WHAT TO LOOK FOR:

I would say that there are a few things that are essential and a few things that are secondary when looking for a church to get involved in.

Essential:

When looking for a church, I would say a few things are essential.

1. Preach the Bible: You want to attend a church where they value the 66 books of the Old and New Testament as the written Word of God. If they do not believe that, then you will most certainly hear only the advice of some man or woman up front, and the revelation of a Holy God is of much greater value. While describing one of his favorite ministers, the famous preacher Charles Spurgeon said of this man, “when you prick him, his blood is bibline.” You want a minister like that: that if you prick him, he bleeds Bible. Go somewhere where the Word of God is treasured by all of the leadership. (Galatians 1:6-9; 2 Timothy 2:15; 3:14-17; 2 Peter 1:16-2:1)
2. Theologically Sound: The truth is that all cults and heretical groups throughout history have claimed to “preach the Bible.” How do I know they are handling it accurately? This issue was dealt with early in the church, and many of the epistles in the New Testament were written as a response to false doctrine. After the New Testament was written, groups would regularly arise claiming a new revelation or deeper understanding that had been known before. To counter these several councils were gathered to articulate Christian doctrine clearly. These councils brought forth Creeds which form the foundation of all theologically-sound churches today. The major creeds are (1) The Nicene Creed and (2) The Chalcedonian Definition (available at www.ccel.org). Many churches have their doctrinal statement on their web-site or in print form. Comparing this to the creeds or letting a trusted Christian mentor look through it with you can be very helpful.
3. Communal: A major function of the church is to meet together, support each other, spur one another on toward love and good deeds, use gifts to build each other up, and reach out and serve other churches and the surrounding community. Look for a church that values bringing people into authentic community. This is a very difficult process and often, despite the church leadership’s best efforts, many people who attend a Sunday worship service will refuse to build relationships with other church members. Don’t be led to abandon a church because people who will not move into community come on the weekend. Rather, look for the church that works to build relationships and stick there. (Ephesians 2:19-22; 4:1-16; Hebrews 10:23-26)
4. Missional: The church is not meant to simply educate the people of God and give them some Christian buddies. The church educates and connects its members, then rallies them to a vision of bringing the love of Christ to the world. Join a church that values local and global missions. Join a church that has a passion for the gospel to go out! (Matthew 5:16; 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; Hebrews 13:1-3)
5. Alive: When I say “alive” I mean a church whose leadership is passionately seeking the Lord. You don’t want a church that is just going through the motions and doesn’t care. Go somewhere where the church leadership wants to know God more and help you do the same.
6. Huge supporter of Breakaway: Okay so this isn’t mandatory, but we thought it’d be nice.

Secondary:

1. Worship Style: Certainly choose a church whose style of music and service fits your preference, but if such a church isn’t in your area – don’t worry about it. You can adjust to a different style, and may be called to do so. The wrong response is to quit going to church because you don’t like the music or to keep church hopping throughout college because different churches have cooler services in different years. Find a church where you can learn, grow and serve and stay there, even if the style isn’t absolutely perfectly suited for you.
2. Age of Leadership: Some people think younger is better. If I can get a young pastor then I know that the church is really thriving and energetic. That is not the case. Great ministers come in all shapes, sizes and ages. Bad ones do, too. I would caution you against making the age of the staff a deciding factor. Some churches aimed at college students are wonderful at all the aspects of the “essentials” list; some are not. Pick one that majors in the essentials, and don’t worry about the average age of the staff or congregation.
3. Proximity to you: You may have to drive for a good church, and that is okay. I would suggest, unless it is impossible, that you attend a church that is close to you. This will allow you to get more involved in the community and mission of the church. A long commute to church often means few commutes to church, and it’s hard to get involved in the life of the community. If you’re driving over 45 minutes to go to church once a week, you might want to look closer.
4. Size: Some people think all good churches are small and intimate, others believe that massive size equals anointed by God. While some churches are small because they are not very alive, that certainly isn’t always the case. Conversely, while large churches often mean it is hard to build meaningful community, that is not always the case either. Great community can exist in large churches, and great preaching and missions can occur in small churches. So the best bet is to not make size a determining factor. It can inform your decision, and yet, at the end of the day, all the issues on the essential list far outweigh issues of size.

HOW TO GO ABOUT LOOKING

Physical Preparation:

1. Ask people you trust : Asking friends or the staff of a ministry you trust can often give you a good list to work from.
2. Drive around your neighborhood: This isn’t the best way to look for a church, but who knows? If you can’t get good advice from friends, then look for churches in your area and then check out their web-sites to see how they’re doing on the essentials.

Spiritual Preparation:

1. Attend prayerfully: Before you enter the church, pray for discernment. As you attend, pray for the church – even if you don’t end up at that church it’s great that you can be a part of blessing them!
2. Attend looking to make friends: Sometimes visiting can be intimidating, and sometimes churches don’t have a greeting team as incredible as ours. Making friends can often be awkward, and there might be well-meaning people all around you at the service who are too scared to initiate with you. Do your best to be friendly. It is not a requirement of church visiting to be aloof to test their ability to be friendly. Go in looking to be a blessing – God has called us to do so.

Attend without a critical spirit – speak positively when you leave: Leaving a service and picking apart its style can often lead to an arrogant heart and critical spirit. You don’t want that. When you leave, decide whether or not it is a fit for you, but don’t feel the need to destroy the church by highlighting all of its deficiencies. Learn the art of speaking well of a church, even if they aren’t your favorite.