This one is pretty personal as sadly my wife and I have experience with this- with our own friends (who we still love and see- we are not in a cult).
Our friends will not join our church for a few reasons- none serious and non spiritually significant.
This brings me onto the topic many Christians have brought up before- the consumer church mindset- treating finding a church like shopping for a consumer item based on your preferences.
Newsflash- you will never find a perfect church in this sin filled world (James 3:2). Christians are sinful and Christians make mistakes too. We are sinners saved by grace and are merely beggars showing other beggars where the bread is!
Can I let you in on a little secret? I don't agree with everything my church does or evermy pastor says!
To conclude- if you are "shopping" around for the perfect church you will never find it! Does your church you are "shopping" for preach the Gospel? (how to get saved from God's judgement and wrath), does it teach the Bible as the word of God?, does it teach the holiness of the Triune Thrice Holy God? Does it teach pasor/s and elder/s are to be biblically qualified MEN (1 Timothy 3:1–7) Then go there and grow in holiness and awe.at God's glory and majesty.
Oh- and I have gone the way of writing out these articles before I post them with a fountain pen (I'm a pen geek) so much more personal and room for thought!
While I basically agree that one shouldn't be church shopping one also has to be careful that you are not joining any church because it has the word church in its title. The church of Jesus Christ and latter day saints. The church of scientology. etc etc etc. Is the church actually proclaiming the Gospel or is it simply trying to sell you a free ticket to heaven. I attended a church for a short time whose invitation to the Lord's Table was "Dig in". After the third week and then asking the pastor if that was just a slip of the tongue and finding it was very intentional I left. I left another church when the pastor was more interested in new age psychology than Christianity. I refused to join another because they insisted on idol worship. Sadly many of the evangelical churches have fallen into the trap of putting themselves on the throne and treating Jesus as some poor sap who 'loved them so much He gave them free tickets to heaven". Another branch has the nation state that calls itself Israel as an idol and puts said nation's flag on its pulpit. Use discernment.
@BritishFailedAesthetic I meant typed post was interesting. I'm sorry but I can't read your cursive post. It blurs when I enlarge it. Sorry. I can only see a few words.
The importance is to meet together, Heb 10.25. We all need encouragement.
The trouble is there are too many people like Diotrephes about, 3 John 1:9-12, who do not welcome or, stop you from worshipping, and even expel you from the church.
I look for one where Prayer is central, and seeped in the Bible, the Word of God.
@BritishFailedAesthetic No, although from a lightly Anglican background, and two of my friends are or were priests. (I think one has now retired).
Church doctrine is never going to satisfy all of its followers all of the time, and what one church-goer does not want may be welcomed at the other end of the pew.
Or be like people in the past -- if you don't like your church, start your own? If you're going to follow some made-up stuff, why not make up your own version?
I respectfully disagree. If I attend a church where the practices and conversations in OR out of church are in conflict with my principles, I tacitly agree with those. Many of them have little or nothing to do with Biblical teaching. They are just “how we do things.”
I haven’t been to your church. Maybe it’s different. I can’t speak to that.
