How To Choose a Church

Finding a church congregation in which you can worship and study and have fellowship with other Christians is an important step in your Christian growth. You may feel confused by the many different denominations, uncertain about how to go about finding a church. Shyness or bad experiences in the past may have caused you to be anxious about this process. But if you will make the effort to become active in a local church, your initial apprehension will be eased, as you become a part of things and find your own place as part of the church family.

It is important to recognize that no one group has a corner on all the truth. There is much that is good in each Christian denomination. Differences are found mainly in matters of doctrine, organizational structure, styles of worship, and areas of emphasis. For instance, some churches focus on Bible teaching, others on missions, others on personal growth or family activities. Some have a ritualized style of worship, others are more informal.

Thus it becomes a matter of evaluating your own needs and personal preferences. The Bible teaches in the competency of each believer to understand matters of faith and to make judgments about his/her needs. Each Christian is responsible for himself/herself in matters of faith. So exercise your privilege and responsibility to study the Scriptures for yourself, cultivate your relationship with God through prayer and meditation, and investigate the congregations in your area so that you can find the one which is right for you.

Friends can sometimes be helpful in this process. If you have a similar lifestyle or share interests with certain persons, then the kind of church in which they feel comfortable would probably be one which would appeal to you as well. You might focus on churches which have specific activities for your age group or which can minister to some specific need which you have.

Once you have located a church whose style of worship and Bible study seem to help you draw closer to God, it might be helpful to make an appointment with the pastor to talk about more specific kinds of issues, such as church doctrines and practices. This would be especially important if the church is affiliated with a denomination of which you have not previously been a member.