Most parents would celebrate finding their teen awake, dressed, and eager to get to church on a Sunday morning. While not true for all, the typical teen would rather sleep in and avoid structured learning on the weekends, which has been true for many generations
Today, however, more influences contribute to a diminished desire for Christian community among young adults. Pressures to conform to our relativistic, post-Christian culture are at play, no doubt, but the church itself can also play a role. While wonderful Christ-centered churches abound, incidents involving hypocrisy, confusing doctrinal debates, and abuses of power in the church also exist, and stories involving some or all of these are hitting newsfeeds seemingly every day.
It’s easy to understand mounting apprehensions, and since great sermons abound online and much of our personal relationship with Jesus is cultivated on weekdays, it’s tempting to wonder if church is even worth the risk. In other words, it’s legitimate for someone to ask: is there any transcendent reason to give the church another chance? Yes, there is!
Jesus is the reason.
Jesus never fails even though his people do. Ultimately, gathering with other believers in a local church is primarily about him.
When believers attend church, we follow the lead of those who’ve gone before us. From cover to cover, Scripture describes and prescribes the gathering of believers for the purpose of worshiping God and hearing his Word. Since the resurrection of Jesus, Christians have gathered to celebrate spiritual rebirth in Christ at baptisms, to remember his sacrificial love through receiving Communion, and to worship him as Lord and King through singing and by studying God’s Word. When we avoid going to church, we miss many beautiful opportunities to show Jesus how much we love him.
Because local church gatherings are so important in God’s continuing plan, and because the experience of worshiping together with other believers is essential for our own spiritual health and growth, whenever possible (other than for measured, intentional seasons), rather than avoiding church altogether, you may want to visit biblical churches that are different from what you’re used to. There’s no perfect church, but there are faithful, Christ-honoring churches, and if we’re willing to use discernment and ask important questions, we can find them.
Here are a few suggested questions to ask when searching for a safe church:
1. What Do the Elders Do?
Elders (also called pastors) are the overseers of the church. In Titus 1:5–9, the apostle Paul lists the qualifications for elders:
…appoint elders in every town as I directed you—if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.
And in 1 Peter 5:1–3, the apostle Peter describes the role of the elders:
So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.
When elders are biblically qualified and fulfilling their role of teaching, leading, and protecting, a church is safer. With Scripture as our guide, we are right to want to know who the elders are and what exactly they do. We should be able to ask questions about their character, qualifications, and role, easily gaining answers. Of course, we must remember that elders aren’t going to be sinless, and the standards set by God are accompanied by his grace and power. We must give elders grace as well, while not turning a blind eye to sin (James 5:19–20).
2. Is the Bible Being Taught Used?
There’s a big difference between teaching the Bible and using the Bible.
One way of teaching the Bible is expository preaching, which often includes reading through a portion of Scripture over a length of time (usually an entire book), digging for what it means, and systematically interpreting how it applies to our lives. This might include attention to things such as the original context (historic and linguistic), literary genre, and other interpretive factors. On the other hand, the Bible is used in topical preaching—when a teacher has a point or subject to cover and uses biblical texts to support the point.
Both types of preaching can be good (or bad), depending on the quality of a teacher’s study and the soundness of the application of the text. When the Bible is taught well, we learn how to be better students and followers of the Word—as we are instructed to do:
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15)
If a congregation hears topical sermons week after week, there’s a great chance they’ll miss out on learning from large sections of Scripture—or wrestling with the more difficult passages. While an occasional biblically sound, topical sermon can be encouraging and needed—especially when relevant to contemporary issues—topical sermons can also be agenda-driven rather than truth-oriented, having a negative or toxic impact on a church’s culture and spiritual direction over time.
Since the Bible is the authority by which we seek to live our lives as Christ-followers, we are right to desire that our churches teach the Bible—including how to read it and apply it to our lives.
3. Is Church Leadership Accessible and Approachable?
As Christ-followers, we want to reflect Jesus to a hurting world by being approachable. Children felt safe with him. The rejected and outcast were welcomed by him. People boldly brought tough questions to him. For this reason, and from what we see in the biblical qualifications for elders cited above, church leaders must not be arrogant or quick to anger. Any leader habitually characterized by arrogance or anger is biblically disqualified from overseeing and should be lovingly dealt with by the other overseers.
None of us will reflect Jesus fully this side of Heaven. We all need forgiveness and grace. But a church whose top leaders are notoriously untouchable, easily offended, defensive, or intimidating is likely to create a toxic, fear-based culture that will trickle down to staff and congregants alike. We should feel comfortable humbly disagreeing with our leaders. Healthy leaders will seek and receive all sorts of questions, disagreements, and feedback because they know they have blind spots and desire true accountability, which hopefully is true for us all.
As followers of Jesus, we are called to not neglect meeting together, but encourage each other in the faith (Hebrews 10:24-25). Following this command is done most easily when we have found a safe church with transparent and faithful leadership who emphasize teaching from Scripture. Ultimately, the focus in our gatherings is on King Jesus and what he has done on the cross and through his resurrection, what he is doing today through the church, and what he will ultimately accomplish at his return when God will be “all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:28).
Teasi Cannon is a wife, mother, teacher, author, and lifelong learner who loves to share this truth: God is real and good, and he never fails. A desire to strengthen her personal understanding—coupled with a passion to share real hope with those who need it most—led Teasi to obtain a master’s degree in Pastoral Counseling from Liberty Theological Seminary. She is a confessed book addict who can’t get enough of apologetics and theology, and when she’s not spending time with her family, you can find her sitting on her favorite spot of the couch with a book in one hand and a hot mug of coffee in the other.
Teasi lives south of Nashville, Tennessee with her husband and best friend Bill. They have three amazing children who all grew up far too quickly and a new son-in-law who supplies all the board games for family fun. For more about Teasi, check out her website at www.teasicannon.com.