If you are looking for a new church, you need to ask some very important questions of church leadership before you become a member. Here are 35 to get you started:
FOUNDATIONAL BELIEFS
1. Is the Bible the 100% true, accurate Word of God inspired by the Holy Spirit?
2. Is Jesus the Son of God and the only way to eternal life with God? Is there any way to God or eternal life other than through Jesus?
3. What does the Bible say the world will look like when Jesus returns? Do we need to gain dominion of the earth before that happens?
4. Can man, through his actions, change or alter biblical prophecy?
THEOLOGY
5. What is the doctrinal statement of the church and may I have a copy?
6. Does a person have any responsibilities to God upon accepting salvation?
7. What books other than the bible have you used to develop sermons?
8. What are your views on “Replacement Theology”?
TEACHINGS AND SERVICES
9. Is your Bible Teaching solely based on the Five Sola’s ?
10. How important is popular culture in structuring your services?
11. How do you train and equip your people to carry out the Great Commission?
12. Does your worship service include people laughing or being slain in the spirit?
13. Do you preach sermons that talk about exposing false teachers and false doctrines, or do you preach that Christians should never question anointed teachers?
14. What curricula do your children and teen programs use?
15. Are you a Willow Creek Association church?
DEPTH OF SPIRITUALITY LEADERSHIP
16. Who are some of your favorite authors? What books other than the bible have influenced your theology or teachings?
17. To whom are church leaders accountable? Has your leadership ever been questioned by members? How was it addressed?
18. What growth is more important to our church—growth in numbers or in depth of spiritual commitment of our members? (Only let them pick one, not both !!)
19. What is the most crucial issue your church has faced and how was it resolved?
20. How do you determine the spiritual growth of your members?
SOCIAL ISSUES
21. What is meant by the word “Church,” and what is its purpose?
22. What is the role of the church in social issues or politics?
23. When do you believe that life begins?
24. What are the church’s views on marriage and sexuality? Please share scriptures that confirm your beliefs.
25. How does the church feel about/handle divorce among your members?
26. What are your views on “contextualization” of the gospel? How important is being “relevant” to the community?
27. Do you believe that Christians and Muslims pray to the same God; that Yahweh and Allah are the same?
MODERN MOVEMENTS WITHIN THE CHURCH
28. What are your thoughts and the church’s stances on:
31. Contemplative Prayer and Biblical meditation
32. Word of Faith
33. The New Apostolic Reformation
Related articles
- Is the Emergent Church movement dead (or dying)? (standupforthetruth.com)
- Where Are the Christian Mentors? (standupforthetruth.com)
- John MacArthur Says Emerging Church in “Disarray and Decline” – Evidence Shows Differently (lighthousetrailsresearch.com)
- What is the Church? (defendingcontending.com)
- Spiritual Warfare Eschatology (herescope.blogspot.com)
- North American Pastors and the Church on Borrowed Time (lighthousetrailsresearch.com)
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How about:
1. Do you preach the full Gospel or just ‘the plan of salvation’ and ‘sin maintenance’ ?
2. Is your church mostly about doctrine and little about doing?
3. Do you give any consideration to the over 300 verses in the Bible that exhort us to care for the poor and marginalized?
4. Is your church obsessed with ‘rooting out evil’ at the expense of living ‘the Kingdom Life’ ?
Dick that should fall under the great commission if it is practiced.
Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
General Comment:
Its a shame really that any of this even has to be brought up. And a testiment really to the condition of the governement authorized church here in America. Just Prior to World War 2 the political leadership had established the same conditions in Europe especially in Germany.
Before that the Catholic Church was the only authorized church, which, is why the reformation came about. Not because they were the only authorized Church but they we making themselves what they were never intended to be, the head of the Church. Christ alone is the head, we if we are His are supposed to be His bride.
And the Catholic Church was created by Ceasar, to further the Roman Empire under the guise of Christianity and claiming to be operating under the Authority of God and naming himself as that determining authority. This was normal for a Ceasar to have this view. To question any that lived is to question God himself, which is practiced in the Catholic Church to this day in the Office of the Pope. So Tithing to the Church becomes just another instituted tax to propogate the institution. This tradition was passed on by the reformers.
This is why we are not to put our faith in any man, nor exhalt any man beyond what is written. We are all of us dust. We are all of us moraly evil, our whole nature bent to rebellion against God, which, by the way is why our tendancy is to cling to and trust men instead of God.
This is also why Romans and 1 Corinthians are avoided in most all congregations. And why 1 Corinthians 14:23-35 is not practiced. Judging of what is said is entirly absent in nearly every gathering, which, is where the correction should be happening, so all are edified.
1 Corinthians 4:6 And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another. 7 For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?
1 Corinthians 4:11 Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace; 12 And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it: 13 Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day. 14 I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you. 15 For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. 16 Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me. 17 For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.
1 Corinthians 14:37 If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.
2 Peter 3:15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; 16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
And we have, in the Church God’s word is overturned.
1 Corinthians 14:36 What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only?
We have justified replaced God’s word with our word. What He says to do, that we don’t do. What He says not to do, that we do.
Psalm 119:126 It is time for thee, LORD, to work: for they have made void thy law.
Should this not be our mind!
Psalm 119:127 Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold. 128 Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way.
We are sealed with The Holy Spirit, through whom we have fellowship with The Father and The Son and they dwell in us. Pray to God to show you what to do. Test everything against His Word. Cling to what lines up, discard what is evil. Admonish one another and Provoke one another onto Love and good deeds. Continue in the faith of Our Lord Jesus Christ through obedience and repentance. May God santify your hearts in His most Holy Name and May The Holy Spirit teach you all that is True, and Guide you and Direct you into all Truth.
To God be the Glory Amen!