Church Finder - Introduction (Part 1)

“Brother Jack. The Lord is leading me to another church,” said the sixteen year old girl as she sat in my office obviously troubled by the decision that she had made. This was especially hard for me as her Youth Pastor to hear for two reasons. The first was the impact this was going to have on the youth group. This young woman was a leader in the youth group and her absence would be sorely missed. She was a talented singer and full of energy and zeal for the Lord. She was committed to spending time in God’s Word on a daily basis and took the disciplines of the Christian walk as seriously as any teenager with whom I had ever worked. As a leader in the group she encouraged others and also set the example for them to follow. She shared her faith with students at her high school regularly. Every Youth Pastor’s dream! And now she was going. I knew this would leave a hole in the youth group that would be difficult to fill.

My second concern was for her as an individual. This was not the first time in the six years that we had known each other, that she had left the church for another. She always came back a few months later, worse for the experience. That is not to say that our church was the only church in area that was doing the Lord’s will. We were in Dallas – Fort Worth Metroplex. The buckle of the Bible Belt. There were many good Bible believing and teaching churches within a stone’s throw of the office in which we sat. But, it seemed that just when she was beginning to do really well in her walk, she would sabotage herself by going somewhere else to start again. Maybe there was a boy in another youth group that she like, or maybe someone at our church hurt her feelings, or maybe she just felt restless. There is something powerful about being faithful in the place where God had put you. As a sixteen year old, she could not see that. In trying to explain it to her, I realized that she was just a product of the times in which we live.

I recently had lunch with another Pastor who was telling me about his struggling ministry that was on decline. He told me that most of the new members in his church were transferred in from other churches. “I don’t really like swapping members,” he said. “But right now I am thankful for them coming no matter how they get here.” In America today, churches are viewed as easily changeable as the channels on the TV. Over the years, I have heard some very flimsy reasons given for people leaving a church. This is not a positive development. The purpose of this series of articles is not to perpetuate the cycle of “church shopping” that is so prevalent in our culture, but to look to the Word of God for teaching that will help us faithfully serve in His local body. Many Christians find themselves, for whatever reasons they may have, in the position of looking for a new place of worship. It is my prayer that these articles will help them to take a biblical approach to this problem and may even cause them to return to the place that they have left. In taking this approach they can then find a place, Lord willing, where they can serve for many years.

In order to find a place of faithful service, we must understand the importance of and the need for such a place. The first few articles will be a short course on the importance of the local church. This is a subject that has long been neglected and disparaged in American culture. If the church is unimportant, then why bother? Many people have had negative experiences at church. Regrettably that fact cannot be denied. But, are those negative experiences going to be the basis of our theology of the local church? Let’s hope not. There are sound reasons for leaving a local body and finding another. However, not all reasons are sound reasons. The Bible plays the chief role in helping us determine the difference.

Having a good understanding of the local church, does not mean that we will never be in need of finding a new one. The Lord may lead us away from the church we are presently serving for one reason or another. What then? How do we find a church? What criteria do we use? How do we discern God’s will? These are all good questions that the last few articles will help you answer. The approach is biblical first and practical second. Where would we be if William Carey looked at missions from a practical point of view only? Where would we be if Martin Luther approached the protestant reformation from a strictly practical perspective? Our approach must uphold the authority of the Scriptures. If we truly believe that God’s Word is applicable in our world today, then it is able to lead us with authority as we develop a view of the local church and our role within it.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I am a Southern Baptist Pastor. I understand that I am coming toward this problem from that perspective. I do not believe that there is a “Baptist” solution to help people find and stay in a local church any more than I believe that there is a “Methodist” or “Presbyterian” or (insert denomination here) solution. As Christians, we have to discover what the will of God is and then obey Him. The place we must start is not with our denominational traditions, nor our experiences (good or bad), but with the clear teaching of the Word of God. It is my prayer that through the reading of these articles many individuals and families will find a church home where they can faithfully serve the Lord and His people for years to come.