BibleBasis.org

Is There a Perfect "Church"?

     Is there a perfect "church" out there? Where can I get sound Bible teaching? These are just some of the many questions both the new believer and the mature Christian alike might ask.
     First we must understand the difference between the Church and a particular church, often called an assembly or a congregation.Yes, there is the perfect Church; the Church in which "...Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;" (Ephesians 2:20) This church contains all the true believers in the world; Christ is the head of the Church, and obviously, its doctrine is entirely correct. I certainly hope you have become a part of this Church, and if you haven't been saved, please visit our Salvation page before bothering to read this!
     But you probably wanted to know if there is a perfect church as in "...the church of God which is at Corinth..." (1 Corinthians 1:2)A local church is a certain group of believers, not a building. So when we are talking about a church we are talking about the beliefs of a group of people.
     Now let's go on to our topic. Is there a perfect "church" out there? The answer is no; there is likely not a perfect church in the whole world. This, however, does not mean that there aren't many that come very close. But you may be asking: How can I tell if a church is a good one? The best way to tell if a church is a good assembly is to see how it is following the Bible in its teaching and practice.
     I am not going to lay out all the guidelines for a good church in this article; the Bible has already done that; but I will state a few.
     Do not take me wrong; there are many assemblies of believers worth being a part of, even though they aren't perfect. However, you should beware that the church or assembly you are attending is not apostate. A good practice would be if every church frequently searched the Scriptures to make sure that they are on the right track.

Some reasons for attending an assembly or church are listed here:

To have Fellowship with other believers - obeying the Lord's command to assemble ourselves together: "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is..." (Hebrews 10:25)
To take part in communion - obeying the Lord's command to "this do in remembrance of me"
To be Instructed by sound teaching
To be Encouraged by other believers
To be Rebuked when our lives do not meet God's standards
To Help other believers in these areas "...but exhorting one another..." (Hebrews 10:25)
To be Baptized once after Salvation (by immersion)

(also see article "Upon the First Day of the Week")

The ultimate reason is that Jesus tells Christians to assemble together.

If God didn't mean for us to gather together regularly, why did He write a large part of the New Testament, which deals with church issues?

Some of the key guidelines of a good church should be:

The Bible is taken at its word, and God inspired every word.
A literal translation of the Bible (such as the King James version) is the final authority.
The congregation is ruled by elders and deacons as opposed to one-man rule.
Funds go to missions and helping people instead of impressive buildings.
People are baptized by immersion (the Biblical method) instead of sprinkling.
Parents are concerned about their children.
The women do not teach the men. (see article Silence and Submission)
The Bible is studied regularly.
The Christians are sincere seven days a week, not just at the meetings.
The Biblical Gospel message of Salvation is preached. (see article Salvation)
The people believe in Eternal Security. (see article Secure Forever?)
Members do not go along with the "International Church Flow", unless it follows the Bible.
The church is not wrongly influenced by "important" speakers.
Instruments are not glorified. (see article Music and the Bible)
Meetings are orderly and follow all the other guidelines found in the New Testament.

The Lord has done so much for us - saving us from the wrath to come - that we should gladly want to obey his requests and follow his examples. If we are able to get together with other similarly believing Christians, we certainly should do so.

For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: (1 Peter 2:21)