Choosing A Church

Imagine you're driving home and you have two different routes you can take. One might be a little shorter, while the other has less traffic. They look different, but ultimately, both roads will get you to the same destination. It really doesn't matter which one you choose.

That's perfectly fine when we're talking about driving home. But what happens when we apply that same thinking to Christianity?

You've probably heard someone say something like, "We're all trying to get to heaven. We're just taking different paths to get there." It's an appealing idea, and on the surface, it sounds reasonable. After all, there are thousands of religious groups in the world. They worship differently, teach different doctrines, and organize themselves in different ways. Wouldn't it be nice if all those differences simply represented different roads to the same destination?

The problem is that Jesus doesn't describe it that way.

In Matthew 7:13–14, Jesus tells us about two roads, but unlike our illustration, these roads don't arrive at the same place. One is broad and leads to destruction, while the other is narrow and leads to life. And Jesus makes it clear that not everyone will choose the road that leads to life.

That should make us think carefully about how we approach the church. If Jesus has given us a specific way to follow Him, then choosing a congregation can't simply be about finding the one we like the most. We need to be asking a much more important question: What did God actually design His church to be?

What Is the Church, Anyway?

We use the word "church" in several different ways. We might say we're going to church on Sunday morning, that church starts at nine, or ask someone which church they attend. We all understand what those expressions mean, but they can sometimes cause us to lose sight of what the church actually is.

The Greek word translated as "church" in the New Testament is ekklesia, a word referring to an assembly or congregation of people. The church isn't fundamentally a building, an event, or an organization that we've created. The church is the people who belong to Christ.

Think about what happened in Acts 2. Peter preached the Gospel, and those who received his message were baptized. Verse 41 tells us that about three thousand souls were added that day. Then, in verse 47, we're told that the Lord continued adding to their number those who were being saved.

Notice who was doing the adding. It wasn't a committee deciding who could join, and it wasn't someone signing up for membership in a religious organization. The Lord was adding people to His church as they responded to the Gospel.

This is an important distinction because it changes how we think about our relationship with the church. Christianity isn't simply about finding somewhere to attend on Sunday mornings. When we become Christians, we become part of something much bigger than ourselves.

The church isn't primarily somewhere Christians go. It's not just something Christians do. The church is something Christians are.

If the building where your congregation meets disappeared tomorrow, the church would still exist. You might have to find somewhere else to assemble, but the people who belong to Christ would still be His church.

One Church, Many Congregations

That brings us to another distinction that is important to understand. The Bible speaks of the church as one universal body, but it also describes individual congregations meeting in different places.

In Ephesians 1:22–23, Paul describes the church as the body of Christ, and in Ephesians 4:4, he tells us that there is one body. Everyone who belongs to Christ is part of that one body, regardless of where they live or which local congregation they attend.

At the same time, the New Testament frequently speaks about congregations in specific locations. We read about the church at Corinth, the church at Philippi, the church at Thessalonica, and the churches of Galatia.

These weren't different denominations with their own competing beliefs and doctrines. They were groups of Christians living in different places, belonging to the same Christ, following the same Gospel, and recognizing the same authority.

In other words, God established one body made up of Christians who gather together in local congregations.

And while those congregations existed in different places, they weren't free to reinvent Christianity according to their own preferences. They all belonged to Christ, which meant they were all accountable to Him.

That raises an important question. If the church belongs to Christ, what exactly has He asked His church to do?

What Is the Church Supposed to Do?

When we look at the earliest Christians in Acts 2:42–47, we get a remarkable picture of what life in the church looked like. These people were devoted to the apostles' teaching, spent time praying and worshiping together, shared what they had, cared for those in need, and continued spreading the Gospel.

Their Christianity wasn't limited to a worship service. It shaped how they lived and how they treated one another.

As we study the New Testament, we can organize much of the work God has given His church into four major purposes: worship, service, fellowship, and spreading the Gospel to save the lost.

These aren't four unrelated activities that a congregation can choose to offer. Together, they help us understand what God expects His people to be doing.

Worship: Who Are We Really Trying to Please?

Let's start with worship, because this is probably where our personal preferences have the greatest potential to influence our thinking.

When people talk about choosing a church, what are some of the first things they mention? They might ask whether the music is good, whether the preacher is entertaining, or whether the service keeps their attention. And when someone leaves a worship assembly, one of the first questions they're likely to hear is, "Did you enjoy it?"

But think about that question for a moment. When did our enjoyment become the primary measure of whether worship was successful?

Worship is about giving God the honor, praise, and devotion He deserves. That means our first concern shouldn't be what we enjoyed or what we received. It should be whether we honored God in the way He has asked us to.

The New Testament gives us a picture of what Christians did when they assembled to worship, and we repeatedly find five things associated with that worship.

