Choosing a Church

[voided user1]

For lack of definitively knowing which category to put this under, I'd like to broach the topic of how to choose a church.

In my current church I am very happy with most of the teaching. One note is that our pastor ranges from what is clearly Spirit-led exposition of God's Word on many Sundays, to outright ranting on occassions. In the areas of fellowship we have made and are making significant efforts, but have found it disturbing how difficult it has been to establish real solid relationships with others in the fellowship. In the area of music, what is done is often excellent or at least acceptable but there is a severe lack of planning or forethought in regards to the music ministry and the worship of the church.

To complicate matters, we are supposed to get married there in May.

Let's discuss the priorities and relationships of teaching, worship, and healthy fellowship. How do you decide which to give up? Do we have to choose? How do you decide when to move on from a church and when to stick with it no matter what?


Jon Wymer
Omaha, NE
MacArthurish Credobaptist Bible-Thumper

 

[JohnV]

Jon:

It is my personal opinion that the problem IS that many people move from church to church, based upon their own personal standards, or as they understand the church standards to be. They look for a church they will be comfortable in. What I see as the problem is that no one stays and fights for a church in which a believer can be comfortable, never mind himself. When things start to go wrong, then the monolithic structure scares them off, and they look for a place to call home. They will never find it, not if they aren't willing to fight for the home they already have by God's providence. No one holds the church to her own standards; no one dares to make the church "kick them out" for staying the course the church herself has set.

 

[wsw201]

I agree with John. There is no perfect Church (tooo many sinners!).

 

[Irishcat922]

Bahnsen has a great series of sermons he did on choosing a Church at www.cmfnow.com

 

[Bryan]

I'm in an interesting situation. I attend a "Community Church" which is in reality a baptist church without the name, I'm a charter member as it was formed jsut over 2 years ago. It's Statment of faith is clear on the very bare essencials but has no stand regarding Calvinism, dispensationalism, Covenant theology...etc. Now when I first began to study Reformed Theology I was a Refromed Baptist so no problem sitting into my church there, our last pastor was a Reformed Baptist as well and our currect one (whom I have an awesome relationship with) leans heavily Calvinistic. Of course of the last year I've come to the decision that Reformed Padeobaptism is correct. Do I leave the church? My pastor knows of this decision, so do my freinds in the church and none of them have a problem with this as they understand my need to study theology and believe when I think the Bible teaches. The deacons in the church (who make up the leadership team other then the pastor...don't ask, really weird goverment system that I hate) don't know my position change (It'll be interesting when that hits the fan), and the statment of faith only says you need to have been baptized by immersion (which I was when I first joined and hadn't yet comwe to the Padeobaptist conclusions).

My chruch also has lots of other problem. We have had a pastor leave already becasue of certain things and such. My current opinion is much like JohnV's. If your a member of a church you have a responsibility to said church. If they are "off" in some areas I don't believe in leaving but in working to fix it. If they reject what your trying to do and kick you out, so be it, but until then it's your responsibility to work towards making it a more biblical based church.

Now there are some situations where I wouldn't follow the such, if you have kids attending with you that you want taught right, but in my own situation I'm sticking it out right to the end.

Bryan
SDG

 

[JohnV]

Now there are some situations where I wouldn't follow the such, if you have kids attending with you that you want taught right, but in my own situation I'm sticking it out right to the end.

Bryan:

Do so in love. Don't expect them to believe what they cannot understand, but oppose the things that are deliberately placed in the way to a true faith. That means that you yourself cannot stand in the way of a true faith either, even if that means that their understanding is the best that they can muster so far. For revelation, for the lights to come on, you have to wait for God to act. For matters where man intervenes and disrupts the work of the Spirit, there you must stand and be counted. This way even your corrections will be in love, and not in reaction or in revenge. It doesn't lessen the standards of faith, and it doesn't obligate anyone to what he cannot understand. The doors are open to the simple and the learned just the same, without making true faith any less true.

For a recent convert, believing Christ is not so hard. There isn't a whole lot to it: believe that Christ's death was sufficient to pay for my sin, and that He rose to give us victory over the penalty of death. But for someone who's been in the faith a long, long time, then whether or not to believe the creation account, whether homosexuals are offenders, whether women may not hold office, for these are what the Word (Christ) teaches, makes for whether someone believes Christ at His Word. Your fellow believers fall somewhere in there, and it is important that you don't put them where they are not. If they are open to the Word, then let the Word lead them at the pace the Spirit takes.

 

[Bryan]

John I agree with you, if it's not done in love then it's all useless.

Bryan
SDG

 

[voided user1]

I absolutely agree. I am firmly against church-hopping and church-shopping. I'm not sure I can agree the best or most godly solution is always to wait until they kick you out.

Jon Wymer
Omaha, NE
MacArthurish Credobaptist Bible-Thumper

 

[Bryan]

Perhaps not, my expirence differently colours my view here. My church seperated from another church which now looking back on I disagree with, and our first pastor left instead of sticking around to change things.

Bryan
SDG