Church Shopping -- Episode One

I am going to be doing some "church shopping" during the coming months. No, I'm not looking to change churches. I'm also not "scouting out the competition." I am trying to get a broader perspective on the spiritual climate and landscape of churches in our area. Sundays are pretty busy for me, but with so many churches now offering Sunday night services, this gives me quite a few options.

My first visit was just two weeks ago. I slipped in late, sat in the back, and left early. It was a bit strange at first -- the church was singing the same exact same songs. The unwritten dress code was the same. They used video announcements in the same way that we do. They were expressing the same values regarding community outreach and missions. The preacher's style was the same.

So what was the difference?

Interestingly it provided me with a contrast that gave me a better look at who "Eastside" is.

We are unique - as is every church. We have values that are shared by other churches - as should be the case. But we have a unique "DNA" - a spiritual genetic code (figuratively speaking) that reflects our unique composition in terms of our membership and a unique calling in terms or our role within the body of Christ.

Eastside is not particularly "religious". We are highly authentic and try to be highly practical. We are REAL. These distinctives became all the more apparent to me following this experience. I have always felt that our unspoken slogan (reflecting our DNA) is Real God Real People. This experience reinforced this feeling for me. I left there with a deep peace and confidence regarding what God is doing at Eastside now, and what God wants to do through Eastside in the future.