How to Find a Biblical Church

Hopefully, no one in the church I am privileged to serve at (Wichita Bible Church) will think the following post is my way of encouraging them to go find another church. I don’t ever want anyone to ever leave the church I serve, unless their unrepentant sin becomes an unresolved issue (Matthew 18:15-17; Titus 3:10-11). Perhaps, the following post will be good accountability for us at WBC to consider whether or not we are functioning as a church should.

Regardless, I would encourage you – no matter if you are a member or attendee of a church or not – to read these questions carefully as you evaluate the church you attend.

If you need a church home, may this be your guide.

If you already have a church home, may this be a “how to pray for your church” guide and an resource for how you can be more proactive in being an instrument of change in helping your church be more biblical faithful.

Does the church have a high view of God? You can tell by the songs a church sings what its view of God is. Do those songs use the word “I” often? Are the songs about us? Or is the majesty and glory of God a focus (Proverbs 9:10)? When they sing, it is “for show” and “for worship”? Can you tell there is an intention desire to worship the Lord in spirit and in truth (John 4:24)?

Does the church have the right view of Scripture? Does the church believe in the Bible’s inerrancy (Numbers 23:19)? Does the church believe in the Bible’s clarity (Psalm 19:7)? Does the church believe in the Bible’s sufficiency (Romans 15:4)? Does the church believe in the Bible’s inspiration (II Timothy 3:16-17)? Does the church believe in the Bible’s authority (Acts 17:11-12)? And, what tangible evidence can be offered for each of those qualities of Scripture? If a church doesn’t preach the Bible often, publicly read the Scripture often, and fills its time with extra-biblical stories, jokes or illustrations, there is serious reason to question the importance of the Bible to that church. Does the church offer to help its people in need by pointing them to the Bible for help or by “farming” their members out to professional psychologist or psychiatrists instead? Does the preacher leave the impression from his sermons that his ideas are better or more memorable than God’s ideas?

Does the church preach the biblical Gospel? Is it obvious that the church teaches the holiness of God (Isaiah 6:3)? Does the church teach about man’s sin (Romans 3:23) and his inability to save Himself because of God’s standard of perfection (Matthew 5:48)? Does the church teach the sovereignty of God in salvation and that it was His design to provide His Son as atonement for the sins of man (John 3:16)? Does the church teach repentance (Matthew 4:17)? Does the church teach that salvation is not works but faith (Ephesians 2:8-9)? Is the Gospel preached from the pulpit? Is it shared by its people?

Does the church have biblically qualified men leading it? There are a variety of forms of church government in many good churches, but at some level there must be men of godly character leading them (I Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9; I Peter 5:1-3) – no matter if you are congregationally led, elder led or have some form of Presbyterian model. Who is “in charge” of the church? Who takes the lead in shepherding the flock? Who casts its vision? Who is holding all the members accountable in their walk with the Lord? Who is teaching and equipping them for the work of the ministry (Ephesians 4:12-16). Male leadership in the pastorate, elder board, etc. is the only biblically permissible paradigm.

Does the church discipline its unrepentant? The question here is, “How seriously does the church take its purity? Will the church do what it necessary (e.g., rebuke or excommunication) when a member or attendee refuses to repent? One of the 1^st – if not the 1^st – list of guidelines God gave to the institution of the church was how to keep it pure (Matt 18:15-17). Is the church willing to follow Scripture’s teaching on how to deal with its sins (I Corinthians 5)?

Does the church have “room” for you to serve? Too many Christians join a church because they can get lost in the crowd or just show up and leave without ever being expected to serve the body. That is not a healthy church environment. If you are not serving the church, you are simply a spectator. Find a church that encouraged and emulates serving one another (Galatians 5:13).

Does the church gather to worship and scatter to evangelize? Many churches do it the other way around. They look for ways to fill their services with unbelievers and evangelize there. And while the church should welcome the stranger (Hebrews 13:2), the primary purpose of a church gathering is not to host a weekly crusade but to edify (I Corinthians 14:12) the saints and prepare them for the work of evangelism (Matthew 28:16-20. A healthy church’s primary focus when it gathers is to target the needs of its Christian people.