Sunday, November 23, 2008

The number 1 most frequently asked question at Fish with Trish is...drum roll please...

"Where can I find a good church?"

There are a few ways to find a good church. First, if you're in the Dallas/Fort Worth area I highly recommend the church that I attend...Sovereign Joy Community Church (SJCC) in Keller, Texas. Sovereign Joy is comprised of a people devoted to the Scriptures and committed to live for the glory of God. Where other churches have emphasized church growth, and seeker sensitive presentations of the gospel, SJCC desires to strike at something more biblical and historic.

If you're not in Dallas/Fort Worth, I'd recommend visiting 9Marks, which has a church finder. Type in your zip code, and see which churches are near you. The churches listed on 9Marks subscribe to good doctrine.

In addition to that, The Master's Seminary posts a map where you can find Master's graduates that are pastoring churches in your area. Just because a Pastor graduated from Master's doesn't mean he's solid, but chances are good that he is. At the very least you'll know he received solid Biblical training and the church where he serves would be a good one to check out.

Also, you can check out My Fishing Hole and view the churches that are listed. My Fishing Hole is a Living Waters site where you can find churches in your area who are teaching The Way of the Master Training Courses and evangelizing biblically—which is typically a sign of a healthy church.

And I would recommend that you get plugged into the Ambassador’s Alliance Fellowship online and meet other people who evangelize and perhaps you will find someone who knows of a solid church in your area.

4 comments:

Mark Sohmer said...

Might I suggest another option?

The Masters Seminary posts a map where you can find out where Master's graduates are serving in your area.

Just because a Pastor graduated from Masters doesn't mean he's solid, but chances are good that he is. At the very least you'll know he received solid Biblical training and the church where he serves would be a good one to put on your "short list" to visit and check out further.

I'll honor Trish's request not to publish URL's, but a google search will find The Master's Seminary and then on the left-hand-side hover your mouse over "Alumni" and then select "Search by Map."

I hope that's helpful!

in Christ,

Mark

Fish With Trish said...

Mark, great point! How could I have forgotten this?!! One of our pastor's at Sovereign Joy (Pastor Jay) is a Master's Grad. :-)

Mark Sohmer said...

Trish,

Glad to be of service! My Pastor is a Master's grad, and we get a hefty dose of solid teaching from God's Word every time we enter our church building.

Travis Yates said...

9 Marks is an excellent resource and is where I turned when the dreaded Church hunting began.