One of the things I remember about growing up in the church had to do with our church’s covenant. The covenant was adopted by the church as a means of letting everyone know who we were and what we believed as a church. Though it didn’t deal with doctrine, the covenant did stipulate how we would live as part of the family of God.

The final item of the church covenant said something like this: “If we move from this place, we will quickly reunite with another church and become faithful in the service and ministry of the church.” What a great encouragement that was for people who moved from place to place. They needed to get involved and begin serving and ministering in their new home.

In spite of this encouragement and agreement on the part of the members of the church, most people have a very difficult time getting connected to a new church. This failure to connect hurts their family, the local church, and the kingdom of God.

How do you get connected to a church?

First, visit your prospective church four weeks in a row. Unless there is some absolute reason why you would not go back a second time, you really need to worship four consecutive weeks to get a real feel for the congregation and for those who lead the church. Attending a week and missing a week doesn’t help your getting connected. If you attend sporadically, it’s kind of like the movie “Groundhog Day.” It feels the same but you never get anywhere. I recommend going four weeks consecutively to get a good feel for the church.

Second, seek out the pastor and other church leaders to introduce yourself and get an opportunity to begin the process of knowing them.

Third, attend a small group Bible study. This may be the most important decision you can make. By getting together with other believers you will get to know the spiritual temperature of the church. You will also begin making the church open and accessible to you. We have a saying at First Baptist Covington that if you want to make the church small (meaning warm, open, friendly, and caring) you need to attend a small group Bible study.

Finally, find a place to serve and minister. Only when you have found a place of service can you really be connected to a church. At this point you will finally be connected.

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