How To Find A Good Church
by Pastor Matthew E. Walker, 3 August 2007

Walking into a Wal-Mart, miles from my home town, I quickly moved to the left and then back toward the back of the store. I was looking for golf balls and I needed them fast. Now anyone who knows me personally knows that I am not Wal-Mart’s biggest fan. I don’t like cheap products, even when they are less expensive than the goods at other stores. I don’t like the huge, box stores that sell everything either. I don’t like how impersonal they are. I hate returning things to Wal-Mart—that’s a wasted hour for something like $1.25. However, on a day when you are late for the golf course and you don’t want to pay clubhouse prices for Top-Flight golf balls, Wal-Mart becomes your best friend. What makes Wal-Mart so consumer friendly is that they are all about the same on the inside—you don’t have to really struggle to find what you are looking for. If you are in Washington State or Washington, D.C. the Wal-Mart is generally about the same. Convenience is a good thing. You don’t have to be a Wal-Mart apologist to appreciate the ease at which things are located. Entering an unknown store can bring many minutes of needless wandering.

Finding a good church can also cause needless and frankly, exhausting wandering—locating the church, meeting the door-greeters, finding the Sunday School classrooms and nurseries—and doing it for the first time every Sunday. The best thing to do is to have a plan when you are looking for the right church. What things are there that you should be looking for? I recently had the opportunity to sit down and consider what I would look for in a church. As pastor of this church, of course, I am somewhat biased towards our ministry. However, the fact is, not everyone else will be as excited about what God is doing here as I am. What I came up with may be a help to you. I discovered three important things to look for when considering a church.

Doctrine

First, a good church for you will be one that you agree with doctrinally. You will notice that I didn’t begin the checklist with denominational names. The fact that a church has the word “Baptist” in its name should not a determining factor for you. The truth is that many Baptist churches are not Baptist—they do not follow the distinctives that identify a historically Baptist church. Whereas, many Bible churches are more Baptist than anything else. Whether or not a church pays all of its pastors should not be the issue that either encourages you to join or pushes you back out the door. The key issue is doctrine. If you do not agree with the doctrinal teaching of the church then it is not going to be a good fit for you or your family. Some doctrinal issues that you should consider are: the inspiration and authority of the Bible, the doctrine of God, the doctrine of the church, and Biblical separation. Some of the important doctrinal differences that divide Christians should be considered: Calvinism, King James Only-ism, and Worship styles. Most of the time you will have to visit a few weeks to get a feel for the doctrinal position of the church and read the Church Constitution to see what exactly the church believes and teaches. If you agree with the church’s basic doctrinal position then it might be the right church for you.

Spiritual Growth

A church with right doctrine can be dynamic. There are also many dying churches with great doctrinal statements. They just don’t really follow them. After doctrine, the next important item to look for is spiritual vitality. Does the preaching strengthen you spiritually? Do you leave the worship service thinking “I just met with God.” Many “doctrinally sound” churches are not different practically speaking than a good Garden Club or Lodge. The members find social interaction and stimulation but little in the way of spiritual activity is there. If the church is trying to “One Another” each other as the New Testament spells out in some key ecclesiastical texts in Romans, 1 Corinthians, and Ephesians then it will never be the church you want it to be, even if they have nice bathrooms and their door-greeters were extra-friendly. This is where the church view of music is so important. Traditional Sacred Music elevates the mind to dwell on the great doctrines of Scripture leading to real spiritual growth. Most of Contemporary Christian Music does not. The emphasis is not on bringing the worshipper closer to God—it brings God closer to him. True Biblical worship is thinking God’s thoughts after Him. It is nearly impossible to do that with music that sounds like the top 40 on the Billboard charts. Popular (pop) music is popular with the unsaved for a reason. Utilizing that musical style might seem pragmatically sound but it will not foster true spiritual growth. If you are not growing closer to God in your church then something is really wrong. Even if you think the Sacred music is boring, boring is better than destructive. If you find a church where the doctrine is right and you are stimulated spiritually you are two-thirds of the way to finding the right church for you.

Call To Arms

Paul calls the Christian life a battle—we are warriors for the Lord. Christian service is one of the key ingredients to living the successful Christian life. This is going to include how involved you are in Biblical missions; how evangelistic you are in reaching out to your community, your state and country, and the world at large. You should never actively visit and then join a church where you cannot participate in Christian service. God has commissioned you to serve. Christian service is your vocation. The church should be your place to give. Charities are great but if they are not giving the life-changing, eternally-important gospel then they are only putting off the coming pain of eternity without Jesus. The church is your place to spend your free-time. Church is not a Sunday-only proposition. God has gifted you to serve Him through your church. The war will eventually be won through the power of Jesus Christ. The battle here and now, though, depends on your submission to God and how you fight “the good fight of faith.”

The Wrong Jacket

I decided a few months ago to purchase a sport coat on Ebay. Now Ebay is a great company with many cool things to buy. It’s like a mall, a garage sale, and a Sears catalogue, all rolled into one. I was wasting time one day browsing in Men’s clothes and found a great sport coat, not very worn, for a fantastic price. It was in my size. I bought it. The only problem was that my size with 99% of the clothing companies in the world is not my size with this particular brand. The coat didn’t fit. It hangs in my closet reminding me that buying clothes on Ebay is a gamble. Finding the right church is not for gamblers. You’d better not wager the eternal destiny of your children on the wrong church. Look for doctrinal clarity and consistency with God’s Word, for a place that fosters spiritual growth, and a place where you can actively serve the Lord. When you find it—join!