Every church is different. In the past several years, I have had opportunities to attend and visit many churches due to my ministry work. One can easily spot a good church and a not-so-good one. A good church is a place of worship where people are joyful and united from the congregation to the pastoral team.
In the Church of God Lexington KY, the pastor could be seen in one place or another before the church service talking to church members. He stays after the preaching to exchange a few words or get to know the members of the congregation or the visitors. You can really notice that the camaraderie they have does not end in the preaching and worshipping alone. They have become each other’s friend and confidant.
Travelling to various locations and visiting or attending different churches gives you an idea about churches and you eventually differentiate and gauge each church. This is not something like criticism or having a judgemental attitude. This is about mature spiritual acumen of how things are going within the body of Christ from one place to another.
Some churches may be more alive than others, some may be more conservative. Some have louder worships; some wants it to be quieter. Some churches have members who are high-spirited and there are some who have a low-morale organization. The Church of God Lexington KY allows for the culture and personality of people and leadership giving its fellowship a sense of authenticity in terms of feelings and relationships with others. There is an atmosphere that can be quickly sensed in the air that the church is genuinely joyful and not just hiding distress. It is something you can sense in the first three minutes you step into the church.
Real joy or distress is not something that can be faked. You can see it in the faces of the people. You can feel it in the voices and greeting of the people milling around. You can observe it in the discipline and reverence in the sanctuary. You can hear it in their voices in the singing during praise and worship. You can experience it in the relationship between the members and the pastors. You can sense it in you. You can receive it in the preaching of the preacher. A genuine bond between people and pastor happens over a time of building trust and through deep theology preached from the pulpit which is firmly based on the Scripture and the Word of God and which is received by interested ears.
No church is perfect. The people who make up a church make it to be an ideal one. Reciprocal responsibility, maturity and appreciation from both the leaders and members are what make up the Church of God Lexington KY. This is a church that demonstrates flexibility.