Let me begin by stating that I am not a priest, theologian, or clergy of any sort. I am a simple layperson in the Church, and a husband and father to my family. You could say that I've been “around the block” a few times, denominationally speaking. During the last twenty years, I have been a part of Baptist churches, Mennonite Brethren, Messianic Judaism, Pentecostal, Charismatic, Lutheran, so-called “Non-Denominational” such as Calvary Chapel and a few independent churches. My childhood home environment, religiously speaking, could best be described as Dispensational Fundamentalist Protestant. I say this only to show that what I've learned about these different aspects of modern Christianity has come from experience and observation.
To say that my path through many different churches is unusual would be inaccurate. While there are some in each of those churches that have spent their whole lives in one place, there are many more that have embarked on a similar path as mine. Many of the people that I met in one church I would run into again two or three churches down the line. There is a common ailment running through Protestant Christianity, the seemingly futile search for the “True Expression” of the Church. I read a book recently that described this ailment as “The Phantom Search for the Perfect Church”. The reason for it is quite simple. The most common reply I would receive when I would ask someone how they ended up at a particular church was that they saw a picture in the Bible of how the early Church functioned, and they were now seeking a church that matched that picture. The problem was that we didn't know where find it - and it seemed elusive no matter where we looked.
We all had certain assumptions that we operated from - doctrinal beliefs and practices that we felt were "must-haves" for a church to be considered to be part of the most pure form of Christianity. As we went from place to place searching for the “New Testament Church”, inevitably something in each church would violate one or more of these assumptions.
Over time, it became blatantly obvious that either there was something severely wrong with modern Christianity as a whole, something flawed in some or all of those assumptions I was operating from, or a combination of those factors.
I believed with all my heart in Christ, and wanted to find His True Church - I wanted to be sure that I was truly serving Him in the way He deserved. I had to find the Truth, and quickly. Especially as a husband and father, my family's eternal lives were at stake, and were my spiritual responsibility. As my lovely wife and I discussed this dilemma, we essentially settled on a plan. Even though we understood from the beginning that it would be a long and difficult process, we agreed that the best way to start was by listing out my assumptions as best as I could and start testing them one at a time. It can be painful and scary to systematically challenge beliefs you've held your entire life, but it is the only undertaking that absolutely forces you to be honest with yourself.
It has been three years now since we began that fruitful yet painful search. At the persistent urging of my wife, I'm starting this blog to share our experience and the progress we've made in that search. We welcome you along on this journey.
