You need the Church and the Church needs you.
God desires for you to belong, to find purpose, to serve, to be supported, and to grow in your love for Him and everyone else. And His plan is for you to live out those blessings (and challenges) in community with other believers.
The word ‘church’ may evoke many different thoughts and emotions for you. It can mean many different things to different people. We are the Church—a global body of believers, uniting across denominations, and also a local community, meeting regularly.
5 Things the Church is NOT...
Not an institution—it is a community!
Not perfect—it is full of God’s grace!
Not a building—it is made up of people!
Not a business—it is God’s agent of change in the world!
Not an event—it is people on a mission with purpose!
Think of it as a body.
Paul trains us to think about the Church in functional terms, as the body of Christ:
“For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others” (Romans 12:4-5).
We are Christ’s body and each part is important. We belong to one another. Being in community is not only good for you, but it is good for the people you bless and serve.
What did the early Church look like?
Shortly after Jesus ascended into Heaven, the Bible shares a glimpse into what Church looked like for some of the earliest Christians:
“They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved” (Acts 2:46-47).
Get connected to a local church.
The local church is an outpost of God’s Kingdom in a world that desperately needs Him. When Christ makes you new, you become part of God’s Global Church. You become God’s hands and feet in the world. The best place for you to serve and grow in your faith is to join a local church near you.
What should you be looking for in a church? Be careful and discerning—not every place that claims to be a church represents what the Bible teaches.
Look for a church with a biblically sound foundation.
1- Does the church affirm the teaching of Scripture? Is Scripture alone its authority for matters of life and faith or does the Bible only have a small influence on what its leaders teach?
2- Does the church believe in the deity of Jesus, that Jesus is God, and that Jesus’ death in our place on the Cross is the only thing that can save us, making us right with God?
3- Does the church believe that in order to receive that salvation, a person must repent from sin and put his or her trust in the person of Jesus Christ?
4- Do its leaders demonstrate spiritual leadership, maturity in their faith, and the fruit of the Holy Spirit?
5- Will I be able to use my spiritual gifts and thrive in my walk with God?
No two churches are alike. Some churches will differ in matters of worship, style, community impact, denominational convictions, global mission, dress, etc. Most of these are matters of preference after you have ensured that the foundation of the church is biblically sound.
It’s not always easy.
The Church is full of broken people who were made new by Jesus—people like you. It will not always be easy—people will let you down—but it is important to stay planted in a local church. You will flourish and become more like Jesus as you practice forgiving others and making allowance for each other’s faults (Eph 4:2). God sees the Church just like He sees you; in light of the cross. He sees you standing before Him like a bride without spot or wrinkle. Do not attempt to follow God by yourself—instead, experience joy and transformation when you sink your roots deeply into a local church.
“Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others” (Colossians 3:13).