{"id":446,"date":"2008-05-20T01:01:49","date_gmt":"2008-05-20T01:01:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2008\/05\/choosing-a-church-some-preliminary-comments.html"},"modified":"2008-05-20T01:01:49","modified_gmt":"2008-05-20T01:01:49","slug":"choosing-a-church-some-preliminary-comments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/05\/choosing-a-church-some-preliminary-comments.html","title":{"rendered":"Choosing a Church: Some Preliminary Comments"},"content":{"rendered":"

Part 2 of series: Choosing a Church: Some Recommendations
\n<\/em>Permalink for this post<\/a> \/ Permalink for this series<\/a>
\nI’m continuing to collect input from my blog readers on choosing a church. Thanks for your comments and emails. Keep ’em coming!
\nBefore I start offering some recommendations on how to choose a church, I want to make some preliminary comments. These will set the stage for what’s to come.
\n1. How you choose a church depends on your basic understanding of the church.<\/strong>
\nIf you’re looking for a church, you already have a basic understanding of the church, even if this understanding is more intuitive than rational. This core theology of church will strongly determine how you look for a church and what you value in a church. Let me offer several examples:<\/p>\n

\u2022 If you believe that the Roman Catholic Church is the true church, then your search for a church will be limited to Roman Catholic parishes. It’s not unlikely that you will simply end up at the Roman Catholic church closest to where you live.
\n\u2022 If you think of church primarily as a place to get theological input, then you’ll be inclined to seek strong preaching and teaching, and to make this a top priority.
\n\u2022 If you think of church more as a body of believers who share life and ministry together, then you may be less worried about the quality of the preaching and more interested in finding a church with strong fellowship.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Given the fact that choosing a church depends on your theology of church, it does without saying that my approach to this matter assumes a certain theology of church. Some time ago I began a blog series on What is a Church?<\/a><\/em> There I began to spell out my theology of church. But this series isn’t completed. I need to get back to it sometime. At any rate, as I talk about how to choose a church, you’ll see through the lines to my basic understanding of the church.
\n2. In a sense, we don’t choose the church. The church chooses us. <\/strong>
\nOkay, so here is part of my core theology of church: We don’t choose it. It “chooses” us. What do I mean? Scripture is clear that when a person becomes a Christian, that person is joined to the church by the Holy Spirit (see, for example, 1 Cor 12:12-13). It’s not an option for a believer in Jesus to be a part of the church of Jesus Christ or not. If you’re a Christian, you’re a member of the church. Period. (Photo to the right: Holypark United Methodist Church, Gardena, California. Retrieved through Google Maps<\/a> Street View. My first church, where my family attended until I was six-and-half-years old. One of my first memories of this church was sitting in a worship service and noticing a boy crawling through the bushes along the side of the sanctuary. I pointed this out to my mother, who informed me that he was the minister’s son. “Minister’s kids often get into trouble,” she told me. Indeed.)
\nOf course you can choose not to act on this truth. You can choose to amputate yourself from the body of Christ in practice. There are many Christians who do not associate with other believers in any tangible, regular way. This is not what God intends for us. But it is an option that many Christians take.
\nOf course, in practice, most Christians choose a church with which to affiliate. But I think it’s important to recognize that this isn’t some extra credit option for believers, but rather a response to the fact that the Holy Spirit has immersed us in the church of Jesus Christ. When we take this fact seriously, we’re inclined to think of choosing a church differently. We realize it isn’t a matter of our personal choice so much as it is a matter of discerning God’s choice for us.
\n3. The most important issue is not what church I choose, but what church God has chosen for me.<\/strong>
\nChoosing a church is like other major decisions in life. The main question isn’t what we want, but rather what God wants for us. I might want to join a church in which I can be anonymous, but God wants me to be in a church where I share life with people who know me. I might want a church where I can just sit and enjoy the worship service, whereas God wants me in a church where I am needed. Etc. etc. etc.
\nLet me hasten to add that discerning God’s will for our lives is not necessarily easy. Often we end up doing what we believe is right without any divine revelations or reassurance. I won’t go on and on about the will of God where because I’ve already done that elsewhere (Why Move? Stewardship, Wineskins, and the Enigmatic Will of God<\/a><\/em>). But putting God in the center of the church-choosing process is essential, because it takes the focus off of “me and what I want” and puts the emphasis upon what God wants for me and for his kingdom.
\nMore tomorrow . . . .<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Part 2 of series: Choosing a Church: Some Recommendations Permalink for this post \/ Permalink for this series I’m continuing to collect input from my blog readers on choosing a church. Thanks for your comments and emails. Keep ’em coming! Before I start offering some recommendations on how to choose a church, I want to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-446","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-choosing-a-church"],"yoast_head":"\nChoosing a Church: Some Preliminary Comments - Mark D. 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Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/446","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=446"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/446\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=446"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=446"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=446"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}