CHURCH CONDUCT: VISITING OTHER CHURCHES by Pastor Goodroad

This is the next installment in a series of articles I’ve titled “Church Conduct,” something I started in response to questions Pastor Moline and I have received about various aspects of church, why we do certain things, or what to do in certain situations. This summer we have had a few questions from vacation-goers about visiting other churches. How do you find a good Lutheran church to attend while out of town on a Sunday? What is the right approach to take when you’ve found a church you want to visit? Should you talk to the Pastor before approaching the rail to take communion, what should you say? All of these questions and more are answered below.

Pastor, we’re taking a family vacation to Springfield USA, how do I find a good Lutheran church in the area? Great question! I’m glad you’re thinking ahead and showing your kids how important going to church is by not taking a vacation from it, even when you’re on vacation from everything else!

A great first resource to check is lutheranliturgy.org where it has a requirement for Lutheran congregations to use the historic liturgy of the church rather than what is commonly known as “contemporary worship” to even be considered for publication on the site. If there’s a congregation listed there that is close to where you’ll be vacationing, check out their website and do your due diligence. If they are upfront with their beliefs and boldly proclaim Christ and a subscription to the Book of Con-cord, you’re on a good path! Bonus points if they also mention that they practice “Closed Communion,” as that is an indicator that they are doing their due diligence to adhere to that Biblical practice taught in 1 Corinthians 11.

If you can’t find a church nearby that’s listed on that website, the next place to go is locator.lcms.org/church which lists every LCMS church in the Synod. You’ll have to be a little more cautious here if you’re looking for a liturgical Lutheran congregation. As you well know, not every LCMS church has the same views on the liturgy that we have here at Good Shepherd. Once you find a church there, visit the website and , again, do your due diligence. What is their confession of faith? Do they boldly proclaim Christ and a subscription to the Book of Concord? Do they mention the liturgy anywhere? If you can’t find the answers to these questions, your next step is calling the church and asking to speak to the Pastor to ask these questions.

If there really is no way you can attend a church while out of town or on vacation, whether due to a lack of a church, a packed schedule, or other unfortunate circum-stances, don’t forget that you can at least watch our service here, streamed on YouTube! Watch either live starting at 8 AM Central, or recorded for you to watch at your convenience, maybe during a car ride.

Okay, I found a church to visit. Should I just show up Sunday morning during the first hymn? Well, better late than never, but don’t do that if you can help it! The best practice is to call the Pastor of your prospective church visit as soon as you decide to visit. This is called “Announcing for Communion” and really makes it much easier for the Pastor to practice “Closed Communion”. Be prepared to answer a few of his questions, such as the name of your home congregation, the name of your Pastor(s), what your personal beliefs are regarding The Lord’s Supper, and whether or not you are a member in good standing of the LCMS.

If you have a hard time getting a hold of the Pastor by phone, your next best bet is to show up at least fifteen minutes before the start of the service, if not twenty. This should allow plenty of time to introduce yourself and your family to the Pastor and answer the above-mentioned questions in person. It would also allow time to chat with any friendly parishioners, find the bathroom, grab a bulletin, peruse it to familiarize yourself with the order of worship that day, and give you a little time to meditate on the scripture lesson that morning or pray the prayers listed in the hymnal.

What if I’m late and don’t get to talk to the Pastor before the service? My recommendation would be to abstain from approaching the rail that day. Your sins are still forgiven in the Confession and Absolution. Your faith is still being fed by the Word of God read and preached to you. Rather than putting the Pastor in a com-promising position of settling for a rushed or last-minute examination before admit-ting you to communion, or putting yourself in the awkward spot of not being admit-ted with a hushed invitation to speak later while at the rail, simply stay in your pew and heartily sing the communion hymns with your brothers and sisters in Christ. Afterwards, make it a point to speak with the Pastor after the service and introduce yourself. No need to be shy, Pastors love visitors, Lutheran or otherwise!

That’s all for this article. As always, if you have any questions about this or another article of mine, or have more excellent questions like these, don’t hesitate to ask!

God’s richest blessings in Christ,
Pastor Goodroad

VICAR FAREWELL POTLUCK
Join us as we bid farewell to Vicar Garrison on Sun-day, August 11 with a potluck meal in the fellow-ship hall following the second service (approximately 12pm). Those with the last name beginning with A-K please bring a main dish and a dessert. Those with the last name beginning with L-Z please bring a main dish and a side dish. Contact Sarah Kaldahl to help with set up, trays, drinks, and clean up.

KNNA RADIO
One of the primary programs on KNNA-LP 95.7 FM is Issues, Etc. Broadcast live Mon.—Fri. from 3-5 pm it offers a wide variety of topics, features and guests. Many current events in the world of theology are covered here as well as timeless the-ology drawn from the Scriptures and Lutheran Confessions. You might even hear our very own Matt Phillips, as he is an occasional guest in the area of medieval church history. Thanks for listening!

STEWARDSHIP MOMENT— Romans 8: 16 “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spir-it that we are children of God.” Children are called to grow up into the image of their Father. That’s the basis not only of our generosity, but of our entire life as Christians. God sets the pattern and we follow. God is kind to us in Christ, and so we de-sire to be kind. God is loving to us in Christ, and so we desire to love. God is generous and open-handed to us in Christ,

JULY MISSION PROJECT: FLOOD RELIEF FOR IOWA
We are changing our July Mission Project to meet some more immediate needs of our neighbors in Spencer, Iowa. The two LCMS congregations in Spencer count 71 families who are dealing with damage from the flooding. Rev. Kaldahl (father of Joel Kaldahl) has spoken with our Pastors about these needs … and so we will be receiving donations to help meet those needs. So far this month we have received $1,250.00. Thank you for your help!