This is a re-post for someone I know, who may be searching for a church home.

A question recently from a guy I know, about what makes a "good" church made me think about how people should go about finding one. I've had conversations over the last year with believers and unbelievers alike, searching for a church home. When they were asking what my own church is like, the questions varied from, "How many people attend your church?" and "Do you have interesting youth programs?" to "Did your pastor go to seminary school?" These are the wrong things to base one's choice upon.

You've heard the old saying, "No church will be perfect after you or I've walked into it." That is so true, and looking for a perfect church will lead to disappointment. Every Christian church, being populated with (hopefully) saved sinners is going to have flaws. That fact should charge someone searching for a church home to focus on what the primary issues are, and of course for a believer, prayer and meditation before the throne of God is the first thing that should be done.

In my humble opinion, the most important issue is to look for a church where Jesus is lifted up, taught and praised. If the church is a biblical church, whose position is that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, without error (in the original writings) and that it is divine and final in all matters of truth and doctrine for the Christian faith and life, then Jesus will be made the priority.A church that is firmly grounded in the Word will likely emphasize certain things. In the pastoral epistles for example, (1st and 2nd Timothy, Titus) there's a strong emphasis on the importance of sound doctrine for a healthy spiritual life. In a biblical church where the teaching is expository verse by verse, things like this will be brought out in the course of time.

I would caution strongly against joining a church where only topical studies are done, because there is real danger that the teaching, at least eventually, will stray from the Word. This can happen because some pastors may take a single line of scripture and remove it from its context, basing an entire teaching on it which is anything but Scriptural. The messages can be short and even dwell on trendy, feel good subjects that affect a person's soul for about the time it takes to reach the sanctuary door. I attended one such church in my early Christian life, before the Lord steered me away from it.

Whether or not a commitment has been made to the preaching and teaching of the Bible as the center of its ministry in Jesus Christ is a major indicator of where a church is at spiritually. This has to be going on, because it is God's Word that changes people's lives. God's Word has relevance to our lives and expository teaching and preaching from it will enhance our walk with Him, by the power and ministry of the Holy Spirit, and that is where we experience Christ-like change in our hearts and where spiritual growth and maturity result. People get convicted when they're confronted with the Word. They learn of God there. They see His goodness there, and their need for repentance.

I would also encourage one to look for a church where a strong emphasis on family in the body is present. What I mean by that statement is a little hard for me to define, but there should be a sense of caring for one another that is apparent and real. This sense of caring should also reach out into the community, seeking to share the Lord.The church should want to grow, not for growth's sake, but grow because people need Jesus. The church should want to grow spiritually in Christ while training its people for the ministry of Christ. It should want to grow because of the new people coming in that it's reaching for Christ. "12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ," Ephesians 4:12.

As I mentioned at first, there are many things one might look for in a church such as, a good youth ministry program, impressive buildings, music that edifies and prepares one for worship, but those things, yes, even the youth ministry should not take precedence over the things I've mentioned above.A pastor/teacher who teaches with authority is fine, but watch out for the kind of church whose focus is on a very charismatic leadership who tend to be dominant and dictatorial to those who serve under them and the congregation as well. That sort of behavior is very cult-like. See: http://ourbreadoflife.blogspot.com/2006/07/characteristics-to-avoid-working-with.html

My personal belief is that you will find that the most biblical form of church government is one that has a plurality of leadership with the pastor/teacher, in men who are called "elders" and who function as "servants" who lead, and not as rulers.I would also caution strongly against any church that "promotes" miraculous healings, miracles and speaking in tongues. I have no problem with the fact that healing takes place, that God may choose to perform miracles or that people speak in tongues (when "done decently and in order"). What I do have a problem with, is that a focus on these things does not promote spiritual growth and maturity in Christ, and though they may appear to have real religious significance, they don't. They appeal to the flesh.

At my own church at the end of a service, when we offer people an opportunity to accept Christ and people ask Him to come into their hearts, we don't just applaud them and wave as they leave the building. We invite them to come forward after the service and talk with one of the pastors. They are welcomed into the family of God, they are given a Bible, they are also spoken with about what it means to be a Christian and they are prayed with.Prayer begins a Christian's life and walk, and it should be the avenue through which all believers pursue every step. Have you ever noticed sometimes how hard it is to pray, even about important things? We get distracted by trivial thoughts, by the unexpected interruption? I personally believe that the enemy concentrates much of his efforts to the disruption of prayer, because that's where power is.

Give fervent energy to prayer when you are considering a church home. I mentioned that at first and I mention it now to give it as much emphasis as I can. Sometimes the answer from God to confirm our choice of a church may come in different forms. For me, it was after much prayer, and through His use of the last person I would ever have expected to help me find my church home. Looking back, I could see that His sure hand had been at work in the process. Having said that, I still used the guidelines I have provided here to confirm that this was not just what I wanted, but what He wanted for me, and while doing that, I prayed about it. " For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek." Romans 1:16