Choosing a Church: 10 Things That Matter Most (pt. 2)

WHAT MATTERS MOST

If you’re ready to decide where to go to church – or not sure if the church you’re attending is where God wants you – you may be faced with difficult choices as well. A lot is at stake. Most of us have a lot of options. And most of us have a lot of preferences, too.  So how do we decide what matters most?

                The wisdom you need to choose a church is a little like the wisdom a person needs to choose a spouse. For example, it’s not wrong for a woman to want to marry a man with blond hair who likes Italian food and hiking. But it would be foolish to place these preferences over the priority of his being truly converted and growing in godliness. In the same way, it’s not wrong to want a church with a lot of people your age or to prefer a certain style of worship music – but these are secondary concerns. Curtis’s example is helpful. He chose a church based on the criteria God’s Word gives – not just on his preferences, or what felt comfortable to familiar to him. In the same way, we need two different lists when it comes to selecting a church – a “must-have” list and a “that-would-be-nice” list of qualities in a church. In this chapter, I want to help you with your “must-have” list.

TEN IMPORTANT QUESTIONS

Use these ten questions to help you explore and understand a church you’re considering. They work whether you’ve been there for two weeks or ten years. This list isn’t exhaustive, and some of the questions will take time to process. But they can help you hone in on the issues that matter most.

1.  Is this a church where God’s Word is faithfully taught?

     “The kind of church you want to be a part of,” writes Donald Whitney, “is one where, when the Bible is read at the beginning of a sermon, you can be confident that what follows will be built upon it. God made our hearts, and only He knows what we need most. And He made our hearts for the Word of God. Nothing nourishes us like his message.” A God-glorifying church is governed by God’s Word. Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 3:16 that “all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” Be careful here. At first glance, most churches will appear to teach God’s Word. You’ll see it printed in the bulletin, written on the walls, or sprinkled through the services. But these references to Scripture don’t necessarily mean a church is submitted to God’s Word.

                Some teachers start their messages with the Bible, but it’s only a jumping-off point to share their own opinions. I should know – I used to be one of those teachers! I used to build entertaining messages around engaging illustrations, stories, or ideas I had. I always peppered my messages with Scripture. But Scripture wasn’t the meat of the message; it was only the seasoning. Since then, God has mercifully helped me to grow in my understanding of faithful preaching. I’ve learned that the best thing I can do for my church is to build a message on the teaching of a particular passage of Scripture – to draw my points and emphasis from the points and emphasis of the passage. This approach, often called expositional preaching, can be expressed through many different personalities and presentation styles (and it doesn’t have to add up to long, difficult, or boring sermons!). The driving principle is that God’s Word has the authority. The preacher’s task is simply to unleash what it has to say to God’s people. So your first priority is to look for a church whose teaching is driven by a confidence in the authority of Scripture."

WHAT TRULY IS BIBLICAL EXPOSITION?  WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT? WHY IS IT SO HARD TO FIND FAITHFUL PREACHERS WHO DECLARE THE WHOLE COUNSEL OF GOD?  If you get the first mark of a healthy church wrong (biblical preaching and teaching) everything that follows  in this article will not make sense.  So make sure you know what biblical preaching is before you move into items 2-5 and 6-10.

See Steven J Lawson's, "Famine in the Land: A Passionate Call For Expository Preaching."

See Alistair Begg's short book, "Preaching For God's Glory."

See Albert Mohler's "He Is Not Silent: Preaching in a Postmodern World."

See John Piper's, "The Supremacy of God in Preaching."

See John MacArthur's, "Preaching: How To Preach Biblically."

See Martyn Lloyd-Jones, "Preachers and Preaching."

2.  Is this a church where sound doctrine truly matters?

Acts 2:42 says that the first believers “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching.” Today we have the apostles’ teaching passed down in the Bible. Doctrine may sound like an intimidating word. But it simply means what the Bible teaches about any given subject. Therefore, a church in which doctrine matters is one that values biblical truth, knows what it believes, and is guided by these beliefs in the way it functions.

Sound doctrine is always under attack. Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 4:3-4 that “the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”

These days, doctrine is often derided by people who view it as divisive and unnecessary to living the Christian life. Some people pride themselves on not being concerned with the specifics of what they believe about salvation, sin, the work of the Spirit, and other doctrinal issues. A friend who attended a large conference for youth workers told me that the host started the event by walking onstage and declaring, “It’s not about doctrine! It’s about Jesus!” I consider this a sad and misleading statement. We don’t have to choose between caring about doctrine and loving Jesus. The two pursuits are not oppose to each other. In fact, they are inseparable! We can only grow in our love for our Savior as we learn more of who He is and what he has accomplished for us. A concern for truth doesn’t take us away from a deeper relationship with Him. It leads us closer to Him, in greater worship, adoration, and obedience.

I agree that you can find churches that hold to their doctrinal positions arrogantly or unwisely. Or that use secondary doctrinal issues as a way to be exclusive or condescending toward others who disagree with them. I hope you’ll never fall into this kind of attitude. We can love truth deeply without being unkind or proud. Look for a church that clearly knows and defines what it believes – a place where the statement of faith actually makes a difference. If this is the church home for you, you should be able to agree with this statement on its major doctrines.

