How to Choose the Right Church
Are you out of church and thinking of
getting started going again?
Are you one of those people who ‘got saved’ watching a television show and want to find a church?
Are you one of those people who ‘got saved’ watching a television show and want to find a church?
Were you brought up in church, stopped
going, and now find yourself feeling a need to attend church again?
Was there a fight in your church that
left you broken hearted and even a little bitter?
Well, whoever you are and whatever the
reason, here are a few hints on finding a church that will help you instead of
hurt you.
God tells us not to forsake the
assembling of ourselves together, so it is important to go to church. This
article really isn’t about the reasons for going to church, it is to give a few
guidelines in choosing a church you can stick with.
First, it’s all about the
preacher. He won’t be a perfect human
being. He probably won’t be your new
best friend. He may honestly be very
busy man doing necessary things. He
should live up to a moral standard that is acceptable according to the
Bible. AND – he should give a good
preaching/teaching sermon every service.
You will be able to tell how much time he spent preparing the sermon by
listening. He can throw in a few jokes,
a poem or two, and even burst out in a song every now and then. He can shout sometimes, or talk in a normal
voice. What matters is the content. The sermon has to be a prepared sermon based
solidly on scripture. If the sermons are
‘feel good’ ‘get along’ sermons then forget that church. Sometimes a sermon will make you feel
good. Sometimes a sermon can bring
reconciliation between estranged people, but that is a by-product of solid
Bible teaching. It really is all about
the preacher.
A church will have a Statement of
Faith which will tell you what the church believes. This is good.
However, it may have been written more than a generation ago and the
current leaders and congregation of the church may not feel the same way. You need to talk to the preacher in person
and question him to see if you are at least on the same page when it comes to
theology. Remember the fundamentals of
the faith:
Inerrancy of scripture
Pre-existence and Deity of Christ
Virgin Birth
Literal death, burial, and
resurrection of Jesus Christ.
If the preacher hum-haw’s around or
tries to sidestep these issues, then hit the road. He isn’t a real preacher of the Gospel of
Jesus Christ.
Second, if at all possible in your
area, you want a preacher that uses the King James Version of the Bible. I recommend the Thompson Chain Reference Bible. I use it and I love it.
Third, you want a song service that
uses the hymnal. The hymnal will keep
the music in line to teach additional Bible truths and comforts. There is nothing that compares to the hymnal
EXCEPT the Bible itself. Do not trivialize
the song service by pretending that music doesn’t matter or by accepting
worldly music to help get people in the mood to worship. Don’t get caught up in the forced
emotionalism of the 7-11 style of music.
That is a song that has 7 words sung 11 times. Sometimes it is ‘sung softly as a prayer’, or
‘sung loudly to a rock band’, but it is still a human attempt to force an
emotional response. Any emotion produced
by such so-called worship music will probably not last past the church parking
lot, much less through the next day.
The song service matters.
Fourth, fifth, sixth, and so on….
People are often looking for a church
where they ‘feel at home’, where there are a lot of activities, and where
friends can be made. All these are nice,
but they are not reasons for choosing a church. They are sort of like
by-products. A Bible teaching preacher
and a song service that worships God instead of emotion produces the good soil
in which a tenderhearted sincere group of Christians may grow. In that atmosphere you may come to feel at
home and make eternal friends.
I have seen many Christians who are the
‘walking wounded’. They went to church
faithfully and somehow wound up in what seemed like the middle of a war
zone. People who were supposed to be
Christians, and may even actually be Christians, acted like the devil’s own
agents, and the church split right down the middle. So called friends took one path. Other friends wouldn’t choose a side. The church almost fell apart. They stopped going to church. The needed time to ‘heal’. Years went by and
they were still ‘healing’. A wounded
heart became the devil’s tool to lead them away from the Lord.
I would also be careful in joining a
church where they want to ‘put you to work’ immediately. IF you have been out of church a while, or
just going through the trauma of a move, you are not ready to minister to
others right at that moment. The church needs to take time to get to know you
and you need time to get to know the church.
If they give people positions of power such as teaching a Sunday School
class or working with the youth without knowing them well, they are not
cautious regarding error creeping into a church. I currently know of a large church that is
going through a rough time because of lack of oversight regarding ‘ministries’
of the church. Gross error was being
taught as truth, and many new Christians have been led astray. A word of caution here to parents – be very
careful the church classes and activities in which you allow your children to
participate. Be even more careful who is
allowed to teach them. Often a ‘role
model’ is considered a youthful person who looks nice and is willing to take on
a challenge like teaching or leading a group of children or youths. In reality – this so called role model may be
so Bible ignorant they don’t even know the fundamentals of the faith. They are really just a social director, not a
Bible teacher. They may be sincere, but
it is just this sort of person the devil uses to bring in doctrinal errors that
can even lead some all the way to hell.
When in doubt, keep you kid in ‘big church’ and cut out questionable
activities. Your goal is to raise your
child to love God and keep the commandments.
It isn’t to raise someone who is only a social or cultural
Christian.
All these are things to be considered
when choosing a church, but the fundamentals are the same.
It’s the preacher.
It’s the fundamentals of the faith.
It’s the song service.
If you can get these things in a
church then you have a good place to grow as a Christian.
You have a good place to raise up a
family that loves the God of the Bible.
Find a church home.
Attend faithfully.
Your job as
church member is to attend as faithfully as your health allows, to be
continually learning and growing in understanding of Bible theology and
doctrine, and to watch for error creeping in.
Eventually the Lord may lead you to take a more active role in the
church. When God asks you to do
something, be ready to do it. In the
meantime, don’t be brow beaten into taking a position in the church that you do
not feel qualified or called to do.
If you are a Christian who has been
out of church, a Christian whose church fell apart, or a Christian moving to a
new area, the time to find a new church is right now. Don’t forsake personal Bible study and
prayer, but also remember Hebrews 10:23-25
23.
Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he
is faithful that promised;)
24.
And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
25.
Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of
some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day
approaching.
Here’s a wonderful song from the
hymnal to get you going.
I
Am Resolved
http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/i/a/m/iamresol.htm
I am resolved no longer to linger,
Charmed by the world’s delight,
Things that are higher, things that are
nobler,
These have allured my sight.
Refrain
I will hasten to Him, hasten so glad
and free;
Jesus, greatest, highest, I will come to Thee.
I will hasten, hasten to Him, hasten so glad
and free;
Jesus, Jesus, greatest, highest, I will come
to Thee.
I am resolved to go to the Savior,
Leaving my sin and strife;
He is the true One, He is the just One,
He hath the words of life.
Refrain
I am resolved to follow the Savior,
Faithful and true each day;
Heed what He sayeth, do what He willeth,
He is the living Way.
Refrain
I am resolved to enter the kingdom
Leaving the paths of sin;
Friends may oppose me, foes may beset me,
Still will I enter in.
Refrain
I am resolved, and who will go with
me?
Come, friends, without delay,
Taught by the Bible, led by the Spirit,
We’ll walk the heav’nly way.
Refrain
