{"id":339,"date":"2021-05-20T19:14:02","date_gmt":"2021-05-20T19:14:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/asmymindunwinds.com\/?p=339"},"modified":"2021-05-20T19:16:23","modified_gmt":"2021-05-20T19:16:23","slug":"how-to-choose-a-church-4-must-haves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asmymindunwinds.com\/?p=339","title":{"rendered":"How to Choose a Church &#8211; 4 MUST Haves"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>*<em>originally posted at https:\/\/www.womendevotions.com\/how-to-choose-a-church\/<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this post, we are going to look at how to choose a church by looking at 4 unique and biblical components.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, God has recently opened your heart, or you\u2019ve finally decided to go back to <a href=\"https:\/\/grove.church\/\">church<\/a> after a hiatus, or you\u2019re simply curious and have always wondered what church is like and if you might benefit. No matter the reason, you\u2019ve decided to go to church. Now how do you decide which one to go to?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Although, this list of how to choose a church is certainly not <em>the<\/em>&nbsp;way by any means (I\u2019m not that self-righteous or legalistic \u2013 haha). This is simply what <em>I<\/em> would look for in a church if I were on the hunt. So, if you trust me, let\u2019s go on the hunt for a group of believers that: offers biblical teachings, is outward focused, develops and equips disciples, and feels like family!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>A Church that Teaches the Bible and ONLY the Bible<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This is important. Of course, you can probably only find this out after attending a few weeks. So, obviously, it\u2019s a process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How do you know if they teach the bible?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Check out their website and see if they state their core beliefs. You\u2019re looking for statements along the lines of \u201cthe bible is the ONLY authority\u201d or the \u201ccomplete and inerrant source\u201d. Basically, you want to know that they teach the bible and nothing but the bible. If they state any other books that they hold up to the Bible as equal in value, that\u2019s a red flag.<\/li><li>Check out any podcast or vodcasts on their website and listen to them. Does everything they say glorify God or do they rarely ever mention Him or Jesus? Do they share more of their opinion, teachings from the world, or truth from the Bible?<\/li><li>Whether you hear a sermon live or online, match up everything they\u2019re saying to the Bible yourself. Why? Because preachers are human. An occasional mistake in their \u201crelaying of the message\u201d is probably just innocent and you can kindly point it out in an email to them. However, if they\u2019re doing it regularly\u2026.red flag! (<a href=\"https:\/\/biblia.com\/bible\/esv\/2%20Pet%201.20%E2%80%9321\">2 Peter 1:20\u201321<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/biblia.com\/bible\/esv\/1%20Tim%203.16%E2%80%9317\">1 Timothy 3:16\u201317<\/a>)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>*<em>side note: even if you\u2019ve been going to a good bible believing church for years, you should ALWAYS study the scriptures yourself after you hear a message. (<a href=\"https:\/\/biblia.com\/bible\/esv\/Acts%2017.11\">Acts 17:11<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>A Church that is Outward Focused<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>At our church, we have something we call the Code. I believe we may have ripped a big part of it from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.life.church\/who-we-are\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Craig Groeschel<\/a> haha. Anyway, one of my favorite parts states, \u201cthe church does not exist for us; we are the church and we exist for the world.\u201d If a church is inward focused, how are they accomplishing the Great Commission (<a href=\"https:\/\/biblia.com\/bible\/esv\/Matt%2028.16-20\">Matthew 28:16-20<\/a>)?! I once heard someone say \u201cif your church closed its doors tomorrow, would your community even notice?\u201d If you can honestly answer no about a place, then that\u2019s not a good sign, friends!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019ll know if your church is outward focused through their service in the community, how they\u2019re giving to the community, and by examining the purpose behind their events. If everything seems to be just for the people inside the church, than it is not outward focused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>A Church that Develops and Equips Disciples<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>What\u2019s the point of church if we\u2019re not helping each other grow? Every single one of us has gifts that need to be used. Every single one of us needs to be learning more about God and growing closer to Him daily. Find out if the church you\u2019re considering is doing this and find out how. Many churches use small groups to disciple. Every church should have a place where you can serve\/volunteer that will utilize and develop the unique way God has wired you. If the church you\u2019re considering doesn\u2019t, offer to help them develop it or reconsider. (<a href=\"https:\/\/biblia.com\/bible\/esv\/Acts%202.42\">Acts 2:42<\/a>; 1 Corinthians 12; <a href=\"https:\/\/biblia.com\/bible\/esv\/Rom%2012.4-8\">Romans 12:4-8<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Making disciples who make disciples who make disciples is why we\u2019re here on earth. It was the driving force behind the apostle\u2019s ministry and it should be with ours too. God did not mean for us to come to believe and then just sit. We should be growing, investing in others to help them grow, and continue on with that cycle. If it\u2019s not a focus of the church, their not living on mission the way God designed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>A Church that Feels Like Family<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>One thing my church is known for is making every single person who walks in the door feel like family; feel like they belong. This is vital because if the church is people then where you gather should feel like a safe haven because you\u2019re all there\u2026welcoming each other, excited to see each other, offering a safe refuge from the harsh world and a shoulder to lean on. It really is true that \u201cthere\u2019s no place like home\u201d. Don\u2019t let the church you\u2019re a part of be the exception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you walk into a certain church building and don\u2019t get greeted for weeks or the same people keep asking your name over and over and over again every time you come, or they keep re-introducing themselves every time they see you as if even if they did happen to forget your name (I mean it happens) they honestly don\u2019t even recognize your face!\u2026 that doesn\u2019t sound like home to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are many verses that touch on the being in the \u201cfamily of God\u201d, here are a few for example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/biblia.com\/bible\/esv\/Gal%206.10\">Galatians 6:10<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/biblia.com\/bible\/esv\/1%20Cor%2012.26\">1 Corinthians 12:26<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/biblia.com\/bible\/esv\/Rom%2012.5\">Romans 12:5<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/biblia.com\/bible\/esv\/Eph%202.19\">Ephesians 2:19<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/biblia.com\/bible\/esv\/1%20John%203.1-2\">1 John 3:1-2<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Some of the best friendships you will ever have can be formed inside a healthy church. Check out this post here on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.womendevotions.com\/how-to-make-friends-in-a-new-church\/\">how you can make friends in a new church<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Well, that\u2019s how I think I\u2019d go about finding a church if I should need to. Anything you would you add? Have you found a good church? Comment below!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-style-default\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"318\" height=\"159\" src=\"https:\/\/asmymindunwinds.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/worship.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-340\" srcset=\"https:\/\/asmymindunwinds.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/worship.jpg 318w, https:\/\/asmymindunwinds.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/worship-300x150.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 318px) 100vw, 318px\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>*originally posted at https:\/\/www.womendevotions.com\/how-to-choose-a-church\/ In this post, we are going to look at how to choose a church by looking at 4 unique and biblical components. So, God has recently opened your heart, or you\u2019ve finally decided to go back to church after a hiatus, or you\u2019re simply curious and have always wondered what church&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5],"tags":[35,36,34],"class_list":["post-339","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christian-living","tag-church","tag-community","tag-worship"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pac8FG-5t","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/asmymindunwinds.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/339","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/asmymindunwinds.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/asmymindunwinds.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asmymindunwinds.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asmymindunwinds.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=339"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/asmymindunwinds.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/339\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":342,"href":"https:\/\/asmymindunwinds.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/339\/revisions\/342"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/asmymindunwinds.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=339"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asmymindunwinds.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=339"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asmymindunwinds.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=339"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}