{"id":96406,"date":"2026-07-03T08:53:28","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T13:53:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=96406"},"modified":"2026-07-03T09:00:45","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T14:00:45","slug":"before-you-choose-a-church-ask-yourself-this-question","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/before-you-choose-a-church-ask-yourself-this-question\/","title":{"rendered":"Before You Choose a Church, Ask Yourself This Question"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\tby Josh Creel<br \/>\nvia\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@watchinlight\"><em>InLight Media<\/em><\/a>\n<p>How do you choose a church? Is it about the song worship, the preaching, the community, or something deeper? In this conversation, Josh Creel and Jackson Sneed explore what the Bible actually teaches about finding a healthy church, and why the first question may not be &#8220;Which church is right for me?&#8221; but rather &#8220;Who am I trying to please?&#8221; Galatians 1-2 and other New Testament passages discuss how Christians can evaluate a church based on Scripture rather than personal preferences, traditions, or personalities. Whether you&#8217;re searching for a church, evaluating your current church, or simply wanting to grow as a disciple of Jesus, this conversation offers biblical principles that apply to every Christian. <\/p>\n<p>In this video, you&#8217;ll learn: <\/p>\n<ul dir=\"ltr\">\n<li>How to choose a church using biblical principles <\/li>\n<li>Why doctrine matters more than personal preference <\/li>\n<li>The danger of treating the church like a consumer product <\/li>\n<li>How to recognize a healthy, Christ-centered church <\/li>\n<li>What does it mean to follow Jesus above tradition, culture, or popular opinion <\/li>\n<li>Why churches should not only teach the gospel but also live it <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> Following Jesus isn&#8217;t about finding a church that caters to us. It&#8217;s about becoming disciples who seek to honor Christ in every aspect of worship, doctrine, and daily life. If this conversation encouraged or challenged you, be sure to like the video, subscribe for more biblical discussions, and share it with someone who&#8217;s seeking a church or wants to deepen their understanding of Scripture.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Before You Choose a Church, Ask Yourself This Question\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kHNJRm5Y33g?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Josh Creel via\u00a0InLight Media How do you choose a church? Is it about the song worship, the preaching, the community, or something deeper? In this conversation, Josh Creel and Jackson Sneed explore what the Bible actually teaches about finding a healthy church, and why the first question may not be &#8220;Which church is right&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1488],"tags":[448,300,544],"class_list":["post-96406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-video","tag-church","tag-denominations","tag-membership"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":68161,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-do-i-choose-a-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":96406,"position":0},"title":"How Do I Choose a Church?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 20, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Johnny O. Trail One radio station in Nashville does nothing but talk radio. As an avid talk radio listener, I am always interested in the questions and comments of those who call in. On one show, the host deals exclusively with emails that listeners have sent in. The other\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":84199,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/do-men-hold-a-monopoly-on-the-business-meeting\/","url_meta":{"origin":96406,"position":1},"title":"Do Men Hold a Monopoly on the Business Meeting?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 7, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Dale Smelser via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 13, No. 4, December 21, 1987 Several articles by me recently on elders, deacons, and business meetings have led to numerous questions about women attending business meetings. I have noted that the business meeting does not have oversight. We cannot substitute another system\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":85045,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-a-church-divide-itself-into-smaller-groups-and-remain-a-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":96406,"position":2},"title":"Can a church divide itself into smaller groups and remain a church?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 24, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Good day, brother. Here's a case I'd like you to consider, A local church agrees to hold gatherings in different locations, not in the current meeting place but in zones based on proximity to one another. There are three zones, where fellowship is held in brothers' houses on the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":66857,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-one-congregation-withdraw-from-another-congregation\/","url_meta":{"origin":96406,"position":3},"title":"Can one congregation withdraw from another congregation?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 2, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Can a church withdraw from Christians who are not members of the local congregation? 1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Mark those who cause division and hindrances -\u00a0Romans 16:17 2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Philippians 3:17\u00a0- Mark those who are good examples 3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Galatians 5:15\u00a0- Don't bite and devour each other. C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Can a church withdraw from another church? Hey Brother Hamilton!\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":17133,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-a-church-choose-men-to-lead-when-there-are-no-elders\/","url_meta":{"origin":96406,"position":4},"title":"Can a church choose men to lead when there are no elders?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 31, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: When there are no elders in a congregation and the church chooses certain men to lead, is this scriptural? Answer: I probably would need more information to answer your question. Much depends on what you mean by \"lead.\" During worship service, there are men who lead various parts of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":96182,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/modern-churches-dont-look-like-new-testament-churches\/","url_meta":{"origin":96406,"position":5},"title":"Modern Churches Don&#8217;t Look Like New Testament Churches","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 19, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Steve Wolfgang via InLight Media Modern churches often look very different from the churches we read about in the New Testament. From liturgical traditions and denominational structures to megachurches and contemporary worship styles, many Christians wonder: Is this simply a natural development-or have we drifted from the original pattern\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Video&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Video","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/video\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96406","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96406"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96406\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96406"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96406"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96406"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}