Church Shopping

Westerners can be consumeristic, and that consumerism enters their worldview of church. Many Christians, even those loyal to a specific denomination, look for churches that they enjoy—music choices, preaching styles, church décor, order of service, people of their own demographic, and so forth. Having preferences for these things isn’t wrong, but those preferences can lead worshippers to compromise on church integrity.

Rather than loyalty to a denomination or preference, Christians should commit to serving in and being shepherded by a local church that stands on biblical authority and is led by qualified elders and deacons, as described in the New Testament. Christians can practice unity and grace on secondary and tertiary issues in the church, around which most denominations revolve.

This recent statistic could reveal a trend toward believers choosing a church for foundational reasons—something to thank God for as he continues building his church.