By Tommy Reid
Variety is the spice of life. Thank God everything is not the same.
We enjoy the different seasons, colors, styles of clothing and music.
We enjoy variety because each of us is different.
I love a two-passenger sports car with a convertible roof; my wife
prefers our rather homely but practical van. Just because everything
is the same does not make it good. And because things are different
is not a sign of lack of quality or unity.
So it is with the great variety of churches. Denominations have
emerged for legitimate reasons. Some of them have been created because
of ethnic roots, such as the Dutch Reformed Church or the Scottish
Presbyterian Church. Others have emerged out of the need for reformation
and change. The reformed movements have brought needed healing not
only to those who created a new group, but also to those who remained
faithful to the original denomination.
God created a variety of expressions of our common faith. All of
us can find a house of worship that fits our personality as well
as our individual needs.
If you are searching for a good church home, here are a few questions
to ask that will help you find a church that fits your needs:
1. Is the doctrine and belief of the church orthodox (true to the
Bible’s teaching)? Determine this by asking if that church
believes in the deity of Christ and adheres to the doctrinal criteria
expressed by both the Nicene and Apostles’ creeds. Does the
church present a balanced perspective on the person and work of
the Holy Spirit?
2. Does the church minister to my family with various programs?
3. Does the style of worship provide an expression that makes me
feel comfortable, yet at the same time makes me stretch to learn
more of the universality of the Christian faith? (You need not only
to feel comfortable, but also feel challenged to enlarge your world.)
4. Is there an expression of the presence of God in the services
of the church? Does that church bring an adequate balance between
what I feel in worship, and at the same time establish a rational
credibility for the experience I have just found in God?
There is a church near you that provides a balance between the
emotional and spiritual expression of revival movements and the
rational understanding of the Scriptures. There is a church that
provides musical expressions you prefer — linking the church
to the contemporary community, as well as teaching you to enjoy
the wonder of our heritage. There is a church that provides teaching
that is orthodox and bases its message on the Word of God, while
giving biblical guidelines for contemporary day-to-day living.
These guidelines will help you find the church that’s right
for you.
Tommy Reid is pastor of Full Gospel Tabernacle
(Assemblies of God) in Orchard Park, N.Y.
