July 25, 2007

Evaluating a Church

How do you evaluate a church? Is it by the quality of the Sunday school classes? The way the bathrooms are decorated? By the size of the parking lot stalls?

The problem with the above parameters is that they judge a church based upon personal preference rather than Scripture.

Ingrid read a list by Pastor David Foster of The Gathering in Nashville, Tennessee, who evaluates a church this way:

-When you enter, do you hear laughter?
-Are people greeting you as a joy or a job?
-Does the church look like they were expecting you?
-Are people buzzing as they greet each other?
-Is there spirited music playing as people gather?
-Does the music move you?
-Do the people on stage look real and engaged?
-Are the announcements short, stategic and to the point?
-Is there a printed outline with Scripture already printed on it?
-Does the pastor smile?
-Does the message title promise a relevant topic I'm interested in?
-Does the pastor speak with humility and authority?
-Do I feel the presence of God?
-Are people listening and engaged?

The problem with this list is that it can represent a “happiness criteria” for the congregation, where congregational comfort is the first priority and not Christ.

Ingrid lets listeners weigh in on this topic as she looks at those things that can help us evaluate a church properly on this edition of Crosstalk.