How to Find a Good Church

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How do you find a good church when there are so many to choose from? It is such a major part of our growth because that is where we get fed from God’s Word, worship God collectively and encourage each other.

Styles of worship and how the service is conducted vary enormously and I don’t want to go into that because as well as being down to personal preference it’s not what is most important.

Here are some pointers I would use if I had to start over again and find a good church:

The preaching is Biblical and challenging 

The preaching should help you to grow as a Christian. It doesn’t have to be challenging every time – sometimes it could be comforting or encouraging, or teach you basic doctrine. But we also need exhortation and challenge to help us to grow more like Christ and not just stay where we are.

Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. Col 1:28

The fellowship is encouraging 

There should be real fellowship where you can talk to people about spiritual things, and encourage and pray for each other.

 Some churches are big, but when the service is over everyone immediately gets up and walks out with minimal talking. I think a sign of real life in a church is when everyone is chattering away to each other as it means there is real fellowship going on.

Also some of the closest fellowship where you can really pray for together happens in small groups like home Bible studies or women’s ministries, so if you can find those going on it is even better. You can also get to know people there and have spiritual conversation.

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. Heb 10:24,25

You can take unbelievers there

This isn’t always possible, but ideally a church should be close enough to where you live that you could invite a friend or neighbour along quite easily.

Also you want it to be the kind of church where you can invite someone along and there is a chance that they will come back again! An unbeliever should be able to hear the gospel and feel welcome and there should be an active plan for evangelism.

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Matt 28:19,20 

You can get involved 

The church is a body with many different gifts and we are told to use them:

For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them Rom 12:4-6 

A good church will try to involve all believers in serving God some way or other and encourage them to use their gifts.

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Don’t get discouraged though if you can’t find a church that has all these things nearby. Pray to find out where God wants you to go and throw yourself into that church wholeheartedly, and remember no church is perfect because we are all sinners!

The Perfect Church 

 If you should find the perfect church 
Without one fault or smear, 
For goodness sake! 
Don’t join that church; 
You’d spoil the atmosphere. 

 If you should find the perfect church 
Where all anxieties cease 
Then pass it by, lest joining it 
You’d mar the masterpiece. 

 If you should find the perfect church 
Then don’t you ever dare, 
To tread upon such holy ground; 
You’d be a misfit there. 

 But since no perfect church exists 
Made of imperfect men, 
Then let’s cease looking for that church 
And love the church we’re in. 

 Of course, it’s not a perfect church, 
That’s simple to discern 
But you and I and all of us 
Could cause the tide to turn. 

What fools we are to flee our post 
In that unfruitful search 
To find at last where problems loom 
God proudly builds His church. 

 So let’s keep working in our church 
Until the resurrection. 
And then we each will join that church 
Without an imperfection. 

 [ Mavis Williams — from Aiken Drum ]

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