How Do I Find a Healthy Church?
 

 

by Pastor Bernie Diaz  

Here is a seven-question checklist to determine whether a church you are visiting is a healthy church:

Question Number 1

Does this church preach the true, biblical Gospel of Jesus Christ?

Question Number 2

Does this church place the Lord Jesus Christ at the center of everything (worship, ministry?)

Question Number 3

Is the Bible the ultimate authority in all matters (The Sufficiency of Scripture; 2 Timothy 3:16-17) pertaining to faith and it’s practice?

Question Number 4

Does the pastor or preacher attempt to do biblical exposition (preaching the message of the biblical text) or is he simply speaking from his own opinions or passions?

Question Number 5

Is the church elder led? Or if not, is the pastoral leadership qualified according to Scripture (1 Timothy 3; Titus 1)? Ideally, we recommend that you go to a church with multiple, biblically qualified elders.

Question Number 6

Does the church practice biblical church discipline (Matthew 18; 1 Corinthians 5) and membership beginning with believers baptism?

Question Number 7

Is the church age- integrated or substantially so? Or, are the youth and children intentionally segregated from their parents and the opportunity to worship and be discipled together as a family (Deuteronomy 6:2-9, Deuteronomy 29:10-13, Deuteronomy 31:11-13; Joshua 8:35; Ephesians 6:1-4)?

We do not believe that age integration is the most important matter for church life.

We believe the greatest priorities in finding a church home, is that it be a God-glorifying, Christ-exalting, Spirit- filled and Gospel-centered church that would preferably be age-integrated.

But, above all, don’t be disconnected from a local church. The church is the “the body of Christ,” and it is so important that you and your family make a local church a huge priority in your life.

Adapted from Scott Brown and the National Center For Family –Integrated Churches.