Question: What is the difference between the Baptist church, Church of God, Church of Christ and Southern Baptist churches? Also what exactly is a Christian church? I have no idea which to go to. Can you enlighten me a little?
Melissa
Answer: Dear Melissa,
There are a number of issues that one needs to be concerned about in choosing a church. You can be a Christian and not attend a church. But if you have had a bad church experience, don’t write off all forms of worship. You may not wish to attend a formal, traditional church, but there are other options that could help your relationship with God. You might choose a less structured small group, an informal Bible study or even worship with others electronically. So, if you are like my friend, seeking God without all the religious stuff, what should you look for?
• Look for a part of the body of Christ where Jesus is the center and focus of
the preaching and where the Bible is the final authority. If that doesn’t happen,
move on down the road.
• Examine the statements of faith and mission statements. Be sure you read the
complete statement of beliefs, not an abbreviated version. Find out what they
really believe. If you suspect some minimizing and diminishing of God’s grace
and the centrality of Jesus Christ, then question the leadership. Ask about their
focus. Always challenge performance-based religion.
• If a church or religious group spends time and effort explaining a lot of stuff
about the founder of the church or group, that’s a huge red flag. If anyone other
than God or the Bible is cited as a source of authority for behavior or doctrine,
that’s another red flag. Christianity is all about Jesus.
• Be on guard for a pastor or church that tells you that everyone else is wrong.
Watch for enticing rhetoric, which claims that no one else knows the “truth” except
this group. If you hear talk about special anointings, inside revelation and
esoteric knowledge, head for the parking lot.
• Find out where the ministry or group stands on the historic Christian faith.
A healthy church does not see itself or promote itself outside of and superior
to what Christ has done here on earth for almost 2,000 years, but as a part of
it. A healthy, well-balanced part of Christ’s body finds its identity in Jesus
and his body, the historic Christian faith. If a church finds its identity in
some other way or in some other name, keep on looking, you haven’t found a healthy
church! If they talk about themselves as being a restoration of the truth that
no one has experienced since the New Testament, don’t stick around. Things will
probably go downhill from there.
• Consider the extent of authority. Red flags should include authoritarian pastors
who will not allow questions about their leadership or the direction of the ministry,
movement or congregation. While there is no biblical model of church governance
which will characterize authentic Christianity, the idea that leaders are exempt
from accountability because they have a “spiritual covering” is a breeding ground
for abuse and heresy. Keep looking. You can be almost certain that you haven’t
found authentic Christianity.
• Absolute and dictatorial control in the hands of a board that legislates and
enforces religious legalism is just as bad as the same domination in the hands
of one person. Authentic Christianity seems to function best with checks and
balances, with all human leadership held accountable to standards, for the health
and vitality of everyone it serves and the body of Christ at large.
• Find out how they talk about and treat those who leave. If this is part of
authentic Christianity, people will not be browbeaten and threatened if they
decide to change their spiritual address from one healthy part of the body of
Christ to another.
• Be on guard for pastors who seem threatened by education or academic credentials.
If education is derided and science characterized as evil, then the group claiming
to be Christian has something to hide. Authentic Christianity is logical and
coherent. It has nothing to hide and thrives on questions about all of its teachings.
• Sermons in a healthy church are centered in the Bible. The Bible is the source
of the gospel, not shoe-horned as an afterthought into a feel-good lesson or
experience.
• Look for Christ-centered substance,
meaning and relevance. Be suspicious of glitz, entertainment for its own sake
and an emphasis on emotional feeling.
• Beware of exotic manifestations, claims of unique prophetic insights, guarantees
of wealth and healing and revival crusades that seem to be more hype than reality.
• A healthy part of Christ’s body will accept the basic, fundamental and essential
core doctrines of Christianity. Jude 3 tells us that the faith has been once
and for all entrusted to the saints. Jesus said that the gates of hell would
not prevail against his church. So we can look to the history of Christianity
to find those teachings that have been examined, affirmed and re-affirmed, as
well as issues that have been redefined and reformed.
• Finally, and perhaps most importantly, listen and look for grace. You will
hear lots of sermons about grace in a healthy church. You will even witness and
enjoy some gracious behavior. You will see, hear and experience Jesus, not religion.
The health of an authentic part of Christ’s body is directly related to its emphasis
and insistence on God’s grace.
In Christ,
Greg Albrecht