3 Tips for Finding a Good Church
As a Christian, one of the most important things you can do is find yourself a good church. Church is essential for community, growth, and service. A livestream or pre-recorded version of a church service is good if you're sick or out of town, but it can never replace the real thing. However, in all honesty finding a good church can be a little tricky. More often than not people become discouraged and give up on church altogether because they just cannot seem to find a church to truly call home. If that is you, I hope that I can be of assistance. I have 3 tips in finding a church that you can call home for the long haul.
Determine your denomination (Or lack thereof)
I am sure you already know this, but just because a building says “church” on it does not mean it is the place you are looking for. In fact the word “church” on the building does not even guarantee that it’s a true church in the first place. (I’ll just let that hang there until I come back to it someday in the future). The point is, you are going to have a hard time finding the church you want to be in for a long period of time if your only requirement is that it be called a church. At that rate, at least here in the United States, you could try a new “church” every Sunday for years and still probably not find what you are looking for. There are probably as many churches as there are Starbucks, so if your only requirement is that it be called a church, you are really going to have your work cut out for you.
The first thing I recommend you do is determine which way you lean as far as denominations go. This will not be perfect, as even denominations will vary, but it will get you in the right ballpark. Let’s say you have a baptist church 1 mile from you, a presbyterian church 1 mile from you in the other direction, and a non- denominational church around the corner. Which one do you try first?
Assuming you have some sense of the foundation of the Christian fundamentals, you will need to find which of these 3 churches in our example are the closest to the beliefs that you hold, theologically speaking. If this does not make sense to you, or you are a brand new Christian, it’s okay. Email me if you would like and I would love to help you. The good news is, many Christian churches DO in fact agree on a lot of the fundamentals of the faith. (Salvation by faith alone, the deity of Christ, the virgin birth, the Bible being God’s word, ect.)
If you are not sure which church to visit because you do not know what stances they adhere to theologically, you can find a wealth of information online, or you could even call the church and ask. Each denomination typically has its own set of distinctions that separate them from the others. There of course will be many crossovers, and some variances may not even be majorly different theologically, but could even just be the way the service is conducted.
Now after you have at least narrowed your search down to a specific type, or at least a few types of churches you would like to try, it is time to do some more digging.
2. Read through the church's statement of faith
I am surprised how often this step is neglected. Although many times these statements of faith, or “What we believe” sections are outdated, they still give you so much useful information. These sections will most likely be abbreviations of all the doctrine the church as a whole adheres to, and you can always ask for an extended version if the church has one. This will really help you narrow down your search based on your own personal convictions and theological standpoints.
Another thing you should consider looking into is the section that says “Staff” or “Who we are”, something along those lines. Just by seeing a few things about the pastor and staff, you will continue gaining valuable knowledge of how that church operates and what they believe.
3. Listen to or watch services online
If this is possible for the church you are considering, I highly recommend doing this. This will not only help you familiarize yourself, but it will allow you to test out the preaching and overall service without having to be there. It is frustrating to load up your family, or yourself, and go to a brand new church, meet all kinds of new people and tell your story, just to get up and walk out 5 minutes into the sermon. Even if you don’t walk out, which I suggest you don’t unless it's really bad, you may decide early on into the sermon that you will never be coming back.
Time is precious. This step will save you so much time. The preaching and the service aren't the only thing to consider, but at least you will know if you enjoy and click with the preaching.
All that being said, you never will truly know until you try out the church for a while. The pastor could be the most amazing preacher, the music could stir up your soul, but it still may not be the right church for you. All the steps are meant to get you headed in the right direction. I truly hope you find the church you are looking for. A church that you can grow in, serve in, and enjoy a loving community around you.
If you are not sure that you are going to heaven, please get this settled today by clicking here: How to Go to Heaven.
If you found this helpful or interesting, please share this with a friend. Let’s help people grow in Christ!
