3 Crucial Questions to Ask a Church before Joining
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Church is a word that can bring up a lot of various emotions in people. Some of us have had positive experiences, and some negative. The fact is that there is no perfect church in the world. However, as believers, we are called to get connected with the local church (Hebrews 10:24-25). When selecting where that is, there are a few key questions we should ask before joining a church.
- The Bible is Inerrant (without error) and the Perfect Word from God. (1 Timothy 3:16-17)
If a church denies any of these, I would look elsewhere. These are essentials to the Christian faith and are a helpful guide when looking at a church. It is beneficial to look over a church’s website and click on their beliefs before stepping foot into the building. This way you know if the essentials are being taught and do not have to wonder about their core beliefs.
This one can be tricky. In today’s world, there is a serious issue within churches. Some are not upholding the truth of the Bible. They are trying to reform to the culture instead of holding to the truth of God’s Word. When learning about a church’s beliefs, it is vital that you ask questions about where they stand on the Bible. God is very clear that we are never to add or take away from His inspired Word (Deuteronomy 4:2).
This means that we examine a church by if they teach from the Bible, if they acknowledge the Bible is God’s inspired Word, and if they teach that the entire Old and New Testaments are relevant to us today. Ultimately, we are each accountable to the Lord. If the culture does not like a certain Bible passage, this does not mean we neglect that passage. We also should not think that we have better rules than the Bible or require extra ones on top of it that are not commanded. This is legalism. Avoid such churches.
If a church is straying away from the integrity of the Bible, there will either be no standards or legalism. Watch out for both. It is very easy for watered down teaching and worship to creep in. It is also very easy for the church to lose the heart of the gospel for works.
Next time you are pondering about where you should attend church or if you should continue where you are, ask these questions. Remember that it does not matter if the church has the best worship band in the world or the most charismatic pastor. It does not matter if the programs are awesome and building is beautiful. It matters that it is a Christ-focused, core doctrine supporting, Bible upholding place. Ultimately too the leadership will be living out these core beliefs from a place of genuine love and will be led by the Holy Spirit.
We are called to devote ourselves to joining together publicly to read the Bible and listen to teaching together. The church is supposed to be a place of unity, building one another up, and spurring each other on in faith. It is vital to remember that there is and never will be a perfect church, however the Lord is refining us as the bride of Christ and He gifts us with the community of being together.
1 Timothy 4:13 says, “Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching.”
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