When you find the right church, it won’t be a chore to attend every week!
“...For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”Matthew 18:20
How do you find the right church for you? You can expect to enjoy worship, learn from or be encouraged by the teaching, and get connected to people around you. Consider what size of church you would prefer, and if you would enjoy a traditional or contemporary worship program. Churches also have many opportunities for you to grow in your faith outside of regular services, such as volunteer projects, lessons and courses, and will encourage you to take part.
It’s hard as a new believer to understand the differences between Christian denominations. We encourage you to look at the various denominations, you may find that one particularly speaks to you. If you’re not sure where to start, try a non-denominational Christian church.
You will want a home church that teaches only from the Bible and squarely believes in the Bible as the whole truth. God warns us of fake teachers, or ‘false prophets’, in 1 John 4 “Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit…. For there are many false prophets in the world.” And it will be hard to discern, but stick to these basic truths and any Christian church that lives and teaches this way should be sound:
- Does the teaching recognize Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the only way of salvation?
- Does the teaching agree with scripture? Obviously, you need to read the Bible and discern this for yourself. The more you read of the Bible, the better equipped you will be!
- Do they bring all glory to God? Or are they attributing blessings elsewhere? All good comes from God and everything is God’s.
- Does the church live out what it teaches? Are they helping the needy in your area and around the world? Are they trying to talk about Jesus to others outside of the church? What are the plans for the future growth of the church?
Ready to look for your new church home and Christian community?
You can use churchfinder.com’s super easy tool to search for local churches—just get out there and try some! You can pray about it too—ask God for guidance and discernment in your choice.