What Should I Look For in a Church?

The Endgame

As we end this month and come to our conclusion on the study of the Church, I want to do so by encouraging everyone to be a part of a local body of believers. While I hope and pray that my blog posts have done just that, I want to close this topic by stressing the importance of that very theme and ask, ‘What should I look for when it comes to a church?’. If we’ve learned anything from our previous studies this month, we’ve learned that the church exists to fulfill 4 major functions as listed in Acts 2. One last time, let’s review what these non-negotiables are, “42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Biblical teaching, fellowship, communion, and prayer are what our churches should have to offer us, and while this is a strong and fundamental foundation for the Church, these shouldn’t be the only aspects we look at when it comes to being a part of the weekly gathering.

But Wait, There’s More

Right off the bat, hopefully, it goes without saying that if you disagree with how your church teaches the bible, fellowships with one another, takes communion, or prays, you should already be prayerfully considering if you should be a member of that said congregation. If you do agree with those aspects, however, let’s go even deeper and see what else scripture lists as additional guidelines for the functionality of the Church. Ephesians chapter 4 will be a great place to examine how well our beliefs should line up with the church that we attend. Paul addresses the Ephesians in the opening of his letter by discussing the joy of salvation and being made new in Christ in the first two chapters of this book. He then goes on to discuss the importance of stewardship in chapter 3 and how the Ephesians should strive to have that same characteristic to be better examples of Christ.

However, from chapter 4 through the rest of the book, we see Paul narrowing down on the importance of living as the church, and he hits on one particular attribute right away. Ephesians 4:1-3 says, “4 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” We can clearly see that as a church, Paul wants us to have humility, gentleness, patience, and love for all the members of the body of Christ. Hopefully, if we have a church body with whom we claim membership, despite what may happen in day-to-day relationships, we still express these attributes toward our fellow believers.

What’s The Point?

Yet there’s a bigger reason here that Paul lists for maintaining these characteristics in the church. Verse 3 mentions that we uphold these mannerisms to ‘keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.’ The goal of being humble, gentle, and patient with our fellow man is not just so that we may be loving towards one another, but also so that the Holy Spirit may unify the body of believers as God has intended. The next obvious question that should come to mind then as we read this is, ‘What are we unified about?’ Thankfully, Paul anticipated this question and answered it in the following verses. Ephesians 4:4-6 states, “4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you also were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.” This passage of scripture right here has brought me so much peace in times of strife and hardship because it has reminded me time and time again what is worth dividing over, and also, what is worth letting go of for the sake of unity.

To simplify, there are 7 things here that Paul says we must agree on to be unified by the Spirit. Those 7 are one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one Father. When we take a step back and look at our church, I hope we don’t just look for the 4 essentials in Acts 2 and call it a day. As the body of Christ, we should strive to be unified to all members of the body, not just the pastor who lays out the ground rules. As a matter of fact, I would personally argue that you can’t truly align yourself with all aspects of Acts chapter 2 without first aligning yourself with Ephesians chapter 4. I don’t believe we can’t achieve the deepest level of fellowship if we aren’t unified with one another. A majority of our relationships with the church will just remain surface-level. When we participate in a church or when we are looking for a church to participate in, don’t just look at the foundation the head pastor is laying, look at the congregation that he is building. You aren’t just looking for a church you agree with, you’re looking for a church to unify with.

The Goal of Unity

I hope and pray that as you look at your church or as you are looking for a church to be a part of, you will view this body of Christ through the lens of Acts 2 and Ephesians 4. Unify yourself with the 7 principles Paul lists in Ephesians 4 and may that unity lead you to a body of believers who in turn fulfills Acts 2. I can’t think of a better way to stress the unity of the Church than how Dr. Warren Wiersbe says it in his Bible exposition commentary. Dr. Wiersbe notes, “Many people today attempt to unite Christians in a way that is not biblical. While not all Christians agree on some minor matters of Christian doctrine, they all do agree on the foundational truths of the faith. Unity built on anything other than Bible truth is standing on a very shaky foundation.”

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Sources

[1] “Access Your Bible from Anywhere.” BibleGateway.Com: A Searchable Online Bible in over 150 Versions and 50 Languages., www.biblegateway.com/. Accessed 2023.

[2] Wiersbe, Warren W. The Bible Exposition Commentary: New Testament. Victor/Cook Communications Ministries, 2001.