I feel slightly weird about reviewing a church, but I wished there were more (or really, any) reviews when I was recently searching and could only choose which churches to check out based on their websites. I haven't gotten plugged into a Bible Study or Care Group here yet, so this is not a comprehensive review but is relatively unbiased since I'm not really involved yet. Of course, everyone has their own set of priorities and preferences when they're church-hunting, but hopefully this is helpful:
PBF is very relaxed, friendly, come-as-you-are genuine... it doesn't feel like they're trying too hard to create a "chill" atmosphere. It's not a "hipster" church, but they obviously put some effort in aesthetically pleasing worship music slides and a well-done website. The worship band is excellent. Though there are sometimes a few unfamiliar songs (that are well chosen), I like that the worship set usually includes modern worship favorites, with an occasional hymn.
More importantly, all these nice but more superficial things don't distract from what makes this a really solid church: the teaching is Biblical, and you can see that this church worships "in spirit and in truth" (and I've found few churches that strike this balance). Pastor Joe Schneider, who is sadly retiring soon, speaks the truth in love... he doesn't water down the Bible, and he equally addresses the parts that are harder to hear and the parts that everyone wants to hear. I feel both challenged and uplifted by the sermons, and I think I will really grow spiritually if I actually respond to what I feel convicted of during them. It seems like Pastor Joe and the church leadership have a solid understanding of the Gospel in its entirety (this year's theme is Gospel 365). The church is actively involved in social action/outreach like serving the homeless and jail ministry, as well as internal ministries like Divorce Care and the usual women's, men's, youth, and children's ministries.
I am quite impressed by how this church seems both very "well-rounded" and deep (as in, not just about superficial activity). I feel blessed to have found it. read more
