1. It is important to learn the chain of command in a church. It is your responsibility to find out how the conflict is handled. Are the leaders open to hearing your point of view? Is your point of view in direct opposition to what the church espouses?

2. Next, are you looking for a church that caters only to you? If you are looking for spiritual help you must understand that they will not say yes and love to everything you want. If you want to be pampered or pampered, join a spa. If you pay them enough, they will do what you want. Most successful ministries focus on helping the body corporately and on outreach projects. If you need special advice or prayer, it should be an occasional help, not a time-consuming daily event. Remember that the needs of a single person or family should not dominate the entire ministry.

3. Next, are you well versed in the doctrine of your belief and does it match the practices of the future church? Knowing what the Bible says about the main issues helps when choosing a church. If you don’t take the time to learn as much as you can about your faith, don’t get frustrated when someone else (church leader or anyone else) misleads you and you’re not informed. Believers must take responsibility and understand that it is their fault if they allow laziness to prevent them from seeking information that affects their spiritual development.

4. Find out how the money is allocated. Are there any missionary efforts that the church supports? Are there community efforts to which the ministry contributes? Many churches that support multiple outreach projects are less likely to have money abused due to the fact that there are more people overseeing the various bank accounts.

5. Ask who is the mentor, spiritual advisor, or leader of your prospective pastor, bishop, or apostle. This is important! Does the pastor take difficult issues in his congregation to a more experienced leader for advice, or is he just beating around the bush? Does he/she face things head-on or does he/she just not call or avoid you until you leave? Does the ministry appear to cater primarily to large financial backers? These are things to watch out for, so be observant. Is everyone treated fairly in the ministry? Or is there some other group considered weaker or less important?

6. Meet with the pastor and ask him where he went to school. I understand that in years past we relied on the spirit to lead us and that was acceptable because we were limited in educational efforts, but now we must expect the pastor to have had some form of formal training, whether it be a theology degree or royal hands. at work in a senior leadership position. Effective leaders must be disciplined students of the word.

7. What is the pastor’s family like? Is he or she constantly dealing with marital problems that seem to be the focus of the church? Is his spouse constantly in trouble with the law, the drugs, the sexual indiscretions that seem to be the six o’clock news at the ministry? Is there a problem with your personal finances where the church frequently has to take emergency offerings to bail you out? This may be an indicator that the leader is a little distracted by personal problems. Each case is different, but it is something to consider when deciding to join a church.

This is not all inclusive and, again, each case is different. Most importantly, after all the vetting is complete, remember to seek God in prayer to find the right ministry for you and your family. Remember that no church, ministry, or leader is perfect and even if a ministry has obvious problems, God may have put you there for a reason. Don’t approach any ministry critically or with the belief that you have all the answers. Trust me; it’s easier to criticize a ministry when you’re on the outside looking in.

Courage son of the Most High God~!