Not all reasons for choosing a church are created equal. Here at Divine Trinity Temple We listen, we discuss, we advise. Sounds obvious but we listen to your situations and we try to help provide a solution.
1. “The Pastor is Really Good.”
Our Pastor is a husband, dad, church planter, coffee sipper, insatiable learner and chronic dreamer. Perhaps no other men apart from Jesus Himself has had a bigger influence on the church than Pastors. If your primary goal is to be entertained, then this is not the church for you, follow an entertaining pastor instead. But If your primary goal is to know Jesus, and learn about Him, then you need to follow a pastor like ours who can lead you to the Throne of Grace.
How are people to discern whether a pastor sermons is to draw attention to himself or God, just observe whether the people leave the worship service thinking, “Wow, that pastor is good,” or “Wow, our God is good.” Some people would have said the first statement about Paul’s preaching, but countless thousands experienced the second as a result of his powerful ministry.
2. “The Doctrine is Spot On.”
Is theology important? Indeed it is! But what a church believes is not necessarily reflected by its name, affiliations or statement of faith. If you want to know what a church really believes, pay attention to how its members live.
They say they believe in a God who cares about the oppressed? Pay attention to who they advocate for. They say they believe in the great commission? Watch how willing they are to inconvenience themselves to see it fulfilled. They say they believe in grace? Watch how they treat others, particularly those they disagree with.
By all means, weigh with serious consideration what a church believes before calling it your home. Just don’t look exclusively to a formal statement to tell you what they’re all about.
3. “They Have a Great Kids’ Ministry.”
As a dad of six, our Pastor can fully appreciate the importance of taking kids into consideration when choosing a church home. Although raising children is the parents responsibility, a good pastor will step in when necessary and offer help whenever and wherever he can. Parents can’t outsource that responsibility on anyone else. It is a parents most important vocation, and no church or church Youth Program can do the for you. Children need to hear and see it from their parents first, and the good news is when it’s happening at home, youth ministries becomes better, and benefit even more. Good Pastors want all children to love not only their church but also love their God. The right church might very well be the one where you’re most uncomfortable; because when the word of God stir our comfort zone, it brings about a shift in our position, making Him the object of our worship.
4. “It Meets Your Needs.”
While the details of what most folk are looking for may vary, too often the primary factor in choosing a church is what they get out of it. Remember that our primary call as a part of Jesus’ church is to contribute, not just to consume. We are to die to self (Mark 8:34-35), to lay down our life for others (1 John 3:16), to consider them more important than ourselves (Philippians 2:3).
5. “Don’t Stop Looking!”
Be thoughtful and deliberate as you choose a new church home, always understanding the purpose of the church as you consider your criteria. The right church just might sneak up on you. It may not look anything like you expected. And once it has your heart, somewhere along the way you might even forget to ask, “What can the church do for me”, but rather, “What can I do for the church”?