I'm currently reading the book Stop Dating the Church by Joshua Harris (I recommend it to you.) It's a small book that contains some pretty good wisdom. In one of the chapters Harris gives ten guidelines when looking for a good church to commit to. Here they are:
- Is this a church where God's word is faithfully taught? Every church reads the Bible but not all of them truly teach the Scriptures. Another way of stating it is this, Do the messages teach the scriptures or are the Scriptures used to support the teaching of men?
- Is this a church where sound doctrine matters? Does the church know what it believes and care about these beliefs?
- Is this a church in which the gospel is cherished and clearly proclaimed? In other words, does the church believe people need to be changed by trusting Christ?
- Is this a church committed to reaching non-Christians with the gospel?
- Is this a church whose leaders are characterized by humility and integrity?
- Is this a church where people strive to live by God's Word?
- Is this a church where I can find and cultivate godly relationships?
- Is this a church where members are challenged to serve?
- Is this a church that is willing to kick me out? In other words, does it take sin and its consequences seriously?
- Is this a church I'm willing to join "as is" (rather than thinking I need to change the church) with enthusiasm and faith in God?
Harris points out that no church does these things perfectly. He also cautions us to have the right attitude when looking at churches.
The point is important: we need to pick our church carefully. We are careful about selecting our food, our vehicles, our partners in life . . . . we should be equally careful (if not more so) about choosing the place that will help us prepare to serve God now and to enjoy Him in eternity.
