On choosing a church or church shopping:
1. Faithfulness. A church that teaches the Bible with humility and integrity.
2. Mission: A church that has a heart for at least some outsiders: the poor, immigrant, the single parent, etc. Different churches have different groups they reach out to.
3. Atmosphere. What are the values that surface on the website and especially in person regarding wealth, race, and women?
4. Proximity. Ideally there is overlap in your worlds (where you live, where kids go to school, where you shop with where you attend church).
5. Collaboration. Usually there is a board and staff and there should be accountability and collaboration.
6. Sobriety. There should be thoughtful protocols about counting the offering, annual transparency about the the finances, and precautions regarding child abuse.
7. Theological care. I want to know if the pastor(s) did seminary and where. Ideally they have an MDiv from a reputable school. The statement of faith should not be weird.
8. Resonance with the Christian tradition that this church is part of. Likely the visitor has inclinations regarding theological tradition (Pentecostal, liturgical, casual contemporary evangelical, etc).
Originally tweeted by Andy Rowell (@AndyRowell) on August 17, 2021.