A biblical culture will be welcoming, warm, worshipful, and also practical. I currently attend a church where the pastor originates from a group that I would not typically align with. But the pastor has been leading this one church for 30 years and is very biblical. Christ is the center of his messages, and he preaches from both the old and new testament – expositionally. The church is very integrated socially, ethnically, and generationally (unusual for that area), the worship is dynamic but grounded in truth. The church has a food outreach to their members and their community – they have a huge garden from which they provide the equivalent of a small grocery store’s worth of fruit and vegetables each week to the congregation. During the winter they provide free store vouchers to anyone who asks.
In the past (and a different city), we went to a church where the pastor came from a very conservative fundamental background, but the congregation were from a variety of backgrounds, including Pentecostal, charismatic, Presbyterian and Lutheran. The services were biblical, the worship was lively and scriptural, the fellowship was very warm and welcoming. The pastor was one of the most patient, generous, kind and inviting men I’ve ever known – and he was a strong literal expository preacher.
For my part, I’ve learned that the secret to finding the “right church” is asking the Lord who is the Head of the Church, to guide me. I’ve always been amazed by how He answers that prayer.
New Church Evaluation Suggestions
A biblical culture will be welcoming, warm, worshipful, and also practical. I currently attend a church where the pastor originates from a group that I would not typically align with. But the pastor has been leading this one church for 30 years and is very biblical. Christ is the center of his messages, and he preaches from both the old and new testament – expositionally. The church is very integrated socially, ethnically, and generationally (unusual for that area), the worship is dynamic but grounded in truth. The church has a food outreach to their members and their community – they have a huge garden from which they provide the equivalent of a small grocery store’s worth of fruit and vegetables each week to the congregation. During the winter they provide free store vouchers to anyone who asks.
In the past (and a different city), we went to a church where the pastor came from a very conservative fundamental background, but the congregation were from a variety of backgrounds, including Pentecostal, charismatic, Presbyterian and Lutheran. The services were biblical, the worship was lively and scriptural, the fellowship was very warm and welcoming. The pastor was one of the most patient, generous, kind and inviting men I’ve ever known – and he was a strong literal expository preacher.
For my part, I’ve learned that the secret to finding the “right church” is asking the Lord who is the Head of the Church, to guide me. I’ve always been amazed by how He answers that prayer.
Published in Commentary, Fellowship of Believers, Practical Living and Prepared Warriors