Finding a new church home:
I'm looking for a new church to call home. Where do I even start?!
We’ve all heard that the choice and purchase of a home is one of the most significant decisions a person will ever make. In this temporal world that may be true. However, choosing your church home, where you and your children will learn the things of God and serve the Lord Jesus Christ, has eternal ramifications.
We’ve all heard that the choice and purchase of a home is one of the most significant decisions a person will ever make. In this temporal world that may be true. However, choosing your church home, where you and your children will learn the things of God and serve the Lord Jesus Christ, has eternal ramifications.
A Church That Embraces the Sufficiency of Scripture
2 Timothy 3:16-17
“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”
This is where we ought to start in choosing a church. Local churches need to affirm the Bible for what it is; 66 God-breathed, and therefore, inerrant, infallible, authoritative, and sufficient books of the Old and New Testaments. This is God’s great gift to us, which is sufficient for all things needed for life and godliness, not the least of which are essentials in God’s kind of a church.
The sufficiency of Scripture should not be a statement hidden in a dusty, no-longer-used doctrinal statement. Rather, it’s highly visible in the life of the church. For example, the Bible will be unpacked, explained, and applied from its context in an unrushed and reverent way from the pulpit during the corporate gatherings. In God’s kind of churches, biblical preaching will be more like the main-course of a meal, and less like the parsley garnish. And in preaching, and other teaching ministries, the focus will not be on the teacher, his opinions, and his epic style, but God’s word. The preachers and teachers, from the pulpit to nursery, will demonstrate a getting-out-of-the-way in order for God’s word to take center stage, so as to feed and love you.
Also, a church where women preached or taught at the main service to a mixed, adult congregation would need to be avoided as this would be a church which denies the sufficiency of Scripture (cf. 1 Cor. 14:34-35, 1 Tim. 2:11-12). Furthermore, this kind of a church will justify things like its leadership structure, philosophy of ministry and practice, budget, worship, youth ministry, discipleship, and other events with Scripture, since Scripture alone is our God-given, sufficient authority for church life.When our churches start here, in word and deed, then many other necessary things will fall into place.
“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”
This is where we ought to start in choosing a church. Local churches need to affirm the Bible for what it is; 66 God-breathed, and therefore, inerrant, infallible, authoritative, and sufficient books of the Old and New Testaments. This is God’s great gift to us, which is sufficient for all things needed for life and godliness, not the least of which are essentials in God’s kind of a church.
The sufficiency of Scripture should not be a statement hidden in a dusty, no-longer-used doctrinal statement. Rather, it’s highly visible in the life of the church. For example, the Bible will be unpacked, explained, and applied from its context in an unrushed and reverent way from the pulpit during the corporate gatherings. In God’s kind of churches, biblical preaching will be more like the main-course of a meal, and less like the parsley garnish. And in preaching, and other teaching ministries, the focus will not be on the teacher, his opinions, and his epic style, but God’s word. The preachers and teachers, from the pulpit to nursery, will demonstrate a getting-out-of-the-way in order for God’s word to take center stage, so as to feed and love you.
Also, a church where women preached or taught at the main service to a mixed, adult congregation would need to be avoided as this would be a church which denies the sufficiency of Scripture (cf. 1 Cor. 14:34-35, 1 Tim. 2:11-12). Furthermore, this kind of a church will justify things like its leadership structure, philosophy of ministry and practice, budget, worship, youth ministry, discipleship, and other events with Scripture, since Scripture alone is our God-given, sufficient authority for church life.When our churches start here, in word and deed, then many other necessary things will fall into place.
A Church That Holds High the Glory of God
1 Corinthians 10:31
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
God desires that our churches be God’s-glory-centered. The preaching of the word, teaching in smaller groups/classes, and the culture of the congregation should demonstrate something of real desire for God to be honored.
There ought to be a sense that the church’s life is about pleasing God. And if you’ve been like me at times, this might feel a tad uncomfortable. But the discomfort is good: the church seeks to applaud God, not man, in all it does.
This is a church who strives to preach and practice the greatness of God, the glory of God, the love of God, the grace of God, the holiness of God, and the sovereignty of God. And at the same time, that will mean that this kind of a church will emphasize the sinfulness of man, the inability of man, the depravity of man, and the unreservedness of man, in relation to God.
Even more, it’s a church that avoids spotlighting how “they do things” and how many people attended/made decisions/came forward. Church is about God’s honor, which means our choice needs to follow suit.
