What are your #1 priorities when searching for a church?

[Sanders]

1. Are they actually Christians, or are they Christians in name only who leave out parts of the Bible that are inconvenient? Do they tolerate alphabet brigade gnostic heresy? etc.

2. Do they play their music too loud? I don't like these guitar bands that get up on stage and have the spotlight on them and sing bad "Christian rock". I would much rather prefer traditional hymns the whole congregation sings, but I am willing to endure these guitar bands so long as they don't make me go deaf.

3. Is there an actual community? Do people hang around before and after service to talk? Or do the people rush to vacate the building and get into their cars to go home and watch TV ASAP? If so then I mind as well have save myself the trouble, stayed home, and watched a sermon from a better preacher on Youtube.

4. Are the sermons actually good? Is he enlightening his congregation? Does the preacher have conviction in his heart? Or is he lukewarm and preaching to the choir and doing the same "come down and confess and be saved!" message over and over?

5. I become more leery of a Church if it looks more like a business. "Oh look, they've got an admin desk, bookstore/coffee shop, a school, a gym, a pool, basketball court, etc. Oh and also the head pastor who keeps guilting you for your tithe money doesn't actually live around here and visit members in the congregation in need. He lives 50 miles away by the beach in his mansion and only drives here in his luxury car on Sundays. I am most partial to groups that just meet in some guy's house or only need a little bit of money to own a field that everybody meets at rather than funding big premises.

I agree with each of your points. 100%!

I have stopped looking for a church at this point. I prayed and looked for years actually. God has always provided fellowship. Just not the world's traditional way. People think if you aren't in a church you are automatically backslidden or forsakeIt's in my dreams only (and occassional prayer) to find a small gathering (no big building please). I'd be happy with a field , a coffee shop,

 

[Sanders]

I agree with each of your points. 100%!

I have stopped looking for a church at this point. I prayed and looked for years actually. God has always provided fellowship. Just not the world's traditional way. People think if you aren't in a church you are automatically backslidden or forsakeIt's in my dreams only (and occasional prayer) to find a small gathering (no big building please). I'd be happy with a field , a coffee shop,

So far each church I visit looks more like a recreation center and not a humble place to fellowship and seek the Lord.

 

[Sanders]

1. Are they actually Christians, or are they Christians in name only who leave out parts of the Bible that are inconvenient? Do they tolerate alphabet brigade gnostic heresy? etc.

2. Do they play their music too loud? I don't like these guitar bands that get up on stage and have the spotlight on them and sing bad "Christian rock". I would much rather prefer traditional hymns the whole congregation sings, but I am willing to endure these guitar bands so long as they don't make me go deaf.

3. Is there an actual community? Do people hang around before and after service to talk? Or do the people rush to vacate the building and get into their cars to go home and watch TV ASAP? If so then I mind as well have save myself the trouble, stayed home, and watched a sermon from a better preacher on Youtube.

4. Are the sermons actually good? Is he enlightening his congregation? Does the preacher have conviction in his heart? Or is he lukewarm and preaching to the choir and doing the same "come down and confess and be saved!" message over and over?

5. I become more leery of a Church if it looks more like a business. "Oh look, they've got an admin desk, bookstore/coffee shop, a school, a gym, a pool, basketball court, etc. Oh and also the head pastor who keeps guilting you for your tithe money doesn't actually live around here and visit members in the congregation in need. He lives 50 miles away by the beach in his mansion and only drives here in his luxury car on Sundays. I am most partial to groups that just meet in some guy's house or only need a little bit of money to own a field that everybody meets at rather than funding big premises.

Thank you for taking time to reply so detailed. I replied also and I don't know if it posted but trying again.

 

[Lynx]

1. Are they actually Christians, or are they Christians in name only who leave out parts of the Bible that are inconvenient? Do they tolerate alphabet brigade gnostic heresy? etc.

