Who Needs the Holy Ghost…This Church Got Five Stars

Last Spring, I began a search for a new church. After listening to a sermon, I made a decision not to blog about it. I confessed I’d been overly critical back in Kalispell, daring even to use a star rating for churches. I wrote:

In fact, on my first and second church searches back in Kalispell, Montana, I was using a star system to rate the churches I was looking at and that was so unfair. (Only 3 churches earned a rating of 3 stars or more.)

So, I prayed God would help me with being so critical and I believe He will. I’m focusing on what’s right and letting the Holy Spirit be my guide.

Anyway, today I was going through the Ecotraffic rankings and I found right near my blog in traffic was San Diego Church Reviews and Guide. What I was repenting of and swearing to do never again is the topic of their website.

They “Review” churches in San Diego. They have abandonned the Star System in favor of a 1-5 ranking system for several different categories for each church to help people find the right church (with rates of “Cults, Poor Churches, Not Reccomended, Reccomended, and Highly Reccomended.)

I’ve got to tell you from experience. This is NOT the way to find a church. I give them credit for one thing and that is listening churches that are clearly cults and some of the churches out there that have basically become social clubs.

There are several problems with the rankings:

One big problem is that most of these reviews are written after either:

1) A Cursory Review of the Website
2) A Single Visit to a Church

A problem with reviewing a Church like that is its like a drive by home inspection. You go to a service and you like or dislike that service, the particular message, the pastor, etc. and on that a review is made. In one review, a reviewer pans a church based on the low quality of preaching in a Sunday Night group for people aged 18-30. So, because one lousy speaker choice at one program, the church gets thrown out of consideration.

You don’t see the whole ministry in action. You don’t see committment, passion, or the people in the Church. You see one bad sermon and that’s it.

I’m guilty of this as anyone. The Church I’m currently going to I actually visited when I first got to Boise, but I didn’t end up going in part, because someone came out dressed like a potato to promote the Church’s lady’s potato bar fellowship. I know go to small group with the person dressed as the potato and she’s actually a very committed Christian. I went back to church a year and a half later, and the pastor preached against the new age and in the midst of the sermon, began to weep over people.

Its an extreme example, I know, but its the hazard of doing a quick judgment. If you go around half-cocked, without the Holy Spirit leading you step by step, you end up in a mess of your own making.

The authors also miss a key point. Yes, there are really bad churches out there that are practically apostate, but in most churches (including many that be “Not Reccomended” or merely “Normal”) there are good people. Maybe, God has someone you need to interact with, who will walk with you who while merely in a “Normal Church,”may be above average, or maybe there’s someone whose life God needs you to touch.

What we forget is that God is always reaching out to His people. I don’t think there’s any body of true believers that God has just written off. You could be an instrument of healing and revival in your church through prayer, service, or God may give you favor with “not reccomended” pastor so that you might even be able to suggest something that good bring people closer to God.

Then again, you may need the royal treatment at the five start “Church Hilton.” How do you know where to go and what God’s call on your life is in this season? Its called the Holy Spirit of God. He’ll show you where to go, if you’ll listen and follow his leading.

While you should be grateful for well-intentioned warnings, you should also beware that like confusion, God is not the author of consumerism.

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