{"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,"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_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":53820,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/do-you-need-a-sign-from-god-before-you-are-able-to-date-or-marry-someone\/","url_meta":{"origin":96406,"position":0},"title":"Do you need a sign from God before you are able to date or marry someone?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 9, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello, I am seeking godly advice on dating, but primarily on marriage. Advice about dating; and Do you need a sign from God to be able to marry, or can you choose your spouse yourself based upon biblical guidelines alone? To a 20-year-old guy who has never been in\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":51467,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-reasonable-to-ask-the-church-to-fund-projects-that-are-not-sustainable\/","url_meta":{"origin":96406,"position":1},"title":"Is it reasonable to ask the church to fund projects that are not sustainable?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 23, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Good afternoon, Brother Hamilton: You were very kind to answer a question for me a few years back, and your answer gave me such clarity. I'll be ever-grateful for your guidance. I have another question with which I'm struggling. It regards funding for church-related projects. Our elders have established\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":25239,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/must-a-person-formally-place-membership-with-a-local-church-before-they-participate-in-the-work\/","url_meta":{"origin":96406,"position":2},"title":"Must a person formally place membership with a local church before they participate in the work?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 11, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: What are your thoughts regarding \"placing membership\" with a local congregation?\u00a0 I understand the biblical authority for someone working under the oversight of the elders of a congregation.\u00a0 If someone has been attending a congregation regularly for a period of time, can it be assumed they wish to work\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":35810,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-love-that-you-have-a-repository-for-answers-to-many-thorny-questions\/","url_meta":{"origin":96406,"position":3},"title":"I love that you have a repository for answers to many thorny questions","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 13, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Greetings! I have written before expressing my appreciation for your web site. I especially expressed how appreciative I am of the\u00a0question and answer or Ask section. I love that the Lord's church offers a repository for many thorny and often taboo subjects you have tackled. It is, I believe,\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":34401,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-do-we-deal-with-our-son-who-committed-adultery\/","url_meta":{"origin":96406,"position":4},"title":"How do we deal with our son who committed adultery?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 13, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I am a Christian. I try to follow the Bible best to my ability. I am a member of a conservative church of Christ. My question is about my son. He grew up in church and was baptized before he joined the service. He is no longer faithful. He\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":54626,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/who-appoints-men-to-be-preachers\/","url_meta":{"origin":96406,"position":5},"title":"Who appoints men to be preachers?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 17, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Thank you very much for helping not just me but also the churches where there is a slight misunderstanding on this Evangelist subject. Please bear with me in coming to you again, for I want to understand clearly. You said in\u00a0Preachers: Ordination The idea of ordination is to choose\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":[]}],"_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":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96406\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":96411,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96406\/revisions\/96411"}],"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}]}}