How do I know which church to attend? That's a common question. Ask a dozen people and you'll get a dozen different answers. "I go to the one a couple of blocks away because it's convenient." "I go to church so & so because that's what my parents taught me." "I like the social activities at church XYZ so I go there." "My spouse was going to church ABC when we got married & I go there to make him/her happy." "I like church PQR because they say all the things I like to hear." All of these answers may seem reasonable, but do any of them have merit?
This question is best answered by considering another question: what is the correct basis for any church? From 1 Corinthians 3:11: "no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ". The correct foundation of any church is God's one & only son: his life, his teachings, his death, burial, and resurrection. These things are documented & explained in the New Testament (which is predicated by the Old Testament). Therefore, if a church teaches the Bible correctly, its foundation cannot be anything other than Jesus Christ, the only correct foundation.
Now we see the answer to the original question: which church should I attend? One that is based on God's eternal and unchanging word, the Bible, nothing more and nothing less. Any other considerations (convenience, family tradition, etc.) are trivial in comparison. What if they teach unpleasant Biblical truths (the existence of hell, for example) and this upsets or offends someone? A better question would be: why should anyone take offense at the truth? If I drink a fifth of vodka every day and my doctor tells me to stop or die, then I get mad at him for telling me that, does that mean my doctor is wrong? No, it just means he told me the truth and I didn't want to hear it. The Bible is full of things some people don't want to hear, yet they still need to hear them because they are true.
One final question you may be asking yourself: how do I know if a church teaches the Bible correctly? There are churches founded on good intentions by those who mean well, yet they are way off when it comes to certain parts of the Bible. Some are so far off you have to wonder if the word church even applies to them. So how do you know? You have to know the truth to spot a lie; therefore, you have to study the Bible to know if a particular church teaches its principles correctly. If it doesn't, you're at the wrong church.
