Looking for a New Church

Church Building

The Pew Research Center has recently come out with some new information about how Americans search for a new congregation with which they can worship. The findings were interesting and I believe this information can be helpful as we seek to reach those in the community around us.

When people were asked what factored into their decision about which congregation to attend, the following were the top three responses:

  1. Quality of sermons (83%)
  2. Feeling welcomed by leaders (79%)
  3. Style of services (74%)

When looking for a new congregation, the following were the top three responses as to what was involved in their process:

  1. Attended services at the congregation being considered (85%)
  2. Talked to members of the congregation (69%)
  3. Talked to friends/colleagues about the congregation (68%)

What does all of this mean for us? Consider a few points:

  • Preaching is important – While we are not at liberty to change the message (1 Peter 4:11), those who preach ought to work to make their lessons as clear and understandable as possible. Just as Paul used “great plainness of speech” (2 Corinthians 3:12, KJV), we must as well. This requires effort in pondering, searching, and arranging the message so that it is helpful to all (Ecclesiastes 12:9-10). The gospel is God’s power for salvation (Romans 1:16); therefore, we must be able to clearly articulate it so that the message will be understood. Paul told Timothy, “Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you” (1 Timothy 4:15-16). Those who heard Timothy were to be able to see his growth and development in handling the word so that they would be more inclined to listen to the saving message that he proclaimed.
  • Welcoming visitors is important – Paul indicated that the assembly was a place where “unbelievers” should be welcome (1 Corinthians 14:23-25). It needs to be emphasized that the New Testament model is that visitors are welcome so we can teach them – they are “convicted” (1 Corinthians 14:24) which is done through the Spirit-inspired truth as it is taught (John 16:8, 13) – not so we can entertain them or educate them on secular matters. But it must be clear to visitors that we are happy that they have come to assemble with us.
  • The style of service is important – Does this mean we change our worship to cater to the desires of potential visitors? Of course not. God expects us to “worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). That means our worship must be patterned after what we see in the New Testament – singing (Colossians 3:16), praying (Acts 2:42), preaching (Acts 20:7), observing the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:23-27), and giving (1 Corinthians 16:1-2). However, while we cannot change what we do, we can be sure we do it in a way that demonstrates a reverence for God rather than a flippant or casual attitude toward worshiping Him. In our assemblies, we are to do “all things…properly and in an orderly manner” (1 Corinthians 14:40).
  • Inviting people to attend is important – Some visitors will attend on their own after seeing some material produced by a congregation on a website, in a tract, in the newspaper, or through some other medium. Some may even attend simply because they pass the building and are curious. However, we should not expect that all potential visitors will decide to come on their own. We should take advantage of opportunities that we have – as well as make whatever opportunities we can – to invite people to attend with us. Philip showed the importance of an invitation when he told Nathanael about Jesus: “Nathanael said to him, ‘Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see’” (John 1:46). When he came to Jesus, Nathanael became convinced that Jesus was “the Son of God” and “the King of Israel” (John 1:49). In the same way, we can invite others to “come and see” what simple New Testament Christianity is about and what it means to please the Lord and follow His word.
  • Talking to others about spiritual matters is important – Many will want to talk to members of a congregation about spiritual matters before they ever decide to attend that congregation. Christians ought to be willing and able to talk about such matters to others. Peter said we must “always [be] ready to make a defense to everyone who asks [us] to give an account for the hope that is in [us]” (1 Peter 3:15). We need to be like “the sower” in Jesus’ parable who “went out to sow his seed” (Luke 8:5) and scattered it everywhere, regardless of the soil (Luke 8:6-8). The seed that we sow is the word of God (Luke 8:11). Many will not be interested, but some will be. However, we do not always know what type of heart (the soil in the parable) someone has when we talk to them. Therefore, we need to habitually speak of spiritual things and plant the seed so that we can find those who have “an honest and good heart” (Luke 8:15).
  • Setting a good example is important – Just as potential visitors will likely talk to members of the congregation about the church, they will also talk to others – those who are not members – about what they know about the church. This is one of the reasons why it is so important to set a good example and “let [our] light shine” so that others “may see [our] good works” (Matthew 5:16). Our reputation will often precede us. If people in the world associate a local church with the sins of a particular member, it becomes much harder to reach those people – especially when those sins are overlooked and not handled properly by the church (cf. 1 Corinthians 5:1-13). This was why Peter wrote, “Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2:12). Many will look for some reason to disregard the gospel or label Christians as hypocrites, so we must be “beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us” (Titus 2:8). Reputations spread. We need to be sure we are known for good works.

The gospel is “the power of God for salvation” (Romans 1:16) today just as it was when Paul wrote those words to the saints in Rome. If we want to reach people with the gospel, it is important that we live by it to show the right example to others, talk about it with those around us, invite others to attend the assembly with us (or to study the Bible with us), and support the preaching of the gospel.

Many people, even if they are currently attending one of the churches of men, may be open to looking for a new church. We need to do what we can to lead them to the Lord’s church.


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