Abstract:
Raised as a pastor’s daughter in what she believed to be a great church, the author’s world
was rocked when in her early teenage years her dad stepped down from the ministry and left
his church. Over the years that followed, she journeyed through a variety of church and
parachurch organizations, always looking for and never quite finding a place that perfectly fit
her expectations of community and shared mission. Perpetually disappointed by the failings
of those around her, the author begins to wrestle with questions of what it really means to be
part of a church. Eventually, she realizes that joining a church requires not only a choice to
accept an imperfect institution, but also a choice to accept imperfect people, including
herself.
