20 months.

Maybe you recently read “8 Non-Religious Reasons To Take Your Kids To Church” and now you’re thinking, “Okay, I see how that could be a good thing for my family but there are so many churches out there, I just feel overwhelmed. I simply wouldn’t know where to start.”

For someone who is new or unfamiliar to the church scene, I recommend the kind of church that meets at a school, where everybody pretty much wears jeans to the service.

This concept seems to be decently modeled after Saddleback Church in California, where Rick Warren, the author of The Purpose Driven Life and The Purpose Driven Church is the pastor.

Often the names of these “purpose driven” churches include phrases like family, life, community, andfellowship as opposed to official denominational ties, such as Baptist, for example.

They are easy to Google and definitely have a constantly updated website letting you know what exciting activities are going on there.

These churches are typically designed with you, the newcomer, in mind. They have a much more casual setting with a more open, feng shui feel. No pews, for example.

Churches like this are a natural magnet for younger families with children. And that’s hugely important for you as you consider joining a church community.

There may be a band leading the worship music in some likeness of Coldplay (or Lady Antebellum) while coffee and snacks (often free) are served nearby.

I predict at a place like this, you won’t feel like you’re being held over hell like a marshmallow, but instead will feel welcome and part of the crowd.

You can also expect the pastor to be less preachy and more teachy. You’ll feel like he’s talking to you, not at you.

That’s not to say that churches that don’t follow the “purpose driven” model are predictably stiff, outdated, and judgmental, but I do think that a church that fits the model I have described is going to have a better chance of not making you feel out of place, as a newcomer.

What matters is that you find the church that is the best cultural fit for your family so you will want to go back, not feel like you’re supposed to or have to.

I don’t think church is supposed to be boring. I think it’s supposed to be full of abundant life. That’s the kind of church I hope you find for your family.

Photo: Paper Coffee Cup via Shutterstock.