Team GotQuestions Blog

a Blog for Sharing Stories, Tips & Encouragement

Top 5 Qualities to Look for in a Church

September 15th, 2014

Ed Romero
September 14, 2014 · North Las Vegas, NV

When selecting a church, what are the top 5 qualities of a church that you look for?

  • Seen by 28
  • Nace Howell #1 they preach from the Bible!
    20 hrs · Like · 3
  • Mary Bennett Reetz I’m in the process of doing this now so I’d like to respond. I’ve been praying for this for many years. The most important thing for me is to be guided by the Holy Spirit in selecting a church. The pastor should also be guided by the Holy Spirit, and ask for guidance during service. The Bible should be preached, and being in a church where writing in your Bible is encouraged is wonderful. I would like a pastor who cares about his flock (asks for prayer requests), and knows his flock personally. Lastly, a pastor who works to grow disciples. The rest is preferences: A service outline to write on, no more than 25 minutes from home, hymns sung, low tech to no tech. (I use technology all the time with my work), and a group of wonderful people with whom to fellowship:)
    20 hrs · Like · 3
  • Alyson Dreyer Teaching must be by the book, chapter 1 verse 1 through the book. The full complete Word of God must be taught. Biblical, literal interpretation in context, no allegory. Pastor must be aware and cautioned by the warning that not many should presume to be teachers for they stand under a stricter judgment. Church must be elder lead, no church by popular vote.
    20 hrs · Like · 3
  • Jessica Goforth 1. Do they teach and follow the Bible, or are they primarily tradition/popular culture based? If the latter, I’m more likely not to go there. 2. Do they include everyone, or do they subtly (or not-so-subtly) exclude groups of people based on race, age, marital status, family status or economic status? If the latter, I won’t go there. 3. Are they actively seeking to outreach to the community and to help the poor and needy? 4. How do the people of the church generally treat one another? Do they strive to be loving, or is there a lot of gossip and rudeness going on? 5. Is the church willing to let the members know about their elder/leadership decisions and their finances?
    18 hrs · Like · 3
  • Tim White I see too much emphasis on the pastor. Mine, do the members prefer deep true biblical teaching or emotionally motivation. Are the members involved in church outreach, or is that for more of the staff? The pastor must have a clear vision of servant leadership.
    14 hrs · Like · 2
  • William Brenner Man based or Christ based? That’s the first criteria I look for. WOF, Seeker sensitive, emergent, all man centered and false gospel. Jesus must be first, and faithful to His word to be God centered.
    14 hrs · Like · 2
  • Byron Earnheart I agree with all the above. My wife and I went through this very thing. She was raised catholic and I southern baptist and neither comfortable with the other. (Speaking of course about the denominations…not each other). So like a good finance guy, I made a list of weighted priorities. In essence, preaching the Gospel with a heart for the lost was weighted highest. You do that, from an inerrant viewpoint then the other follows. Another thing was bible study/Sunday school…are we confident in being taught here? Next was their view and commitment to children. Could we raise our family there? Finally (the elephant in the room re: churches today) the worship style. We had no theological problem with a contemporary style. You are not heretical if you bring an electric guitar on Sunday morning nor sing all four stanzas of “Amazing Grace”…but if we have a preference, it’s more traditional in nature and since the “where should we go to church” is a HUGE decision, the comfort of worship style should be considered. (I pray that I haven’t opened up the flood gates…but I do feel that a family should be comfortable on all the important levels).
    12 hrs · Like · 2
  • Mary Bennett Reetz Praise God that we can have this discussion! We can attend church and have so many to choose from. We can carry our Bible with us wherever we go if we want to. We can meet with other Christians for prayer/study. We can do all of this and more, without the fear others are facing today. These are the things that go through my mind, even moreso recently. (Personally, all of your comments are helping me where I am right now – thanks so much.)
    6 hrs · Like · 1
  • Corpuz Valdemor Avellaneda Ramil 1. Preaches the doctrines of Grace
    2. Practices Church Discipline
    3. Pastors and church leaders walk their talk
    4. Unholy living is not tolerated
    5. Organization and ministries in line with the Biblical pattern of a Church.
    • William Brenner Good list Corpuz. Regarding music, not too loud. Killing your hearing is not a joyful noise. It’s just noise and the damage happens painlessly. I have tinitus from too much headphone use. No more quiet night sounds to enjoy.
      1 hr · Like
    • Patrick Thompson Aloha Ed,
      I think there have been occasions to interject this in questions that I have received. I believe first and foremost in the selection process is a church that preaches the gospel message without reservation and is solid on Bible doctrine. T      he open love and friendliness of a church is usually noticed immediately, as well as seeing the church members loving one another. In making a decision for a church home, what does the church offer: Bible Studies, Sunday School for all ages, Men’s and Women’s Ministry, Outreach to the community, etc. Something that is also very important is the church’s involvement in Missions. Is the church more inward or outward in sharing the Good News! It certainly is very huge bonus if the Pastor is a good expositor and truly has the gift of a Pastor.
      9 mins · Like
      • Marc Weiss We attend a contemporary church. It took a lot for us, but this is what I looked for (#1 and #2 were such, but 3-5 are in no particular order):

        1. Focus on Jesus, even if construed as ‘seeker friendly’
        2. Sound Doctrine Statements
        3. Practices sound Accounting Principles AND publishes annual reports
        4. The word REPENT must be used and the Bible is the only guide to the message.
        5. Sin is not condoned, but perfection is not immediately expected. In other words, a non-judgmental church where it is OK to not be OK, but it is NOT OK to stay that way.

        My church is not perfect. In the end, it is all about Jesus Christ though and His name is praised weekly. That is all I care about. I can handle any other issues if it is for Jesus!
        13 hrs · Edited · Like
      • NV Harder Tim, yes principled leadership is servant leadership, according to my husband and my latest college textbook. I am with Corpuz and then pretty much everyone else.

Team GotQuestions Blog

a Blog for Sharing Stories, Tips & Encouragement