Church Hunting: The Top 5 Things To Look For in a New Church

How many of you have spent your entire life in the same church? Unfortunately, that is not the case for most. Many of us have traveled and moved around and had to look for a new church in a new town or even a new church in an old town and the list of things we look for is a country mile long. In this post I want to take a look at some of the things that we find ourselves looking for and the top 5 things we should be looking for.

For starters, let’s talk about the things we do look for.

We usually start by looking for familiarity. This can present itself in a couple of different ways. First, we might look for familiarity by looking to see how many of our friends go to that church. I think going to church with friends is a great idea but don’t let it stop you from trying out a church were you don’t know anyone. Some of your future best friends might just be waiting on you to walk through those doors and join their Sunday School class. We also look for familiarity by looking for churches that remind us of the last church we were at. I found myself doing this throughout my time in the Army and I found that this is a very difficult task because if you were like me and spent the first 18 years of your life in a great church then it is going to be hard to find one like it and that can cause you to drift away. For some it may actually be the opposite of the last statement. Because of hurt or drama or many issues that could occur some are just looking for anything that is nothing like their old church.

Sometimes it is the music we are looking for. “I have to have Praise and Worship” or “I can’t go to a church that doesn’t use hymnals and sing the classics”. These are both statements that can cause you to miss out on some amazing blessings due to a personal preference.

Technology is another thing that affects our decisions on a new church. In most cases today your first impression of a new church happens online when you see their website or their social media page. Don’t get me wrong, I think that if you are going to use technology then you should use it to the best of your ability. That being said, many times we will decide to not visit a new church because of an outdated or nonexistent webpage or a social media page that has not been kept up with. We don’t even give them a chance all because we don’t like the impression we got online.

What about the bulletin? I mean you have to use an “Order of Service”, right? Wait, I don’t want an order of worship because that feels to old and traditional for me. I just want to know what is happening in the church and have a place for Sermon notes.

There are a million and one things we could look for when we are looking for a church and the ones above are just a few that I have personally used. The truth of the matter is that none of that really matters. Sometimes I think as Christians we get too hung up on the wrong issues. So here are my top 5 things to look for in a new church.

5. Ministry Opportunities: One of the first things I think you should look for when visiting a new church is opportunities to serve others. Does this church have ministries that you feel like you could hop into and start serving others at some point?

4. Biblical Based: Instead of focusing on which version of the Bible they are using ask yourselves this; Are their teachings in line with Biblical doctrine and truth? Instead of focusing on the type of music they sing; ask yourself this; Are the songs they sing biblically based? If the answer to these two questions is yes then you are off to a good start.

3. Small Groups: In today’s world these come in many shapes and sizes from the traditional Sunday School to a Tuesday night home group at the Smith house. The key here is to look for a church that has some type of small group that you can join with to grow closer to Christ. One of the greatest roles of the church family is accountability and having a small group that you can grow with is a great form of accountability in our lives.

2. Community: Is the church serving outwardly or inwardly? In some ways this goes back to #5 in finding your place to serve others. However, this is a little different in that you want to find a church that is involved and is giving back to their community. I have found in my travels that a church that is open to doing ministry in the community is a church that is open to loving new visitors and giving them a loving home.

1. Gospel Centered Preaching: I don’t care if the sermon is on slides behind the pulpit or if the Pastor is wearing a $1,000 suit; if he is not preaching the unbridled, oft times offensive, unapologetic Gospel of Jesus Christ then you should get up and find another church. This is the most important aspect and cannot be overcome by any amount of programs, technology, community involvement, or anything at all. If you are visiting a church and after 6 months have yet to hear the Pastor mention that Hell is a real place and it is the penalty for our sins without the Grace of God then you might need to evaluate this point.

I know I said 5 and there they are; but I will leave you with a bonus if you have read this far:

Look for sinners. Wait, what did he just say? Yep, I said it, look for sinners. I say that to say look for a church that is full of people who are not afraid to admit they are sinners in need of Christ’s Salvation. Too often today we find our churches full of people who act like they are somehow better than us sinners. Nothing is harder than being an outsider trying to find a church home and feeling like you cannot be honest about your struggles or feeling like you are the only one who has ever struggled. So, find a church that is home to sinners and you will find the fellowship you are longing for.