What to Look for in a Church
What do you
look for when you go shopping for clothes?
Most people don’t just go into the department store and buy the first
article of clothing they see on the rack.
Most of us try the clothes on first.
We make sure the clothes are just our size and fit our body type. We make sure we get colors that we like. We pick clothes that suit our particular
style and personality. Clothes shopping
is quite personal and subjective.
Now, what
about when we are looking for a local congregation with which to worship? What about when we are looking for a “church
home?” For many people, searching for a
local church is very similar to shopping for new clothes. Everything about the new church has to suit
them. They want a church that meets at
times that are most convenient for them.
They want a church that has the kind of singing they like. They want a church that is mostly black,
mostly white, or mostly Hispanic. They
want a church with the kind of preacher they like. The carpet has to be the right color. Just like clothes shopping, finding the right
local church becomes quite personal and subjective for these individuals.
What should
one look for in a church? Christ said in
Matthew 16:18, “upon this rock I will build my church.” Jesus said he was going
to build His church, THE church. The
church that belongs to Christ is built up of people, saints, who respond to the
call of the Gospel and live faithfully in the eyes of God (I Corinthians 1:2). There are many local congregations of these saints;
if we find one faithful congregation, we have found THE church. So, perhaps instead of looking for A church,
those searching for a local congregation should look for THE church. Some good
questions to ask yourself when considering a local church:
1) Who is in authority here?
If it appears that a local congregation and its members are subject to
anyone other than Jesus Christ, keep looking!
Jesus said I will build MY church.
That means His church would belong to Him. His church would be subject to Him in all
things. When decisions need to be made,
His church would consult His word first.
When there are problems, His church will go to His word to solve those
problems. Any local congregation that
relies on worldly wisdom and man’s ideas for making decisions and taking action
is NOT the Lord’s church. Christ is the
head of His body (Colossians 1:18)
2) How does this local church
identify itself? The sign outside a building can’t tell you
everything about the people who meet inside, but it can reveal some critical
information. It seems that those who
want to be identified as followers of Christ would have His name displayed
prominently in some form or fashion for others to see and recognize. The word church
alone denotes little more than a called-out body of people; in the generic
sense, it just represents some religious body.
Many churches have a sentence-long name on the sign outside their
building, but nowhere on that sign is the name of Christ. The name of a local church is important (Acts
4:12).
3) Do they have scriptural support
for their beliefs and practices? II Timothy 3:16 says,
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine,
for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of
God might be complete, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” God’s word has everything we need to know to
live faithful lives here in this world that we might be prepared for the life
to come. God’s word also contains the
perfect plans for the organization of local congregations, how they are to
operate, and reveals what is and what is not acceptable worship to the
Lord. When “shopping around” for local
congregations, always ask questions about why they believe what they believe
and do what they do; if they are unable to give a scriptural answer, there is a
good chance their work and belief are not approved of by the Lord.
4) Are they doing their best to
please God according to His revelation? Don’t look for the
perfect church; you’re not going to find it.
And if you think you have found the perfect church, don’t go there! Once you place membership there it won’t be
perfect anymore. The church is built up
of saints, PEOPLE, and people do get things wrong from time to time. Look for a local church where the people are
doing their very best to know and execute the will of God.
5) Do they practice the love of God?
I Corinthians 13:1-3 says if we don’t have love, we don’t have
anything. Is the local congregation
fueled by the love of God and love for each other? Christ said there is no greater commandment
than these (Mark 12:31). Local churches
ought to be identified by their sacrificial love for one another, for their
neighbors, and for the Lord. They should
walk in love (Ephesians 5:2). They
should speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). If you find yourself among a church who is
motivated by anything other than the love of God, run for the hills!
6) Do they have your best spiritual
interests in mind? Do they seem
genuinely concerned about the state of your soul? Many local churches today “bait” people in
with social programs, food services, financial services, etc. They take care of people in a material sense
and neglect the spiritual needs of those who come to them, starving those poor
souls of God’s word. If you see the bait
of material enticements dangling out there, don’t bite! Find a local congregation who want the best
for you spiritually. And, if they are a
true congregation of Christians, they WILL help you and support you when you DO
have material need (Acts 2:44,45, Matthew 6:33).
Finding a
local congregation with which to work and identify is NOT like shopping for
clothes. God doesn’t want us to look
around until we find something that satisfies our personal preferences and
requirements. We must search diligently
for THE church, and sometimes, this requires us to make a change or adjustment
in our own lives to fit where God wants us.
Jeremy
Koontz
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