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
God desires that our churches be God’s-glory-centered. The preaching of the word, teaching in smaller groups/classes, and the culture of the congregation should demonstrate something of real desire for God to be honored.
There ought to be a sense that the church’s life is about pleasing God. And if you’ve been like me at times, this might feel a tad uncomfortable. But the discomfort is good: the church seeks to applaud God, not man, in all it does.
This is a church who strives to preach and practice the greatness of God, the glory of God, the love of God, the grace of God, the holiness of God, and the sovereignty of God. And at the same time, that will mean that this kind of a church will emphasize the sinfulness of man, the inability of man, the depravity of man, and the unreservedness of man, in relation to God.
Even more, it’s a church that avoids spotlighting how “they do things” and how many people attended/made decisions/came forward. Church is about God’s honor, which means our choice needs to follow suit.
A Church Which Majors on the Biblical Gospel
1 Corinthians 15:3-4
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.”
Next, the church ought to emphasize the loving, finished work of Christ for sinners. We’ll want to hear much about Christ’s substitutionary atoning death on the cross for us, not due to our merit, but his grace. We ought to hear words like redemption, propitiation, atonement, substitution, and justification, explained and applied.
Furthermore, since the gospel includes the call to put faith in Christ (Acts 17:30), we’ll want to hear a measure of pleading and calling the unregenerate to turn to Christ, whether the church is gathered or scattered.
In things like evangelism and outreach, the focus should be on the message of Christ-crucified to save, not the church’s clever methods. In church life, we ought to be reminded often of the only way in which a human being can be acceptable and right with God: faith in the Person and finished work of Christ. We ought to see and hear the message of the cross just about everywhere we turn in church.
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.”
Next, the church ought to emphasize the loving, finished work of Christ for sinners. We’ll want to hear much about Christ’s substitutionary atoning death on the cross for us, not due to our merit, but his grace. We ought to hear words like redemption, propitiation, atonement, substitution, and justification, explained and applied.
Furthermore, since the gospel includes the call to put faith in Christ (Acts 17:30), we’ll want to hear a measure of pleading and calling the unregenerate to turn to Christ, whether the church is gathered or scattered.
In things like evangelism and outreach, the focus should be on the message of Christ-crucified to save, not the church’s clever methods. In church life, we ought to be reminded often of the only way in which a human being can be acceptable and right with God: faith in the Person and finished work of Christ. We ought to see and hear the message of the cross just about everywhere we turn in church.
A Church Which Emphasizes Biblically-based Doctrine
1 Timothy 3:15
“…the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.”
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires” (2 Tim. 4:3).
“But as for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1).
When looking for a church, one of the first things we’ll want to do is look at their doctrinal statement. And it’s a bad sign if such a thing is hard to locate, reluctant to be handed out, or shorter than an In-N-Out menu. We ought to be wary of the church which indicates, “Well, we are not about doctrine.” A church who is not about doctrine can be no more about God, than a restaurant who says, “We are not about food,” can be about serving dinner.
Additionally, the doctrinal stance of the church should not be something they boast in, but a humble privilege of stewardship they see themselves as having. It should be traction for worship. They’re not looking for a doctrinal fight (2 Tim. 2:24-26), but if it comes down to the faithfulness of defending the faith, they will not back down.
And in healthy churches there’s a humble eagerness for newer and mis-shepherded believers to embrace sound doctrine in the same way that in healthy hospitals there’s an eagerness for the young to feast on a healthy diet.
“…the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.”
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires” (2 Tim. 4:3).
“But as for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1).
When looking for a church, one of the first things we’ll want to do is look at their doctrinal statement. And it’s a bad sign if such a thing is hard to locate, reluctant to be handed out, or shorter than an In-N-Out menu. We ought to be wary of the church which indicates, “Well, we are not about doctrine.” A church who is not about doctrine can be no more about God, than a restaurant who says, “We are not about food,” can be about serving dinner.
Additionally, the doctrinal stance of the church should not be something they boast in, but a humble privilege of stewardship they see themselves as having. It should be traction for worship. They’re not looking for a doctrinal fight (2 Tim. 2:24-26), but if it comes down to the faithfulness of defending the faith, they will not back down.
And in healthy churches there’s a humble eagerness for newer and mis-shepherded believers to embrace sound doctrine in the same way that in healthy hospitals there’s an eagerness for the young to feast on a healthy diet.