Pointers on Finding THE RIGHT ASSEMBLY

You’re a believer and understandably want to connect with other genuine believers, not to mention learn from the Word of God and grow spiritually, as well as find opportunities to serve according to your gifting. Where do you go?

First, keep in mind the three basic essentials of what the believer needs in hooking up with an assembly:

A place for productive fellowship with other believers and the encouraging relationships that develop (Romans 1:12).
To learn from the Holy Scriptures, which the Bible calls the ministry of the Word (Acts 6:1-4).
To participate in praise & worship with others.

Secondly, here are ten points to consider in your search:

In light of the three essentials, try not to focus on the type of building/place where the gathering occurs. Over and over in the New Testament we observe evidence that the early church met in people’s mundane houses (e.g. Colossians 4:15 & Romans 16:5). Speaking of which…
You might find a worthwhile fellowship that meets in a house, coffee shop or what have you. In other words, don’t limit your search to conventional churches.
Look for a fellowship that honestly tries to teach truths from the Bible, which naturally enables the believer to grow spiritually and purges erroneous ideas about God and spirituality (2 Timothy 3:16). If an assembly doesn’t do this, keep looking.
Colossians 3:15 gives a good word of advice: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your heart.” As you are looking for an assembly, let the peace of the LORD be the deciding factor. Do you feel at “home,” like you belong there? Look for “golden connections,” such as profound favor with key people. Go where you’re celebrated, not where you’re tolerated or disdained. Stay away from any ministry that shows red flags of abuse, e.g. manipulation. Abuse is the misuse of power.
Some sects/groups should be removed from your list of possibilities out of hand due to false doctrine, cultish-ness, libertinism (e.g. being pro-“gay“) or legalism in one form or another, like being weighed down by unbiblical traditions. Some obvious examples include Jehovah’s False Witnesses, the Mormans, The United Church of Christ and Catholics.
What options are available within reasonable driving distance from your home? If the fellowship is too far away it will get old fast. I speak from experience.
If there’s a Christian individual you come into contact with and you have a good vibe about him or her (their “fruit”), consider visiting their assembly. In other words, look for “golden connections” to the fellowship God wants you to attend at this time.
The reason assemblies try to appeal to the average citizen with modern accouterments is due to Paul’s statement “I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22). It’s not a bad thing as long as the core truths & practices of Christendom are present.
Keep a spirit of faith in your search by speaking in faith rather than doubt or unbelief. I say this because Christ instructed, “whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours” (Mark 11:22-24). You see, words have the power of life and death (Proverbs 18:21) and, as such, speaking negative words can cancel out your faith and you won’t receive what you’re praying for because faith is what God responds to (Hebrews 11:1, 11:6 & James 1:6-8).
I wouldn’t limit your options to just those groups who officially adhere to a pet doctrine since that would drastically limit your choices, not to mention you could end up in an assembly that technically supports this perspective, but they’re woefully lacking in more important areas, like faith, spiritual growth, love, gifts of the Spirit and so forth.

Another thing to keep in mind is that, just because the Spirit leads you to a certain assembly, it’s possibly going to be a seasonal thing, even if it’s as long as ten years. In other words, it’s not necessarily a lifelong thing, although it could be. When you understand this, it sets you free. Usually, it’s just older believers who know their calling who will say things like “This is where I’m going to go & serve for the rest of my life, unless the Spirit leads me differently.”

The best fellowship I went to for ten years in my 20s officially embraced a doctrine or two that I now know are unbiblical, but they were otherwise exceptional in regards to outstanding teachings from the scriptures on walking free from sin, spiritual growth and faith, as well as gifts of the Spirit and cell groups i.e. a small group of members meeting at a house or what have you, which helps to really get to know the people thereof, as opposed to a large group meeting in the pews where you say “Hi” and “Bye,” but this is pretty much the extent of the (shallow) relationship. In short, look for an assembly that is spiritually healthy and will benefit your all-around spiritual growth and service.

While the LORD’s Way is perfect and God’s Word is flawless (Psalm 18:30), there’s no such thing as a perfect assembly or sect. People are imperfect and local churches are made up of people, so every assembly will be imperfect, one way or another. When you or I start attending, it’ll be even more imperfect. In short, remove from you mind that you’re going to find the perfect fellowship. It might be the perfectly fitting assembly that the LORD wants you to attend at this time, but it probably won’t be perfect in doctrine or practice.

Remember, no one agrees with anyone on everything. However, all believers regardless of their preferred ‘tag’ can meet at God’s Word since it’s the blueprint of authentic Christianity as long as it’s rightly-divided (1 Corinthians 4:6). If you cannot prove a pet belief through multiple clear passages, it’s likely not very biblical. For instance, someone I know cited Isaiah 19:19-20 to support his belief in so-called Christian pyramidology, curiously saying it was a non-negotiable item. It’s never a good idea to base a doctrine on a single, obscure verse in the Bible — milked for details that aren’t there — with zero additional support from the rest of the God-breathed Scriptures.

When Carol & I were attending and serving at a ministry in the 2000s I also attended a home-styled church group for a couple years on off-nights, and also taught there occasionally. So, even if you join a particular ministry, it’s not like you can’t visit other ministries and serve accordingly. Beware of groups that try to stifle your freedom and look down on, say, attending another group in your free time. That kind of controlling spirit is unhealthy.

Finding an assembly can be challenging and even frustrating. In 2003, Carol & I were led to check out a local church one Sunday. I went out back behind the garage that morning and actually argued with the LORD over the matter because I was weary of attending an assembly for like 2 years and eventually having to leave for one reason or another. But it worked out in this case because we stayed at this fellowship — which had two local facilities — for seven years and it’s where I had the opportunity to do more sermons than anywhere else, by far. Plus, we developed close relationships with several people.

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