I started off in Zion BP @ Serangoon Gardens, because that was the kindergarten I attended.
When I was in Australia, after falling away for many years, I decided to start afresh - and get started in a church. My flatmate, was a follower of The Way, and I just followed him, which ended up being Unichurch - which was where I finally "got it", and followed Jesus for real.
Unichurch had strong links with ARPC in Singapore, so it seemed a natural choice to settle there - where I've adopted as my home church since.
Going to Makassar, attending ICF was a no brainer, it being the only English speaking service around.
In Vietnam, there was a fellowship meeting in the same district which I stayed, and also recommended by a friend.
Coming here to Jakarta, it's different.
I asked a pastor friend from Australia, and he recommended 3! which is like 2 more than what I'm used to...
Church #1 was part of a large Indonesian church. Congregation of about 50. The only issue was that they didn't have any children's church in English.
Church #2 was a large International fellowship right smack in town. Distance wise, was probably the closest to my home. They were a polished bunch of folks, music was great, established children's chuch - mix of expats and Indonesians were about half. The 2 messages I heard, was good - sound, scriptural.
Church #3 was a church plant of #2. We loved the smallness of the group, very casual/cosy - everyone sits around tables, with coffee in the middle! We went about 3 times, and found that the teaching wasn't quite all that strong. And whilst it is "only" 20 km from my house - getting there on a Saturday was between 45min to 100min - each way. Also, despite the smallness of the group, I found it hard to connect with others there. I think my family liked this the best, but I struggled.
Church #4 was also a fairly large mixed congregation. A little more traditional. They spent the first 10-15min of the service, explaining from scripture, on why they were making a major shift in their "policy". I was very impressed! The message was also very sound, exegetical - I think the strongest in the lot. The only issue was, their Sunday school was held in the morning before service. During service, only our youngest had a separate class - so my older 2 had to sit through the whole service. This isn't altogether bad, it's been a model I flirted with, when we were in Vietnam. But it would also mean a very long Sunday morning for the family.
Church #5 was very close to church #3. But going on a Sunday, took less than half hour each way. We got to know a couple, through mutual friends. So we met them there. First week, wasn't very representative, it was a school holiday, so congregation was smaller, main pastor away, and had sort of a family service - which was like a big Sunday school class. Second week, was back to normal. It's a smallish congregation, and service is more "high", besides the catholic services I attended in school as a kid, this has been the most liturgical service I've been in 20 years. I know the background of the main pastor, since he's from the same theological school linked with the church I attended when I became a Christian. So preaching was sound. The main difference was, the people were just really friendly! Both weeks, we had people coming up to us, to have a chat. We've had people inviting us to their homes. People hung around after service, chit chat over coffee and cakes, then went out for lunch.
It's been a 2 month journey of search. I've pretty much visited the churches I wanted to visit, and needed to make a decision pretty soon, so that we can settle in quickly. And after much thought and prayer, this is what I think is most important for me, in looking for a church to be part of.
1. Teaching. Above all else, the approach to scripture has to be sound, evangelical.
2. Sunday school. The family is a big part of the decision making process. We talk with our kids, what they thought. My kids seem to like the smaller groups, which was more personal. It'll be really nice for the church to have an English children's church, and a place where my kids feel more comfortable.
3. Fellowship. This, is I guess what seals it. I got to know a few people from church #2, and would not have been disappointed to have settled in there. But what struck me about church #5 was how outward looking and warm they were, especially to newcomers.
I guess it is something everyone knows in theory, but harder to put in practice. In the church I was part of in Singapore, it grew from 1 service of 100 to 3 services of 1000+ - and it's hard to even keep up with even regular attenders, especially in our very busy lives. We get comfortable, talk with the people we know, want to catch up with, people with the same demographic. It really is quite hard for a new person to get "plugged" in, often taking years. For me, it is a good reminder, now that I've been on the other side (a newcomer).
It's an encourage to keep being outward looking, go beyond saying hello, how are you, and see you next week. Being in a church, is a sense of belonging, and all the more so for a newcomer. It's the sharing of lives, and unfortunately, it involves time and effort. It's being in a family - the family of God, that has been purchased by the blood of Jesus. THESE are the relationships that will count in eternity.
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