. It means in most cases, that you have learned more about not only your faith background but the specific church’s background most likely, including leadership, values, and statement of faith. It usually also means you can then vote on important decisions in a church from deacons, to church property decisions, to budgetary adjustments, and others even; being a member also means you can be considered for voted on for roles in the church.

Another important element is, obviously, the preaching in a church; I believe Christians should look for churches that put the Bible, God’s word, first. I believe GracePoint does this and I’m very thankful for this. Challenging preaching, and real-life application of it is important.

I say all of this to encourage anyone interested in learning about not only my church but those looking for churches in general as well. I realize it’s a hard process in many cases, doing research, taking the time to try services, trying to meet people in a congregation, and meet with pastors as well. I would encourage you to do some research on a church’s background before you go, from checking service times, to finding out what the affiliation is, to check for other things applicable to your family, say nursery offerings if you’re bringing kids, or say youth group if you have a student.

Thanks to my church family at GracePoint, from the staff to other ministry leaders, family friends, and mentors. I am so thankful to be a part of the church family and I want to continue giving back to my church.

Converge is the denomination my church belongs to, which used to be considered the Baptist General Conference awhile ago.