Question 69 – How to recognize a healthy church?
How does one recognize a church that won't harm me spiritually, but instead guide me closer to God? In the European context, and particularly in our region, it indeed seems challenging to find a vibrant church. The situation is further complicated by the fact that the fundamental criterion for evaluating a church isn't merely the presence of sound biblical teaching. Numerous Christians and churches possess a certain degree of true knowledge; yet, their challenge lies in a kind of spiritual slumber. They know the truth and understand what they ought to do, but they have decided (perhaps subconsciously) that they do not wish to live according to this truth. After all, here in Europe, we act as though we don't even need God! We have cars, houses, computers, the internet, Facebook, televisions, tablets, clubs, workouts, diets, cinemas, theaters, various games, and entertainment... We are so engulfed and preoccupied with the modern world that it often seems to me that we are its slaves. We have no time for God. We live in a free Europe (at least for now), with no danger to our lives; most of us have a roof over our heads and food to eat... so why bother about God?
The sad truth is that as Christians, we have succumbed to this pressure, and often find ourselves so-called "lukewarm." Many Protestant churches are doctrinally fairly orthodox (exceptions, of course, exist), yet the spiritual health of individual congregations varies from city to city. It often appears that a seemingly dead church may host several very lively and awakened congregations, where people are fervent about God's kingdom; conversely, a generally healthy church might harbor several congregations that are lukewarm or even spiritually dead. However, this situation is not new. The Lord Jesus gave this warning to one of the churches addressed in His message:
"'I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked." (Revelation 3:15–17)
This church might not have been significantly different from many we observe today. The criteria for assessing churches thus lie in true teaching, but also in the willingness to follow this teaching and do God's will. For this reason, it is somewhat futile to recommend a specific church denomination or dissuade you from others. Many churches in Europe possess the truth in the main questions of biblical knowledge. There are sincere and beautiful people within them who, despite various shortcomings (or false teachings of a particular church), love God and wish to follow Him. It is true that there are some churches I could not, in good conscience, personally recommend, yet even in those, one might occasionally find revival groups that take God very seriously.
Signs of a Healthy Church of God
How to navigate through the multitude of existing churches? People want to know how to correctly discern a good, bad, or even dangerous church. Let's explore some fundamental principles and indicators of a healthy church. Here, I want to stress, God Himself is not responsible for the mistakes of any person or church (whether His or false). God has granted everyone freedom of choice—to live by His word or not.
Furthermore, it is crucial to realize no church is perfect and will not be until the coming of the Lord Jesus. You likely won't find a church with which you agree on every detail of its teachings. Nevertheless, this must not serve as an excuse to refuse to seek out a church or to stop striving to resemble the ideal church as closely as possible.
Basic Signs of a Healthy Church:
SOUND TEACHING – In a healthy church, teaching must at least in the fundamental questions align with the Bible. Especially issues concerning the doctrine of God (the Trinity, uniqueness, etc.), the doctrine of Jesus (fully human and fully divine, His substitutionary death, etc.), the doctrine of the Holy Spirit (not an indistinct principle or force but a distinct person of the Trinity), and so on.
TEACHING ON SALVATION – A healthy church teaches that salvation and eternity with God can be obtained solely by grace, based on the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. This doesn't mean we do not need to sanctify ourselves each day or attend worship services, etc.; however, it means if any church claims specific actions or even membership in it are required for salvation, this teaching is not biblical.
NON-ELITISM – A quality church does not harbor a sense of exclusivity; to the contrary—if a group claims they alone are the true church, it's highly likely they are mistaken in other significant aspects of Christianity. An exclusive attitude is one of the hallmark signs of a cult. Members of a healthy church will acknowledge that their community (or denomination) is not the sole true church. They won't (without substantial reasons) deny affiliation with God's church to those who do not bear their particular church label. All who place their trust in Christ will be welcomed as brothers and sisters.
LIFE TRANSFORMATION – In a quality church, people transform for the better and become more like the life of Jesus. He said,
"Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit." (Matthew 12:33)
BIBLE AS THE FOUNDATION – Although all churches use the Bible, not all believe everything it teaches. Many churches also add their regulations and doctrines to the Bible, sometimes placing them on the same level as the Bible itself. They should heed this warning from Jesus:
"'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'" (Matthew 15:8–9)
NO ELECT INDIVIDUALS – A typical characteristic of cults is various chosen leaders or personalities who must be obeyed without question, admired, or treated as above other members of the group. In a true church, all stand equal before God. This doesn't mean that God doesn't appoint teachers and authorities whom we ought to respect and, within God's principles, obey.
GOSPEL OF FOLLOWING – From the American continent, we see an increasing influence of various Christian movements. It's not always negative, but sometimes groups advocating the so-called prosperity gospel gain popularity. Doctrinally, you might not notice a difference compared to other churches, but their emphasis is heavily placed on Christians being wealthy, successful, and healed from any illness following conversion. If this doesn't happen, something is amiss with their faith. This is a false Christianity. Healthy churches are open to God's blessings and supernatural healing, but it's not a condition, and these churches understand God doesn't always move in this way. The true gospel is about obedience to God and striving to transform one's character in the light of God's word.
LOVE AND ACCEPTANCE – In a healthy church, people are aware of their own shortcomings; they respect others, love each other, bear with one another, and if they cause harm, they forgive one another.
EVANGELIZATION – A healthy church obeys God's command to bring the gospel to the lost. Therefore, it will have a mission focus and a desire to present God's love to others. Such a church won't wait for people to come to it on their own.
Do you know how experts recognize a counterfeit bill? They spend countless hours simply observing a genuine bill. Once they encounter a fake one, they immediately recognize its discrepancies. My advice, therefore, is this—study God's Word with prayer and seek the truth within it. If you let it fill you, you will find it much easier to discern false teachings posing as truth. When choosing which church to become a member of, my ultimate recommendation is prayer—ask God to lead you and show you where your place is.
Summation
In some locations, finding healthy Christian fellowship can be very challenging, as true faith and devotion to God remain increasingly rare in our lands today. Yet, despite everything, such churches exist, desiring to serve the living God. The health of these fellowships can mainly be assessed by their approach to the Lord Jesus Christ and the Bible itself.