If you are looking for a book that can add insight to your Bible study on doctrine, I highly recommend Bible Doctrine by Wayne Grudem. This book covers all the major doctrines – of God, man, Christ, salvation – in a way that’s easy to understand. Shannon, who often uses it in her devotions, has found that Grudem’s teaching infuses her heart with love for her Father in heaven. A helpful teaching tool like this can also clarify your own doctrinal convictions as you look for a church home.

See R. C. Sproul's, "The Holiness of God."

See J. I. Packer's, "Knowing God."

See Iain Murray's, "The Old Evangelicalism:  Old Truths For a New Awakening."

See Richard Mayhue and John MacArthur's, "Biblical Doctrine: A Systematic Summary of Bible Truth."

See Mark Dever's, "Nine Marks of a Healthy Church."

3.  Is this a church in which the gospel is cherished and clearly proclaimed?

                The gospel is the Good News of Jesus Christ’s perfect life, sacrificial death for sinners, and glorious resurrection and ascension.  It’s the story line of all of God’s Word – a holy God has mercifully made a way for sinners to be forgiven and accepted through the cross of Christ.

                I grew up in a Christian home, but for many years of my life the gospel wasn’t a central focus.  In fact it was all rather fuzzy.  I knew Jesus loved me.  I knew He wanted a personal relationship with me.  I knew He wanted me to be a good person.

                It wasn’t until God brought me to a church that clearly proclaimed and cherished the gospel that I learned how the work of Christ for me functioned practically in my daily Christian life.  I could only relate to God on the basis of His grace.  My good works didn’t earn my standing before God; Jesus had earned my standing before Him.  I wasn’t just a lovable guy in need of a personal relationship; I was a sinner who needed to be rescued from God’s just wrath by the death of Jesus.  Focusing on this sweet truth made grace truly amazing.  It helped me when I was struggling against sin.  It helped me to readily forgive others. 

                About choosing a church, Charles Spurgeon once said: “Do not go where it is all fine music and grand talk and beautiful architecture; those things will neither fill anybody’s stomach, nor feed his soul.  Go where the gospel is preached, the gospel that really feeds your soul, and go often.”

                C. J. Mahaney, the pastor and friend who has coached and trained me in ministry, has taught me the primacy of the gospel in my personal life and in leading a local church.  He has taught me that the gospel isn’t just for getting saved – it’s the defining reality we need to live in every day of our lives.  That’s why I highly recommend his book The Cross Centered Life to help you understand what it means to cherish and live in the good of the gospel. And for help in understanding how a focus on the Cross shapes a church’s approach to ministry, I recommend D. A. Carson’s outstanding book The Cross and Christian Ministry.

4.  Is this a church committed to reaching non-Christians with the gospel?

                Jesus commissioned every follower to go and make disciples (see Matthew 28:18-20).  So make it a priority to look for a church that not only celebrates the gospel, but also reaches out to the unsaved in the community with this same Good News.

                Without an emphasis on evangelism, a church becomes selfish and ingrown.  Some churches can become so preoccupied with being relevant to the surrounding culture that they lose all distinctiveness.  But the clear message of the gospel should never be altered to make it more marketable.  People separated from God by their sin are never served when a church places relevance above its mission of faithfully proclaiming the gospel.

See John Piper's, "Let the Nations Be Glad: The Supremacy of God in Missions"

See Kevin DeYoung's, "What Is the Mission of the Church?: Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom, and the Great Commission."

5.  Is this a church whose leaders are characterized by humility and integrity?

                On my twenty-first birthday, my dad wrote me a special letter in which he encouraged me to find men I wanted to be like.  “Then sit at their feet and learn from them,” he wrote.  It’s good advice.  No pastor is perfect, but when it comes to evaluating a church’s leaders, you want to find men you can trust and whose example you can follow.

                First Timothy 3 lists the qualifications for pastors:  A leader in the church must be a man who is above reproach, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.  Notice that the qualifications relate mostly to the quality of his life.  It’s been said that pastoring is a character profession.  No amount of skill, leadership ability, or communication skills can replace godly character.  Look for a church where personal character is of higher importance than title, position or outward success.

                I’ve found that the most effective leaders view themselves first as servants.  And leaders with integrity keep themselves accountable.  They don’t view themselves as being immune to sin, but build safeguards around themselves financially, morally, and in every other category to keep themselves from compromise.  They see themselves as servants of the Great Shepherd – and live in light of their accountability to Him.

See Timothy Witmer's, "The Shepherd-Leader: Achieving Effective Shepherding In Your Church."

See Albert Mohler's, "The Book on Leadership."

See Alexander Strauch's, "The New Testament Deacon: The Church's Minister of Mercy." 

See John MacArthur's, "The Master's Plan For the Church."

See Stuart Scott's, "The Exemplary Husband."

NOTE--- The content from this article (minus the additional book recommendations and the application questions) is from a section in Pastor Josh Harris' book, titled "Stop Dating the Church."

-- To Be Continued