Finding a new church can be an overwhelming and scary task.  You may have just moved to the area, be looking into “religion”, or are just simply wanting to find a new church in your area.  But walking into a new church can be a daunting and lonely undertaking.  Here are some ideas for those first few visits to a new church:

1.    Ask Someone
A good review is a big plus.  Ask family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers to name an church in the area that they would recommend for someone searching for a new church home.   What would be their top recommendations?  If one or two churches in the area are consistently suggested, start there.

2.    Set a Time Limit
Unless your search area is extremely limited, set aside a few weeks for your new church search.  Take those few weeks and try a new church every Sunday morning.  A good idea is to set a time limit on how long you will allow your search to take.  If you live in an area with at least as many options as there are weeks in a year, your researching will be counter-productive to your goal, which is to find a new church home.

3. Try out the “Extras”
If you have time during the week, try attending more than just the regular Sunday morning service.  Most churches have Wednesday night activities or Sunday evening service.  These other services are often a smaller and easier way to get to know the people at the church.  Finding a new church home is more than just agreeing with the doctrine preached on Sunday mornings.  It’s also about becoming a part of a community of people.

4.    Don’t Expect Perfection
Just like any other gathering of people, keep in mind as you search that you are not going to find a group of perfect people.  You know you aren’t perfect, so don’t expect perfection of your new church home either.  Yet, at the same time, don’t settle for becoming a part of a church family that holds beliefs that contradict your own convictions.  The idea of not expecting perfection has more to do with not requiring the people in your new family to be perfect, but you should agree with the church as a whole.

The Bible is a big, thick book and studying it can seem overwhelming at first.  Many people want to study the Bible, but may not know where or how to start.  The first place to start is just to commit to reading your Bible every day.  Once you get into that habit, then you can explore some of your deeper study options.  The most effective way to study or learn anything is to combine your personality, learning style, and lifestyle.  Here are some ideas to help get you started with studying the bible.

1.    Use a System
In the same way that it’s easier to follow a recipe, road map, or the instructions that come along with Christmas gifts labeled “some assembly required,” studying the Bible can seem a lot less daunting if you have a plan of attack.  Find a system that has realistic goals, whether that it’s buying a study guide for a particular topic, using a guide that outlines reading through the Bible in a year, or picking a particular book and doing an in-depth study.

2.    Begin to Study
Once you choose a system, the next step is to follow the guide.  Beginning to study the Bible will probably be harder to do than picking a system in Step 1, so try to find ways to personalize it, make it more enjoyable, and keep it from becoming tedious.  Writing in the margins, journaling thoughts, and writing down questions are great ways to help hold your attention.  Curiosity driven research, looking up the answers to your questions later, is also a great way to better remember and learn what you’re studying.

If the ideas in Step 2 aren’t enough to hold your interest and you’re still looking for ways to make studying the Bible fresh, look for ways to add variety while still staying true to the plan you originally came up with in Step 1.  Try using a couple of different versions of the Bible, using a concordance to clarify key words, following cross-references in a Study Bible, or searching for sermons or articles that relate to what you’re studying.

3.    Memorizing and Meditating
Meditating, reading aloud portions of the bible to yourself, and reminding yourself throughout the day of verses of scriptures that you’ve discovered are a great ways to memorize parts of the Bible.  Also, try strategically placed note cards with written scripture or burn audio files onto a CD.  As you do these things, try to imagine what your life will be like when the words of God are hidden in your heart and drawn to the surface of your life by the Holy Spirit.