~ Looking for a New Church? ~
The cynic,
and the theologian, suggest that if you are looking for a “perfect church” and
you happen to find it—please don’t join it, for obvious reasons! (You’re not
perfect and you would destroy the only perfect church.)
Before
making the decision to change churches, have you made a careful analysis of the
situation? Are you sure it is time to change churches? Could it rather be time
to change yourself? Are your thoughts, attitudes, actions, and lifestyle right?
There are
times when it is very appropriate to leave a church and join a different
church. The most obvious example is when you move to a new geographical
location. But there are other legitimate times to move on to a new fellowship
of believers. What follows are some ideas which I have personally used when
seeking God’s choice of a church for myself and my family.
Biblically Based
~ The official doctrinal
statement is important. However, it is more important to observe what is being
preached week in and week out. Does the pastor preach the Word of God? Is it
truly Biblical? Is much of it expository—direct commentary on Biblical
passages?
Body Life
~ Are the local church members
busy interacting with each other before and after the service? Or do they come
at the last minute before the service starts and rush out as soon as it is
over? The local church should be like a family that has healthy relationships.
Are there lots of activities besides the formal church services? Is it a
healthy church body?
Pastor’s Personality
~ Who does the pastor interact
with before and after services? Is his interaction primarily with the wealthy
or influential (see James 2:2-4)? Is his interaction primarily the church
leaders? Or, does the pastor see himself as a true pastor to all the sheep?
(Matthew 18:11-14)
Financial Status
~ This is often easy to determine since many churches print financial
data in small print on their weekly handout. If it is not there, a little
digging is worth the effort. Why is this important? Many times when a pastor is
spending a lot of time urging a congregation to give more, or to witness more,
it is an indication that a deeper problem exists. The problem may well be with
the hearts of those making up the congregation. While this may not be a
killer—it is a definite caution sign about the spiritual condition of many in
the congregation. This in turn is a caution about the overall spiritual
leadership of the local church.
Family Member’s Needs
~ As a parent sometimes it is
more important to attend a church where your children are receiving excellent
Biblical training (not just being baby-sat) than a church where your feeding
needs are met. This is especially true when the parents are mature
Christians.
Welcoming
~ Is the visitor truly welcomed?
This is a difficult item to assess without multiple visits. Besides those who
have been given “the task” to welcome newcomers, are other church members welcoming?
I have deliberately listed this item last for a reason. In addition to being
very difficult to assess, this is an area where a newcomer has a major role to
play as well. Sometimes a congregation seems aloof because in their healthy
body life they are inadvertently not giving attention to newcomers. Unless it
is strongly cliqueish, I would be slow to rule out a church solely for this
reason.
Which Church is God’s Choice for
You? ~ This
is by far the most important factor—and sometimes the most difficult to
discern. A helpful resource for making Biblical decisions which are aligned
with God’s desire for you is the book
“Thy Will Be Done On Earth: Understanding God’s Will for You” by yours truly (more information is available elsewhere on
this site).
The above
are some of the factors which my family and I have used in selecting a new
church. Many times one visit will allow you to discard a church from your list
of potentials. However, it usually takes a number of visits to be sure a church
is the right one!
If you are
led to change churches, consider these questions. Do you need to change your
behavior, activity level, and interaction with other church members? How can
you exercise your natural talents and spiritual gifts in your new church? Can you
love your new church and its members as they are? …as you learn more about
their idiosyncrasies?
~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW
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