Part 16 of series: Choosing a Church: Some Recommendations
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This will be my final post in this series on choosing a church. Of course I could always say more about this subject, but I think I’ve said what needs to be said, more or less.
Here, in summary, are my eleven specific recommendations if you’re in the process of looking for a new church:
Recommendation #1: Clarify what you value most in a church, though with an open mind and heart.
Recommendation #2: Look for a church that is essentially orthodox, unless . . . .
Recommendation #3: Use the Internet.
Recommendation #4: Meet with the Pastor.
Recommendation #5: Choose a church that proclaims and embodies the gospel of Jesus Christ
Recommendation #6: Choose a church that encourages you in your worship.
Recommendation #7: Choose a church where you can experience genuine Christian fellowship.
Recommendation #8: Choose a church where you will be equipped and encouraged to live out your life as a minister of Christ.
Recommendation #9: Choose a church where you will grow as a disciple of Jesus Christ.
Recommendation #10: Choose a church that sees itself and seeks to live as an outpost of the mission of God in the world.
Recommendation #11: Choose a church that values the Bible as God’s uniquely inspired and authoritative Word.
Recommendation #12: If you have children, choose a church that will help them to know Christ and to grow as his disciples.
Before I finish, I want to remind you of a couple things I said at the beginning of this series. One is that there is no perfect church. Not in this age, at least. Every church has strengths and every church has weaknesses. So when you’re looking for a church, don’t expect perfection that can’t be found. (Photo: The church in Bodie, California, a ghost town. No, this is not a perfect church, though there are no disagreements or problems in this church, since there are no people.)