You may be asking yourself "How can I become a part of God's Kingdom?" or you may be wondering how you can become a member of our ministry. Unlike other decisions, choosing a church home has eternal ramifications. This type of decision affects not only your own spiritual life, but that of your children and their children. Here are some items you need to consider along with questions you need to ask if you are making that decision:
1. A Proper View of Scripture - Does the church hold the Scripture to be the inspired, inerrant, authoritative Word of God (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:20-21)?
2. An Emphasis on Bible Teaching and Preaching - Is the church committed to providing solid, high quality preaching to feed believers from the Word each week (2 Tim. 4:1-5)?
3. Doctrinal Soundness - Where does the church stand on crucial issues of the faith such as: the virgin birth and deity of Christ; the depravity of man; the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ; salvation given by the death of Jesus Christ; the return of Christ and the ordinances of Baptism and Communion?
4. Doctrinal practice - Does the church practice the doctrines that it claims to believe (Jas. 1:22; Lk. 6:46; Jn 13:17)?
5. Organization - Are things done properly and in an orderly manner (1 Cor. 14:40)? Is Christ the head of the church (Eph. 1:22; 4:15, 5.23; Col. 1:18)? Is the authority of godly leadership accepted (Heb 13:7,17; 1 Tim. 3:1-13)? Do the leaders have goals and a stated purpose or are they wandering aimlessly (1 Cor. 9:26)? Are the goals and purpose consistent with the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19, 20)?
6. Worship - Is God the focus of the church's worship? Is His honor and glory emphasized in dynamic corporate worship? Does the church have a high view of God and seriously obey Him (Prov. 9: 10)?
7. People - Do the members care for and share with one another (Phil. 2:3-4)? Is the church marked by love (John 13:34, 35)? Are the people willing to sacrifice themselves and their possessions in order to advance God's kingdom (Rom. 12:1; Matt. 6:33)? Is there an obvious spirit of unity among the people (Eph. 4:1-6)? Are they people of sincere faith, willing to trust God (Heb. 11: 1,6)? Are they people of prayer who find power and direction through moment by moment communication with God (Eph. 6:18; Acts 1:14)?
No church is perfect and what appeals to you may not appeal to someone else. There may be certain qualities that are quite strong in a given church while one or two other qualities are rather weak. Perhaps God wants to use you to further perfect that body of believers. For that reason there are, in addition, some questions you need to ask yourself as you consider a church. Are there opportunities here for me to serve and exercise my spiritual gifts? Does this local body have a need that, by God's enabling, I can meet? Am I willing to get involved and serve in this church? Am I concerned not only about what the church can do for me, but also what I can do for the Lord as I serve Him in this church? Am I willing to give of my time, money, energy, and prayers to contribute to the success of this church (Mk. 12:30; Rom. 12:1)?
And lastly, if you don't have a regular church home, make finding one a matter of daily prayer. Be our guest for a few weeks at Children of God Ministries. Your search just might end here. And if it doesn't, hopefully we've helped you come a little closer to recognizing the path that God is calling you to. If nothing else, come "let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds" (Heb. 10:24, NIV).
