Finding a good local church is an important part of the Christian life. The local church body provides fellowship, accountability, growth, and encouragement. But with so many churches to choose from, it can easily become an overwhelming task. We shouldn’t let the fact that it seems difficult paralyze us, though. With the right plan in place, finding a good church is a pleasant and enjoyable experience.
Discover Which Churches Are Close to You
The first step to finding a good church is informing yourself about the churches in your area. Decide ahead of time how far you are willing to drive and do an online search for all the churches within that radius. If you already have a specific denomination in mind, limit your search to churches within that particular denomination. But if you don’t have a denomination in mind, include all churches at this stage.
Depending on where you live, you may feel even more overwhelmed than you were at first. But don’t fret! The list will start narrowing from here. Go to the churches’ websites and look at their beliefs and values. With each church, consider whether or not the mission of the church as a whole aligns with biblical truth. If it goes against biblical truth or affirms sources other than the Bible as authoritative, go ahead and cross it off your list.
If after this step you only have one church left on your list, it is time to check out the church and make sure that its actions agree with its written beliefs. But if there are still an overwhelming number of churches, you should narrow the list down further based on your preferences of church size, worship style, specific age ministries, and personal recommendation from friends or family if that information is available and applies.
Pray for the Lord to Guide Your Decision
Joining a local church is in accordance with God’s will. Pray for Him to guide you to a church that honors and glorifies Him. Pray for Him to give you wisdom and discernment to avoid heretical churches that go against His Word. And pray for everyone in your family to be on the same page and come to the same conclusion about the church you decide on.
Visit the Churches in Person
Once you have narrowed the list down as far as you can, it is time to start trying some churches out. Pick one of the churches and dedicate one to two weeks to visiting it and getting a feel for how the church operates. Listen to the sermon and determine whether or not it aligns with Scripture. Specifically, ask yourself if the pastor is using exegesis (teaching what the biblical text means in context) or eisegesis (reading whatever he wants into the text and twisting its meaning).
Make an effort to talk to some of the members sitting near you. Ask them about their own feelings about the church, how their experience has been, and any other questions you may have. Introduce yourself to the pastor or other leaders if that is an option. Try to find out if the church has any small-group options, and give them a try.
Find out whether there are any opportunities to serve and how the church is connected to the community. Do people outside the church view the church positively? Is the church making an impact for the gospel by serving others with the hands and feet of Jesus? Are they stewarding their financial resources well? Do they make you feel welcome?
Choose a Church
After trying out a church for a couple weeks and getting to know what all they offer and do, determine whether you believe it to be a good fit. If the church is doctrinally sound and you already feel at home after this short time period, don’t worry about the rest of your list. Inquire about membership and get plugged in!
If something at the first church doesn’t feel right or it simply doesn’t feel like a good fit, don’t be afraid to repeat the same visiting process with another couple of churches. No church will ever be perfect, but it’s not wrong to try out a few churches before deciding. Set a specific period of time you are willing to invest in finding a good church so that you don’t get stuck in the rut of indecisiveness and non-committal. And as soon as you find the right one, go through the joining process and get involved!
But What If I Can’t Find a Good Church?
The first thing to ask yourself if you can’t find a good church is whether you have placed too many restrictions on your ideal church. You might be able to find the ideal fit if you expand your search radius. But it is very possible that you may have discarded a good church without realizing it. Ask yourself whether you have discarded any churches because of personal preferences or because of gospel matters.
We as Christians are called to lay aside our personal preferences and die to ourselves every day. If a church is sound in every way, and the only thing you find wrong with it is the style of music, it is a good church. The best option would be to lay your preferences aside and join the good church that is available to you.
If, however, you rejected the churches because of a gospel matter, that is a different story. We should not settle for a church that preaches a false gospel just so that we can join a church. Some places in the world are unreached with the gospel. In these places, good churches are rare and oftentimes nonexistent.
If you find yourself in an area where there is no healthy church option, consider starting a house church. Invite believers you know over to your house to fellowship, worship, pray, and study the Word together. Listen to a sermon of a Bible-preaching pastor online. And pray that God would raise up a church in your area!