We see Christians gathering on the first day of the week to observe the Lord's Supper (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 11:23–26). The bread reminds us of Christ's body, and the cup reminds us of His blood. Paul tells us that as often as we eat the bread and drink the cup, we proclaim the Lord's death until He comes. The sacrifice of Jesus remains at the center of our worship because it is His sacrifice that makes our salvation possible.

We also see Christians giving on the first day of the week (1 Corinthians 16:1–2). Rather than approaching worship as a place where we receive something for ourselves, we have an opportunity to give from what God has blessed us with so that the congregation can accomplish the work He has given it.

Prayer is another important part of our lives together. Passages such as 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Philippians 4:6, and James 5:16 remind us that we are to bring our needs, concerns, thanksgiving, and requests before God. When we pray, we're acknowledging our dependence on Him and placing our trust in His care.

Then there's singing. Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16 instruct Christians to sing, but notice that singing serves more than one purpose. We're praising God while also teaching, admonishing, and encouraging one another. Our singing isn't merely music that accompanies worship. The words we sing are themselves an important part of what we're offering to God and sharing with each other.

Finally, we see the preaching and teaching of God's Word. In Acts 20:7, Paul preached to the Christians who had gathered together, and throughout the New Testament, we see the importance of continuing in the apostles' teaching. Studying God's Word allows us to grow in our understanding of Him and to become more faithful in our lives.

Now think about what all five of these have in common. In the Lord's Supper, we're remembering and proclaiming Christ's sacrifice. In our giving, we're offering back a portion of what God has provided. In prayer, we're placing our trust in Him. In singing, we're offering praise while strengthening one another. And through preaching and teaching, we're devoting ourselves to His Word.

Worship is fundamentally about what we offer to God, not what we expect God to provide for our entertainment.

That doesn't mean we shouldn't be encouraged by worship. In fact, Scripture shows that our time together should strengthen us. Singing teaches us, preaching helps us grow, and assembling provides opportunities to encourage one another. Those are wonderful blessings, but they shouldn't replace the purpose of our worship.

It's easy for congregations to become so concerned with attracting people, keeping people entertained, and making everyone comfortable that worship begins to revolve around the people attending rather than the God they're supposed to be honoring.

But we're not the audience. God is.

And while sincerity certainly matters, sincerity alone doesn't give us the authority to redesign worship around whatever we might prefer.

How Should We Choose a Congregation?

At some point, nearly every Christian will face the question of where to worship and become involved in the work of a local congregation.

Maybe you're moving to a new city. Maybe you're looking for a congregation closer to home. Or maybe you've started studying Scripture more seriously and want to know whether the congregation you're attending is actually following what the Bible teaches.

How should you make that decision?

For many people, the process looks a lot like shopping. They visit a few congregations, compare the preaching, consider the music, see whether there are people their age, and think about which place makes them feel the most comfortable. Parents may look at what activities are available for their children. Others might choose a congregation because it's close to home or because they already know people there.

Some of those things can certainly matter from a practical standpoint. There's nothing wrong with wanting to know people, enjoying time with other Christians, or appreciating a convenient location.

But none of those things answers the most important question.

Is this congregation following Christ?

Instead of beginning with what we want from a congregation, we need to begin with what Christ wants from His church.

Look at what the congregation teaches. Is its doctrine grounded in Scripture, or has it adopted beliefs simply because they're popular or traditional? Look at its worship. Is it following what God has revealed, or has worship been redesigned around attracting and entertaining people?

Consider how the congregation uses its resources. Is it focused on the work God has given His church? Look at its leadership and organization. Does it follow the pattern we find in the New Testament?

And don't overlook the relationships among its members. Is this a group of people who genuinely care for one another, encourage one another, and help each other grow? Is there a commitment to spreading the Gospel and reaching those who are lost?

These are the questions that should guide our decisions.

We're not trying to find a congregation that most closely resembles our personal idea of what a church should be. We're trying to find one that is faithfully following the design Christ has already given us.

And there's a personal responsibility here, too. We shouldn't simply be looking for a congregation that will meet all our needs while expecting everyone else to do the work.

We need to ask ourselves whether we're willing to participate in that work. Are we ready to serve others, build relationships, encourage struggling Christians, support the spread of the Gospel, and contribute to the spiritual health of the congregation?

After all, if the church is the people who belong to Christ, then its faithfulness isn't just a question of what the leadership or the preacher is doing. It's a question of what we're doing as members of His body.

The church was never intended to be something we redesigned around our preferences. It belongs to Christ. He established it, He gave it its purpose, and He has shown us how His people are supposed to live and work together.

So perhaps the next time we're evaluating a congregation, we should spend a little less time asking, "Is this the kind of church I want?"

And spend a lot more time asking, "Is this the kind of church Christ wants us to be?"