How do you pick a church?

Question

I looked for a few things: 1) one close enough to home, that I'd get to easily on Sunday, and close enough that I'd be open to getting more involved in other activities. 2) Small and cozy, rather than giant and busy. 3) Friendly, welcoming people. 4) Bible-based. 5) Where I could feel a part of a family.

I didn't consider any particular denomination since I'm currently none. Did I go about it the wrong way?

Answer 1

As some of the others have said, look at their doctrine, their teachings. Are they truly scripturally sound? Is law and gospel preached? Do they believe in the true presence in Baptism and Communion, are are they just mere symbols? Look for one that has strong connections to a larger body... too many independent churches do their own thing and preach their own message and often fall away from scripture. Avoid churches that call themselves Christians, but are not.... Christians believe in the gift of salvation given through the death and resurrection of Christ. Avoid ones that state that only a chosen few will be allowed to enter Heaven, because God, in and with Christ, has a space for ALL of us who have been saved through grace.

Once you have figured that out, then look for a church within that denomination that fits your other requirements. Last church we went to was the only one who responded to an email I sent requesting information. (being military, we move around a lot and find to constantly find a new church!) It was a lovely small church that welcomed us readily and made us feel at home. This last one started out as a matter of distance and traffic, and once there we discovered they had everything we were looking for!
Blessings on your search!

Answer 2

Sounds about right. However if your requirements are listed in order of importance you might want to move number 4 to number 1. I grew up in one church and ended up leaving there as I became an adult. It was difficult finding another church where I felt at home. The church I now attend though is great and actually found out about it by accident. My mom's bird had gotten hurt and she was taking it to the vet. She went a different way trying to get there quickly and passed the church. We went there soon after and have been there since. Pray for guidance and avoid churches that are not Bible based.

Answer 3

No you didn't go about it the wrong way. All those things are good reasons for joining a church. I was lucky My future mother-in-law at the time met me and asked if I would like to attend church with her. I went and fell in love with the church. It has a small congregation. The people were very friendly and they have a great outreach to low income people by providing them with a hot meal once a week and in other ways. Such as providing mittens for children in the winter whose parents can't afford them.

Answer 4

Most importantly pray to God to help you make the right decision. Then be sensitive to the way He answers your prayer. By doing so you will end up in a church that is Bible-based, Christ-centered and People-oriented.

Answer 5

I think today too many Christians treat church like they treat their lives: looking for what makes them feel the best, what satisfies them the most. While i think that satisfaction, peace, and love will come when a person becomes a part of a christian community, I believe that looking for one for such selfish reasons is backward thinking. Instead, following the example of Jesus, Paul, etc., how much more amazing would it be for people to confront the issue of finding a church by looking for a place in which he/she can serve and give of him/herself. Christ gave himself up for the church, we should do the same.

Answer 6

The number one is Bible based.

Other things that you mentioned are solely your personal feelings/ tastes.

If you prefer close to home, than go.
If you prefer small and cozy church, than go.
If you prefer friendly, welcoming people, than be one!
If you prefer the one that you could be a part of a family, than be one!
Remember! Frictions can tear all of that a part!

Most of all, the church has to be bible based.

Answer 7

I was always told you should pick you a church on the doctrine that they teach, not by the people who are there. Plus do a little research on each religion's beliefs to make sure you agree with them. For example, I do not believe in praying to saints or Mary like the Catholics do, therefore I am not Catholic.

Answer 8

THE BEST WAY
TO SATISFY YOUR
SPIRITUAL NEEDS

WHY DO PEOPLE need religion? Some would say that humans turn to spiritual matters in order to find security in an insecure world. But there is more to it than that. An article in the journal American Sociological Review noted: "The need for security is not the only attraction of religion. People have always sought answers to such questions as: Where do we come from? Where are we going? Why are we here?"

http://www.watchtower.org/e/20020422/article_04.htm

Answer 9

1st of all, check out their teachings against the Bible.

False Religion...MEDDLES IN WAR AND POLITICS: How many religions can you think of whose members engage in war?

False Religion...SPREADS FALSE DOCTRINE: Most religions teach that the soul or spirit is some invisible part of a human that survives the death of the physical body. However, the Bible teaches a different doctrine. “The soul that is sinning, it itself will die.” Ezekiel 18:4 Jesus taught that the dead will be resurrected, an unnecessary action if humans had an immortal soul. Does your religion teach that the soul does not die?

False Religion...TOLERATES IMMORAL SEX: Church groups ordain gay and lesbian members of the clergy. What, though, does the Bible teach? It plainly states: “Do YOU not know that unrighteous persons will not inherit God’s kingdom? Do not be misled. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men kept for unnatural purposes, nor men who lie with men.” 1 Cor. 6:9,10 Do you know of religions that condone immoral sex?

How to identify true religion.

True Religion...PRACTICES LOVE: True worshippers are “no part of the world,” are not divided by race or culture, and display “love among themselves.” Rather than killing one another, they are willing to die for one another.

True Religion...TRUSTS GOD'S WORD: Instead of teaching “tradition” and “commands of men as doctrines,” true religion bases its doctrine on God's Word, the Bible

True Religion...STRENGTHENS FAMILIES AND UPHOLDS HIGH MORAL STANDARDS: True religion trains husbands to “love their wives as their own bodies,” helps wives to develop “deep respect for their husbands,” and teaches children to “be obedient to their parents.”

Does any religion meet these standards?
The book "Holocaust Politics" published in 2001, says "If more people practiced versions of what the Jehovah's Witnesses preach and practice, the Holocaust could have been prevented and genocide would scourge the world no more."

Answer 10

You HAVE to go with the one that offers truth and goes all the way back to the apostles and that is the Catholic Church. Why pick something invented by man in the 1500's and later? Most churches in the U.S. are less than 100 years old! You DO want truth....right? Forget places that let you bring your own tambourine and all of the emotionalism jazz....doesn't make it truth. Follow Christ...and his true church. The Catholic church.