"Church Decision: Contemporary vs. Convenience"

Today I joined my friend Rachel R. for church at St. Marcus here in Milwaukee. Lately I've been catching a ride down there with Scott (apartment-mate), and I often join him, his sister Diana, and their grandmother for church every Sunday. But today, he had left early to travel down to Illinois to visit his girlfriend, and his grandmother was visting elsewhere as well. So I joined Rachel, eventually spending a good portion of the visiting with later on.

Right now, though, I'm looking for a new local WELS church to transfer my fellowship to. The decision, unfortunately, has become a lot harder than it was at first. Should I go with the traditional local church that I could walk to every Sundayamd whose congregation includes a good deal of people I know, or the further away contemporary church downtown that I feel more at home with, but may not always find it easy to get to?

It's a tough decision.

Personally, I am starting to find the contemporary WELS church -- St. Marcus -- to be a more favorable fit than the traditional. It incorporates live Christian Contemporary music, has two of the most thought-provoking pastors I have ever heard, has a friendly multi-cultural congregation, and is located in a rapidly revitalizing Milwaukee neighborhood. If it weren't for the fact that Scott chose to go there at first because of his grandmother, I probably wouldn't have found the opportunity to appreciate the fellowship there. I don't own a car, and riding the bus for an hour every Sunday morning doesn't appeal to me too much.

However, the more local church -- St. John's -- is a excellent one too. Great neighborhood, friendly congregation, good pastors, easier to get to every Sunday, I even know a great deal of people there. But, the one downside is, it seems to be stuck more in the traditional German mold -- as are most of the WELS Lutheran churches. They are generally rather stubborn about giving up the older traditions in favor of a less rigid worship structure, and, as a result, tend to have an older congregational dynamic. It annoys me somewhat. I'm more of a contemporary thinker. A contemporary service seems to make more sense.

Yet, St. John's is close to where I live, and generally more convenient for me.

So, I guess in the end, it all comes down to two things, ease of transportation, and permanence. Which church do I feel most comfortable with -- in terms of all the variables -- to consider making it my new home church?

Tough decision.

Maybe I'll just have to think and pray on the issue further. I probably know the best choice of the two already, but there is still a part of me that can't rule out the other option. I hate decisions like that. But then again, I don't like cut-and-dry decisions either. Go figure.

I guess I'll just think on it a little longer, and we'll see what decision the Lord leads me to. Afterall, He does know what's best when it comes to my spiritual well-being. Perhaps the best answer is just to trust Him, and let Him point the way.

-Jon
posted by Jon at 11:27 PM  I   I  0 comments