Christian Parenting

Here are the questions I'd ask when searching for a new church:
1. Who do you say Jesus is?
2. On what do you base your teachings?
3. Is your communion table open to all who believe?
4. Will you recognize my baptism as valid?
5. How do you feel about young children in the worship service?

And here are the answers I seek:
1. Lord, the Way, the Truth, the Life
2. Holy Scripture
3. Yes
4. Yes
5. They're welcome--Christ has called them to be here.

There are other things that matter, of course, such as the style of music, the liturgy, how welcoming the people are, whether there is a good mix of people of different ages and backgrounds, how reasonable the driving distance is, but those 5 questions address the most pressing issues for me.

I wish I'd learned to ask them years ago. That way, I wouldn't have had to sit through annoying sermons based on the preacher's politics, having my daughter tackled in the aisle and turned away from the communion table, being asked to get "re-baptized" because the first one didn't count, and being urged to send my kids to the nursery when they weren't even making noise. Finding the right church is hard work, but if you know what matters to you up front, you can eliminate the duds right away. And of course, you find that what matters to you tends to change as God does His work in you...

"re-baptized" because the first one didn't count

You are so right -- that kind of thinking just amazes me - like God is limited by our "rules" for how he can come into someone's life and be a savior!