This is a guest post by Mark McIntyre. He is a follower of Jesus Christ who has grown up in the Church. He often says that he is a believer in spite of the church, not because of it. Mark is a husband, father of 3 girls, a chemical salesman, and part-time home handy man living in Bucks County, PA.
Mark blogs at Attempts at Honesty. You can also contact him on Facebook and Twitter.
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I find myself at a time in life where I am looking for a new church fellowship.
During the time when I was considering leaving my previous church, I began considering what is important in a church fellowship. It was consideration of these questions that prompted me to look for a new church.
No church does all of these perfectly. But if there is not the acknowledged desire to do them well, it is likely that the fellowship will suffer.
Here are the six questions that I will consider when I visit prospective churches:
- Does the leadership and the membership demonstrate by their words and their actions that they are committed to obeying the First Great Command to love God with their entire being? It seems to me that if Jesus identified this as the first great command, it would be difficult to overstate its importance. Is this great command reinforced from the pulpit and demonstrated by the people who attend the church? Do I sense a love for God in their worship during the service and their dialog before and after the service?
- Does the leadership and the membership demonstrate by their words and their actions that they are committed to obeying the Second Great Command to love their neighbors? Like the first command, it would be difficult to over emphasize the command to love our neighbors. Do I observe love for others as I watch the people in the church interact with the community and with visitors? Do I feel loved as a visitor?
- Is the church committed to the command to make disciples? How are they demonstrating this commitment? Can people in the church articulate the church’s process for making disciples? Does the church have a track record for making disciples who make disciples?
- Is the youth program more than an activity program? Is the youth pastor committed to making disciples of the youth? Does he have a passion for the kids or is he viewing youth ministry as a stepping stone to a senior pastor position? I want a youth pastor that loves kids enough to interact with them with honesty and integrity. I want a youth pastor that will help me shepherd my children into the arms of Christ.
- Are people in the church valued for who they are? (an extension of question #2) Are their gifts nurtured and appreciated? Are people turned loose to minister as God leads them? Is there a balance between freedom and structure so that people can minister without chaos? Do people understand their value to the church? Or, is there tight control over who can and cannot lead Bible studies or prayer groups? Is God free to lead the people of the church?
- Does the leadership of the church understand and nurture a proper relational hierarchy? Does the church put family above ministry? Does the church value and nurture marriages? Or, does the church emphasize ministry so that marriages and families are strained? No child should feel neglected because his parents are busy at church. No spouse should feel jealous of the church. When this hierarchy is neglected, heartache and/or scandal are likely to result.
These are some priorities that come to mind for me.
I am sure that there are others that I have missed.
What about you? What are you looking for in a church?
What city are you in?
Your questions are good, especially #1, #2 and #5. I’d be careful with the interpretation of question #3.
I’d like to see a “church” whose congregation is composed not only of Christians, but also of Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Taoists, Hindus, agnostics and even atheists.
Is that even possible? I think it is, but only if there is no pastor, just a host or moderator, without a bias or personal agenda.
I see the purpose of congregating in a place of worship as being to increase mutual understanding and to share observations and experiences of God, not to try to teach or to convert.
You are right, from a biblical standpoint, “church” consists only of followers of Jesus, so no, you cannot really have others as part of the church. I was going off a the idea of church as a “gathering.” Anyway, you raise good points.
I’d like to add a few further thoughts.
From many standard Christian theological viewpoints, the church consists only of followers of Jesus. But whom did Jesus intend to include in his ‘church’, or ‘congregation’?
If we think of the church as being the body of Christ, then who is a member of the church? Everyone. Christian, Muslim, Jew; sinner and saint alike.
Is the church composed only of those who call themselves Christians, or followers of Jesus, and who accept a certain dogma; or does it consist of those who dwell in the Spirit, by whatever religion or label they identify themselves, those who live according to the principle of love for one’s fellow man, and of recognizing the holy spirit within each? Also, is it composed only of those who live that way now, or does it include those who might eventually come to live that life?
I say we are all members of the body of Christ, whether we yet know it or not, and by whatever words we describe it. Jesus did not exclude anyone from his ‘church’. He accepted the Roman centurion and the Samaritan woman as readily as his Jewish disciples.
If a Muslim, Hindu or Taoist wants to join us in spiritual fellowship, what right have we to deny him or her? Rather, we should seek their fellowship, without conditions or stipulations. What right have we to insist that someone worship God on our terms, as correct as we may think we are?