Question: What is a good church?

Answer: Like a good wife or husband, the perfect church is hard to find. And the more you get to know the church, the more you will recognize that people are there not because they are perfect, but because they have needs. The biggest need we have, perhaps, is to think like God. And that speaks of just the attribute of a good church I would look for first.

Does this church teach the Bible faithfully? There are many churches whose members don't even carry Bibles. This is likely a sign that not much Bible is being taught. Do the pastors use the Bible to preach their sermons by really explaining the text, or do they just come up with ideas and occasionally sprinkle a little Bible in? Do the Sunday School teachers care about what the Bible has to say? You are wanting to find a church that is clear about the Bible being its authority.

You also want to make sure that the church has a correct view of salvation. I will not go into the detail that is needed here, but you may find a lot of material explaining the gospel on this site. In simple form, you should find a church that believes that salvation is a gift of God and therefore not earned by human works. They should teach that salvation is applied through the instrumentality of faith alone. They should believe that Christ's life, death, and resurrection is the only hope for a sinful person to be saved.

They should also be serious about worshipping God. Listening to the Bible taught is one way of worshipping God, but there are other elements as well. Does the church weigh heavily what God wants in public worship? Do the leaders attempt to help you keep your eyes on God? Is there serious prayer? Is there a proper place given to baptism and the Lord's supper? Does the music honor God and move you to love Him?

Another question to ask is this: Does this church seek to improve in the area of love? By this I mean, do they attempt to give their lives for each other and in service to God at a cost to themselves? No church has fully arrived in this wonderful mark of maturity. The apostle Paul was constantly encouraging the early churches to make a lot of love. What you want to know is this: Is this church seeking to be a loving group toward God, the members, and even those outside? The later will show up in evangelism and missions as its major expression.

Other matters have high importance, but are not as significant as what I have already mentioned. What I have mentioned above tends to take care of the issues I'll bring up now. Let me list some considerations:

• Does the church have biblically qualified leaders?
• Does the church have some way to discipline its erring members in order to help them come back to holiness?
• Does the church love its children? It is not necessary, or even wise, to make the main focus on children or youth, but you should see some concern that children hear and apply the gospel and that Christian children learn to serve God.
• Does the church love and respect its older members?
• Is there joy in the church?

There are other issues, but I will end with these. To be a church a group of people must attend to the preaching of the Word, practice the ordinances of Communion and Baptism, and have a committment to an accountability of its members (church discipline, i.e. Mt. 18: 15-17; 1 Cor. 5, etc.). But I have given you a bit more than that. You are not just looking for a church, but a church that is going to be a genuine help to you and your family for many years. Above all, you should pray for wisdom (James 1: 5-7) and God will provide His divine help in finding the right group. And when you do, pitch in with all your heart. You won't be sorry.