Questions to ponder

Jesus Said "You must be Born Again"

Questions to ponder

This page is for those who have stopped or who have never attended church. We want to know, we need to know, how you feel.

Why don't you go to church? What do you see wrong with the church? What would bring you back to church? We would ask that you be general in your answers. If necessary, we may have to edit some content. Also, please let us know if you want your thoughts published on this page. We will only publish the first name and province or state. eg Sam, Nova Scotia.

We feel that it is important for everybody to have a church home. A place where you can freely worship God. A place where you will feel loved and encouraged. A place where you can bring your children.

What do we need to know about a church before we attend and what do we need to know before we become a member?

This question was asked of Dr. R.C. Sproul, theologian, pastor and teacher. This is his reply..

"Before we attend a church, we should know that it is a legitimate church. There are some churches that claim to be Christian that, in my judgment and in the judgment of many Christians, are not Christian churches or are apostate bodies. Even attending there services may be a sin. We can't expect a church to be perfect. But does it hold to the essentials of the faith.

Does it practice a basic, sound belief in the diety of Christ and aspects of Christ that we find outlined in the New Testament.

Now we may be worshipping every day with people who profess to be Christians bur arn't, because God hasn't given us the ability to look at anothers person's heart and say exactly where he or she is spiritually. But we can inquire into the basic beliefs of a church body. and we want to unite ourselves in worship only with a group of people who are attempting to do what is proper in the sight of God.

Oviously, that bare minimum applies before you attend the church. Before you join a church, I would think that you would look more closely.

You should ask questions such as,

Is this a church where the gospel is being preached, where there is fidelity (faithfulness) to the Scriptures. Is this a fellowship to which I am prepared to commit myself, my time, my money, my devotion, where I am going to be instructed in spiritual growth, along with my family."

Dr. Sproul adds.."I think those are the kinds of questions you need to look at very carefully before you make the commitment to join. In our country, we often join churches in the same spirit that we join any other organization, forgetting that when we join the church, we take a sacred vow before God to do certain things---to be present in worship, to make diligent use of the means of grace, to be an active participant in that church. Before you take a vow to do something like that, you need to know what it is that you are joining and then, having made that vow, be prepared to keep it."