Most Christians will find themselves needing to search for a new church at some point in their lives. Changes in living situations, jobs and a host of other factors often necessitate relocating and finding a new church.

Whilst it is usually a good idea to check out whether there are suitable churches in a new areas before you move there or take a new job, there are circumstances beyond our control that may mean we are bound to a place geographically but have found ourselves churchless.

Regardless of how we found ourselves in the situation, here are 11 thoughts (in no particular order) about finding a new church.

1. Think carefully about what you think the church is as it will affect how you view each church you attend and your ability to be involved in it.
2. Work out your doctrine and practice red lines before checking churches out. There is no point attending a church that holds views and practices that you find unconscionable.
3. Be upfront with the places you visit. Tell them that you are working out where to go, how many other places you are checking out and where you are in your search. It is good to be clear so expectations are managed accordingly.
4. There is no biblical requirement to live a certain distance from your church but proximity clearly matters a bit if you are going to involve yourself fully in the life of the church.
5. There is a necessary balance to be struck between proximity and meeting your criteria. It is neither helpful to simply go to the nearest church nor to drive hundreds of miles to one you deem “most faithful”.
6. There is more to church than doctrinal faithfulness. It is not unspiritual to weigh factors beyond the preaching. A church may have sound teaching and yet be deeply unloving or culturally problematic and it is not wrong to reckon these things matter enough to keep searching.
7. How kind and welcoming people are matters far more than many churches seem to realise. These things often determine whether people return or stay.
8. How people treat and engage your children makes a significant impact. If you speak to children in their own right rather than just to their parents, this usually leaves a good impression.
9. You cannot meaningfully judge the preaching based on a visiting speaker’s sermon; you can draw some limited conclusions from the visiting speakers a church happily invites.
10. The UK conservative evangelical world is vanishingly small. The chances of you bumping into people you know or at least having one degree of separation are very high.
11. If you cannot find anywhere to settle within a 30 mile radius, the problem might be you and not the churches.