Looking for a church to call home is a daunting task here in Phoenix AZ. Six weeks ago we moved here and are starting our lives over, so it seems. I found a place to rent, we found a school for the girls, we found the shopping we need and other crucial services of life … except a local church.

There are so many great churches here in the Valley of the Sun, but which one to choose?

Here is what we are looking for in a church:

  • The obvious: Solid doctrine, preaching and teaching
  • Great music: A blend of contemporary songs and traditional hymns
  • Youth Group: Solid youth group for our teenager daughters, where they can grow spiritually, serve unselfishly and make good, long lasting friends.
  • Services: Attending Sunday morning service TOGETHER as a family. On this one more: later.
  • Sunday School class: Sunday morning classes for us and the girls.
  • Our part: A place where we can serve God and do our part for His Kingdom.

So far our quest includes:

The first 4 weeks we attended Desert View Bible Church in Phoenix, AZ. We enjoyed the music, LOVED the preaching, and met some nice people. Very nice church, we loved everything about it, but one thing … attending the Sunday Service as a family was a challenge. The youth group’s class was during the first hour of the two services. There was no class for adults during this hour, so we waited for them, and then went to the service together during the second hour. It was OK, but not ideal.

The last two weeks we attended Northwest Community Church in Phoenix, AZ. This is the church that founded the school our girls attend. Right from the start we fell in love with this church. Great people, is the first thing I can think of after my first impression. Very friendly, outgoing and welcoming! The first hour they have classes for the youth and adults. The doctrine, teaching and preaching is solid. The music has a nice mix of the contemporary sound and traditional hymns. This church is connected with Phoenix Seminary in more than one way.

The topic of study during the Sunday School class is The Truth Project – fascinating worldview tour.

Wednesday evenings offer great youth group meetings for our girls. They like going there. They already made many good friends. The leaders of the youth group reached out to them by phone calls and emails. This is was so welcoming and made our girls feel included.

We are going back tomorrow again!

I will try posing more about our quest to find a local church in the Phoenix metro area which we can call our home church. Hopefully if you are in the same situation you can share your quest experiences or find something helpful in ours.