There were record attendance numbers at churches across America this past Sunday. Praise the Lord! We believe God is using the recent tragedy of the assassination of Charlie Kirk by an anti-Christian, pro-trans activist, to awaken people to seek out truth. And the best place to seek out all truth is through Bible-believing churches.

There are so many churches, good and bad, so how do you choose the right one? This is an incredibly important decision. Here are some Biblically-based guiding principles:

1. Look at the statement of faith regarding the Bible. Every Bible-believing, evangelical church, will have a statement of faith. Statements/Creeds have been used since the birth of Christianity and are very helpful to refute heresies and affirm core essentials of the faith. Look for key words that the Bible is inspired, infallible (inerrant/without error), and authoritative.
2. Look at the statement of faith regarding the person of Jesus. This is another essential of the faith that needs to be correct. Jesus is fully man and fully God. Jesus is the Son of God. There are several other very important attributes about Jesus that you want to make sure are correct. See some examples in the linked Biblical statements of faith below.
3. Look at the statement of faith regarding the Trinity. Every Bible-believing church will affirm the Trinitarian view of God. One God in three persons. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
4. Look at the statement of faith regarding mankind. The Bible clearly teaches that all humans have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and it is by grace alone, through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone, that we can be saved.
5. Look at the statement of faith regarding heaven and hell. Every human who has ever lived will be raised from the dead… either to everlasting life with God or to eternal separation from God in hell. There are only two destinations for every human.

The reformers and others have referred to the above principles as the essentials of the faith. Many have used this phrase, “Unity on the essentials, grace on the non-essentials, and covering over all, love (agape).” Some churches call non-essentials, secondary issues. If a church is compromising on the essentials of the faith, get out.

Centrality of the gospel is important. The deciding line between heaven and hell is everyone’s need to “repent and believe the good news” about Jesus Christ. That is why evangelism is so important. If a church puts any “good work” above sharing the gospel, get out.

Jesus warned us that “many will come in my name.” And He said that we “will know them by their fruit.” If you attend a church that does not view the Bible as the inspired, infallible, Word of God, leave that church. If you attend a church that does not teach that sharing the gospel is the preeminent and most important good work Christians are commanded to do, leave that church. If you attend a church that does not apply the Word of God to all moral views and policy issues of our day, leave that church. The purpose of the church is simple. Make disciples. As defined by Scripture, the main focus of making disciples is “teaching them to obey, everything I (Jesus) have commanded you.”

Here are some examples of solid, Bible-believing, statements of faith: National Association of Evangelicals. Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Prepare the Way Ministries. Bend Ministerial Association. As you can see from clicking on some of these, they all have the above essential elements.

Many statements of faith also have some others that aren’t necessarily essential to salvation, but are critically important. The reason we included, for example, a statement about sexuality, gender, and marriage is that Scripture does not have any “grey” areas about those teachings. All Bible-believing churches will agree that all sexual immorality is a sin; God has created only two genders; and that the God-ordained institution of marriage is for one biological male and one biological female for life. There are no Bible verses that allow for any other view of sexuality, gender and marriage. Because marriage is a reflection of Jesus and His bride, and the foundational building block of society, this is a critical doctrine to get Biblically accurate. If a church does not support this Biblical view of sexuality, gender and marriage, get out and find one that does.

Please let us know if we can help you in deciding which church to attend. If you are in the Bend, OR area, see our Bend Ministerial Association statement of faith and the churches who are a part of our Bible-believing, evangelical association. For more details on what is a comprehensive Biblical worldview and the importance of knowing the apologetic reasons for Christianity, see our online curriculum.