We moved across the country for one reason.

It was just after the COVID pandemic, and we had friends who traveled all the way from the Pacific Coast to Greenville. Facebook had just told their staff that they could work remotely from anywhere in the country. 

Our friends were traveling the country looking for a place to live. I was in our living room talking to the husband about their plans and options.

“What cities and states are you considering?” 

“Well, Atlanta, Nashville, Idaho. I want to move somewhere with a good tech base in case I decide to move on from Facebook.” 

The husband was thinking career. He was only in Greenville because his wife was pushing him to move here. 

I told him that what he needed to do first for his family was find a good church and move close to it. 

His response, “I’m not worried about a church. We’ll find a good church wherever we land.” 

Then I told him this story, and one of the reasons I told it was because I knew they were not comfortable in their current church, and the only reason they attended there was because they felt like it was the only option in their area. 

The truth is that Leslie and I moved to Greenville from several states away because of church. When we moved to Greenville, we had three children, with the oldest 6 years old, and Leslie was pregnant with our youngest. We literally moved into our house in October, and Lila was born in November. 

The reason we moved was that we couldn’t find a church we were comfortable in where we were living. It was that important to us. 

We undertook this move after lots of prayer, and I want to emphasize that we devoted a lot of prayer to this decision because the story I am about to tell you involves a pretty drastic move. My point is that it is radical, but it was worth it. 

I had a good job where I was respected, and I remember telling my boss that we were moving because of the church situation. By that time, we had been there for 2 years, bouncing from church to church. We even started a Bible Study in our home in hopes of planting a church. 

I remember during this time reading Psalm 63 and feeling the words. They were painful and encouraging all at the same time. 

“O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” 

By this time I felt like I was gasping in a desert. Mouth dry. Barely able to stand. 

We tried everything. We had church, just our little family around a piano and me teaching. 

We went to all kinds of Bible-believing churches. Presbyterian. Non-denominational. Southern Baptist. Brethren. Independent Baptist.  Nothing felt comfortable. 

Some churches compromised doctrinally. Others had good doctrine, but it was clear we wouldn’t be able to plug in and serve wholeheartedly. Others felt dead and were just going through the motions. 

For two years, we starved, feeling completely alone. Through that difficult experience, though, God taught us a lot that He has used in ways we wouldn’t have imagined in the years that followed. 

Then finally! I told my boss. We were moving, and the reason was church. He was shocked. We wanted to get our young children and our family into a church. We felt it was that important. 

I was a regional VP for a sports-marketing company that represented 80 of the top universities in the country, plus all of the major bowl games and NCAA championships. I was ready to give it all up. 

We picked Greenville, SC, for one reason. We knew we could find a good church there. There are so many good churches here in Greenville. Solid. Good teaching. (Seriously, this is one of the few places in America now where there are so many good churches that it is hard for many families to decide which one to attend.)

When we got here to Greenville, we landed in a large church and stayed there for about 7 years.  I remember sitting in the pew and crying when I heard the congregation sing. There were so many people at the church that Sunday morning that the church set up closed-circuit television in the foyer. The auditorium held 1,500, and we were overflowing. 

As a family, we went from lonely to surrounded in one week. At the time, it was exactly what we needed. 

Unfortunately, the church started to change significantly several years later.  There was distance between the pastors and the congregation and serious dissension among those in leadership. We felt called to move on when our oldest was in middle school.

We homeschooled by this time, and God led us to a newly planted church in which we set up and tore down every week. 

I remember one of the qualities that we wanted in our next church was an opportunity for our kids to serve. 

Our first Sunday visiting the church we’ve attended for more than 14 years now, I remember Leslie and I stepping aside to talk with the pastor, and while our backs were turned, our kids started loading chairs. When we turned around, they had jumped into the “assembly line” for picking up the chairs, talking to some older couples who were working alongside of them. That was a good sign. 

The church was small. It wasn’t wrapped around a building because there wasn’t a building except for a little rented venue called the Sawmill each Sunday. When we wanted to get together during the week, we met in homes.  And, rather than distance, I had our pastor’s cell number. 

The reason I am telling this story is that Leslie and I have talked to many of you who either do not have a church home, or you are attending a church that you’re not comfortable in because you feel it is your only option, or it is where you have always gone. For the last 15 years, I have talked with numerous families that lack a good church. 

This problem is not rare. It is one of the pandemics afflicting Christian families across the country and really the world. 

This is a really serious problem that many families just endure. They never do anything to solve it. Instead, many families just decide it’s the way it is, and that it’s a symptom of our culture turning away from God. 

So, I want to challenge you here… 

The first thing I am going to say is going to sound harsh.  

People who know our Lord Jesus Christ want to know others who know the Lord Jesus Christ. 

This is the reason the first thing that happens after Pentecost in the book of Acts is that the people organized themselves into communities. New Believers went and told others they loved, and they also immediately gravitated towards each other. This is just what happens. 

When we surrender and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, we want to be with others who follow Christ. 

If you don’t have this desire or someone around you does not have this sense of gravity, there is a problem. Believers desperately want and need to be around other believers. 

Next, God works through the church. I do not mean a particular denomination or even a building. My point is that there is a natural process. Believers believe in Jesus, and then they connect and collect together. 

When genuine Christ-followers come together, they testify. They change a community. They impact a city. The Gospel seems to ripple out into the surrounding community when a group of Believers gathers. 

This just happens. Some churches see hundreds of people transformed. Others experience just a few. But there is a rippling effect that happens in the surrounding communities, and Christ-followers want to be a part of it. If the Gospel does not excite you, there is a problem. 

So, if you don’t have this, you want it. If you have had it before, you want it again. Trust me! I know! 

So, give in to this desire. This is a natural outpouring of following Christ. And, if your children know Christ, they have this same desire. Don’t suppress it. 

We need a good church. Families need to be part of a good church. 

So, this brings up a couple of questions: 

1. Why do families need a good church? 
2. What is a good church? 

Leslie and I are going to answer those questions over the next few weeks. Through our podcast and Homeschool Subjects newsletter, we will address this issue from our experience and with Scripture.