2. Do they play their music too loud? I don't like these guitar bands that get up on stage and have the spotlight on them and sing bad "Christian rock". I would much rather prefer traditional hymns the whole congregation sings, but I am willing to endure these guitar bands so long as they don't make me go deaf.

3. Is there an actual community? Do people hang around before and after service to talk? Or do the people rush to vacate the building and get into their cars to go home and watch TV ASAP? If so then I mind as well have save myself the trouble, stayed home, and watched a sermon from a better preacher on Youtube.

4. Are the sermons actually good? Is he enlightening his congregation? Does the preacher have conviction in his heart? Or is he lukewarm and preaching to the choir and doing the same "come down and confess and be saved!" message over and over?

5. I become more leery of a Church if it looks more like a business. "Oh look, they've got an admin desk, bookstore/coffee shop, a school, a gym, a pool, basketball court, etc. Oh and also the head pastor who keeps guilting you for your tithe money doesn't actually live around here and visit members in the congregation in need. He lives 50 miles away by the beach in his mansion and only drives here in his luxury car on Sundays. I am most partial to groups that just meet in some guy's house or only need a little bit of money to own a field that everybody meets at rather than funding big premises.

Howdy and welcome to the Forum.

What kind of church do you currently go to, and what is it like?

 

[Karlon]

1. Are they actually Christians, or are they Christians in name only who leave out parts of the Bible that are inconvenient? Do they tolerate alphabet brigade gnostic heresy? etc.

2. Do they play their music too loud? I don't like these guitar bands that get up on stage and have the spotlight on them and sing bad "Christian rock". I would much rather prefer traditional hymns the whole congregation sings, but I am willing to endure these guitar bands so long as they don't make me go deaf.

3. Is there an actual community? Do people hang around before and after service to talk? Or do the people rush to vacate the building and get into their cars to go home and watch TV ASAP? If so then I mind as well have save myself the trouble, stayed home, and watched a sermon from a better preacher on Youtube.

4. Are the sermons actually good? Is he enlightening his congregation? Does the preacher have conviction in his heart? Or is he lukewarm and preaching to the choir and doing the same "come down and confess and be saved!" message over and over?

5. I become more leery of a Church if it looks more like a business. "Oh look, they've got an admin desk, bookstore/coffee shop, a school, a gym, a pool, basketball court, etc. Oh and also the head pastor who keeps guilting you for your tithe money doesn't actually live around here and visit members in the congregation in need. He lives 50 miles away by the beach in his mansion and only drives here in his luxury car on Sundays. I am most partial to groups that just meet in some guy's house or only need a little bit of money to own a field that everybody meets at rather than funding big premises.

i'm laughing! why? #2! "do they play their music too loud"? 1st, all Christians should know that when Christian music is the subject being talked about, it's aways the message of Jesus that's primary. music, secondary. i'm a professional drummer & have dealt with guitarists too loud so i invented a saying of it: "guitarist, turn your amp down, it's too loud, i can't hear it"! being a selfish musician in a Christian band is worse than being in a secular band. i'm also commenting on this because just last Friday, i herd a pastor say, " i don't need to hear "holy" 17 times in a song". he's right. this massive repetition in music is boring. it's proper to praise Jesus but you can tell when it's overdone with selfishness & pride. anyone can listen to Music Choice & hear a plethora of bad music, same guitar chord strummed for minutes at a time, same note sung too long. etc. i quit attending a church once because year after year, the guitar pattern in every song was the same. #3: so behooving to expand the church family with fellowship after service, certainly i assent to this. #4" massively important. i hope you are not going thru what we are out near saratoga n.y. which is a huge amount of "dead" preaching without teaching.

 

[Lynx]

Many people have many criticisms about many styles of music they do not like. Many people have favorite styles that are open to the same criticisms they level against other styles. It is the nature of humans.

If the music at a church is objectively too loud, I have found it is usually because the sound man or choir director is hard of hearing. A set of hearing aids would fix the problem, but pride often interferes with accepting hearing aids.