Since no church is perfect, can we attend any church?
Question:
Why do people have the “no church is perfect” mentality?
I had a conversation with my mother about a church she was trying to convince me to go to. It was a church I knew about, and I told her I didn’t want to go because the church she spoke of was part of a denomination. I also knew it would have unbiblical beliefs. She responded, saying that “no church is perfect.”
Should we as Christians believe no church is perfect? I believe this mentality can be used as an excuse to avoid addressing serious issues like false teaching.
Answer:
Local congregations are composed of imperfect people. Therefore, it would be expected that each congregation will have some imperfections. We see this in the descriptions of the churches mentioned in the New Testament. While some churches, such as Philadelphia, had no spiritual problems, they faced external problems (Revelation 3:7-13). However, Jesus never told churches to accept their imperfections. They were commanded to improve (Ephesians 4:11-16).
This is no different than discussing a marriage. No marriage is perfect, but this doesn't mean it doesn't matter who you marry or that you must accept abuse. However, despite flaws, two people who are committed to striving for a good marriage will work to improve it.
Some people leave congregations at the first sign of difficulty instead of working with brethren to strengthen the church. Others stay with churches that are not following the Bible and have no inclination to change. Both extremes are wrong. You find one that is fundamentally striving to follow the Lord and work with the group to improve.
