Transitioning to a New Church
Transitioning away from a tightly-knit community like College Church, where you have great opportunities to gather and connect with like-minded believers, can be very challenging; I certainly felt confused and daunted when I moved to Minneapolis, MN in 2017. How was I supposed to know how well I would fit into any particular local church sight unseen? There are so many variables to consider:
1. Denomination: from what theological tradition does this church descend, and what practical consequences does that have toward the way people actually live?
2. Size: What are the trade-offs between the resources and personnel pool of a larger church (2000+) and the layers of distance you might feel from the leaders? Likewise, while a smaller church naturally lends itself toward opportunities to connect with others, might the gatherings lack ‘production value?’
3. Priorities: What does this church care about? Holiness? Production value? Branding? Social justice? Diversity? Inclusion? Community outreach? Liturgy? Theological accuracy? Some combination of the above, or others? And what should a church care about, anyway?
4. Atmosphere: Do you feel welcomed? Unseen? Does anyone care that you’re there, or can you walk in and out the doors without anyone noticing?
I listed many questions above, and many of those cannot be answered by a single-Sunday visit, but a few can be. While I’m not sure what anyone should do, I can share my experience. I attended a large Reformed church for two years after moving to Minnesota and chose to get involved in their worship ministry fairly soon after. I enjoyed this ministry and made friends, but on the whole, I didn’t connect with the theology or priorities of the church. I left each Sunday with a pit in my stomach after being reminded what a sinner I was but was given no path toward transformation.
After much prayer and careful thought, I realized that it was time for a change; but it was hard to know where to start. I had a few conversations with people who knew churches in the area and listened to sample services online, and soon attended a service at Grace Church in Roseville, and I immediately sensed a completely different atmosphere. Their priorities were centered on Christ-centered transformation—being formed, changed, and united with Christ and others—through the Church community, which naturally will extend into the city and the world. I joined the worship ministry as well as a small group.
One thing I know from experience: It’s very hard to feel at home in a church in which you are not serving or at least participating. Once we take ownership—this is our church, after all—we stop being critics and start being disciples and members involved in shaping the culture of the community. Anything we want to see changed or born in our Church, we take an active role in fostering. We create—we shape— we love our brothers and sisters—we belong.
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Ethan Gormong is a 2017 graduate of IWU where he studied chemistry and participated in the John Wesley Honors College. He now resides in Saint Paul, MN, where he is a 4th-year Ph.D. candidate in polymer chemistry at the University of Minnesota. He enjoys a cappella music, drums, cycling, and coffee shops! Feel free to contact him at gormo001@umn.edu.