Disclaimer: These are my thoughts and ideas of churches, not a particular church.
The church in-between the "black church" and the "white church".
Predominantly white churches make me just as uncomfortable as predominantly black churches, and it should make you just as uncomfortable, as well. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, America is a country fortunate enough to be considered a melting pot. I believe all churches should reflect this unique and privileged aspect of America within their congregation. I am honestly heartbroken that the stereotypes and bad spotlight cast on both the "black church" and the "white church" are still prevalent conversation pieces in 2016. Even if you choose not to engage in the conversation, you know what I am talking about. The stereotypes are everywhere from reality television shows, movies, short videos on social media platforms, to iTunes' rather distinct genre title: Christian and Gospel. I appreciate my roots in the "black church" from learning my very first worship song: "We Fall Down" by Donnie McClurkin. In the same manner, I appreciate the "white church" for showing me contemporary worship music. Because of both of the churches, I can take pleasure in Christian music and gospel music in my time of worship. If you comfortable with idea of the Church being separate because a congregation "suits your kind" in regards to the color of your skin, then you are frankly a part of the problem. Your church deserves to be and is meant to be multi-ethnical and multi-cultural. After all, Jesus did not talk to the Pharisees, eunuchs, prostitutes, and the unclean for nothing.
The church in-between the small church and the megachurch.
One of the few things I look for in a church is the size of the congregation and how members of the congregation interacts with one another. I want my church to feel like a home--comfortable, loving, and have a sense of community. I wholeheartedly believe the foundation of the Church is fellowship. I oftentimes compare the sizes of churches and my comfort level to a bell curve The bottom left of the bell curve lies the small churches, and the bottom right lies the megachurches. The middle lies my desired comfort level and the church that is bigger than a small church, but too small to be considered a megachurch. Small churches do not make me nearly uneasy as megachurches. With small churches, fellowship can be self-evident and getting to know the congregation can be an easy task to tackle. On the other hand, getting to know the majority (or even a quarter) of a megachurch's congregation can be very challenging. Granted, everyone does not have the same opinion or experience with small churches and megachurches, personally, I look for churches right down the middle with numbers. I like to feel like I "fit right in" with the size of the congregation. I do not want to feel like the obvious new visitor and I do not want to feel like I am just a number. I want to feel like I am part of the family.
The church in-between serving and working.
This is a big one for me. I love and look forward to Sunday every single week. For me, Sunday is all about being obedient and worshipping Him, and it is all about resting. Many Sundays I would be at church for first service, and right after church you would find me asleep on the couch enjoying my God-ordained after-church nap (for those of you who understand how marvelous naps after church are, feel free to give me an amen or a church wave, at this point). Sadly, at a certain point in my life, I began to not look forward to going to church because it felt like a job when I was serving in multiple areas of ministry. Yes, it is my job to serve others, however, serving others should be a joy. When the y in joy becomes unclear or altogether transforms into a b, then that should be a clear indicator that you should pull out of that area of ministry or have a heart-to-heart with God and try to find that joy you once had.
Though the "in-between" church is not limited to these three ideas, I do believe it rings true for many people today. Yes, I know that there is no perfect church (not on Earth, that is), but finding the right church is essential. It is a long, tedious process, but it is well worth it once you find the church where you feel right at home.
