Lighthouse Trails first released this booklet, How to Find a Good Church and What to Do if You Can’t in 2018. Since then, this booklet has been widely circulated. We have just released our 2026 Updated Edition of this booklet. You are welcome to print this booklet from this page, or click here to buy a high-quality copy for $1.95 from our store.
Part 1: LOOKING FOR A GOOD CHURCH
Some Questions to Ask
We have often been asked, “How do I find a good Bible-believing church?” There are many believers who are struggling to find one in their own communities. To start with, we usually recommend they make phone calls to potential churches and ask a few concise questions such as:
“Do you have a Spiritual Formation program at your church?” or “Is your church using teachings and materials from RightNow Media?
Since thousands of churches would answer yes to both or at least one of these questions, they are worthwhile to ask, and it would certainly narrow down the scope of one’s search. Here are a few other questions that could be asked:
- Is the pastor using The Message “Bible” in his sermons and studies? Because this paraphrase is very often used by pastors and teachers who promote a New Age/ “new spirituality” (as the language in The Message helps support these false teachings), it is another indicator that a church could be going in the wrong direction. Possibly, the pastor just isn’t aware of the problems with The Message. If he is open to receiving information about it, that can be a good sign that this particular pastor/church is willing to become educated. However, if after giving the pastor some reliable information, The Message is still being quoted, this would not be a promising sign that the church is trying to be discerning.
- Is the church connected at all with Bethel Church of Redding, California? And is the church using worship music from Bethel? Bethel influence is huge today, and many churches are getting on board with the Bethel craze. Before starting your search for a church, make sure you understand what the Word of Faith/NAR, Latter Rain, and Apostles and Prophets movement is. Lighthouse Trails has several trustworthy authors who write about these issues. You’d be surprised to learn how extensive this influence has been in North American churches, even in ones that do not consider themselves charismatic or Word Faith.
- Ask a potential church if it would mind mailing you a few recent Sunday programs or bulletins. When you get them, look for some of the key terms used within the contemplative/emerging/“new spirituality” camp: e.g., missional, servant leader, soul-care, spiritual formation, lectio divina, transformation, transitioning, silence, organic, authentic, rhythms, eucharist, spiritual disciplines, Christ follower, Christian formation (or Christian spirituality—a term often meaning the same as Spiritual Formation). Just using these terms alone doesn’t suddenly make a church contemplative or emergent/progressive, but it does show that at least one person in leadership at that church is reading books of that persuasion, and eventually that person’s influence will affect that church adversely.
- Ask the pastor or other leader at a potential church this: “What books on prayer and spiritual growth would you recommend? An honest answer to this question could give a clear picture of where the church leadership is at in many respects. If you are not familiar with the names of the authors the pastor recommends, do some research. Lighthouse Trails Research Project has a vast amount of research on many of today’s new spirituality authors. Also try Let Us Reason Ministries (https://www.letusreason.org), Spiritual Research Network (https://www.spiritualresearchnetwork.org), and Warren B. Smith’s YouTube channel.
Don’t Forget About the “Isms”
At some point, it will be important to find out where a church is at regarding things like Calvinism, Catholicism, New Ageism, ecumenism, antisemitism, wokeism, mysticism, legalism, and other isms—all of which cause great unbiblical imbalance to the body of Christ. You can ask the questions about these things, but you might not get a straight answer just like that. You may have to do some digging. (Note: *Lighthouse Trails has a large archive of printed materials and online materials that address all of these “isms.” Our search engines can help you find those important writings.
Doctrinal and Mission Statements
In addition to these types of questions, be sure and visit a church’s website as there you may be able to find the answers to these and other questions without making the phone call. When on a website, see if there is more talk about unity, “culture,” community, social justice, relationships, and relevancy than about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If it does talk about the Gospel, make sure it isn’t talking about the “social gospel” (which refers more to a collective ideology than to biblical salvation). We’ve seen a lot of churches use the term “gospel,” but when you find out their definition of the word, it has nothing to do with Christ’s finished work on the Cross.
You can check out the doctrinal and mission statements, but be on guard—a church can have a somewhat solid-sounding doctrinal statement and be actually going in an entirely different direction. Listen to a Lighthouse Trails interview called Beware the Bridgers for some information on that (a free link on our blog or a CD at the store are both available). And by the way, remember who some of the more popular “bridgers” are closing the gap between “rightly dividing the Word” and spiritual deception in millions of people’s lives: Beth Moore, Rick Warren, J.D. Greear, Tim Keller, Francis Chan, Ruth Haley Barton, John Mark Comer, Mark Batterson, etc.—those who claim to be orthodox biblical Christians but who promote the new spirituality.
Conferences
When on a church’s website, you can usually find out which conferences the church is involved with or recommending to their church members. There are many “Christian” conferences and events (e.g., Passion Conference, If Gathering, Catalyst), usually with high attendance, taking place yearly that are pumping up Christians with heretical ideas and “theologies.” If you find out a church you’ve been researching is involved in any of these, that is a big warning sign.
Books and Bookstores
Once your search for a new church has narrowed down to a few churches, a weekday visit to these churches’ bookstores would be important. Look for books by Richard Foster, Gary Thomas, Henri Nouwen, Lysa TerKeurst, Tim Keller, Dallas Willard, Sarah Young (Jesus Calling), John Mark Comer, and other authors discussed and critiqued on the Lighthouse Trails website. Researcher Chris Lawson has a booklet titled A Directory of Authors: Three Not Recommended Lists that provides an extensive list of authors who fall within the contemplative, emergent/new spirituality/New Age camps. It’s an excellent resource. You can buy the booklet for less than two dollars or print it for free from our research blog.
While searching for a good church, it would be important to find out where a particular church is at in relation to Jesus Calling and The Shack (still two of the biggest sellers within the Christian market today). Many churches have been allowing New Age ideas, such as “oneness versus separation” into their congregations through such books. It’s essential to read former New Age follower Warren B. Smith’s materials, which will help you identify what the New Age is and how it can disguise itself as a better, more enlightened “Christianity.” You might ask about women’s and men’s Bible study groups and which books are being used at these meetings. That will tell you a lot. And don’t forget to find out which books are being used for the young people. The new spirituality often enters a church through youth and college groups unbeknownst to the adults in the congregation.
Remaining Discerning
When all this has been done in your search for a true Gospel-focused, biblically sound church, if there are any in your community that have passed the contemplative/emerging/woke/Word of Faith/NAR/new spirituality test, maybe it’s safe to take your family for a Sunday visit. Are many of the people walking in carrying Bibles? Seeker-friendly and church-growth churches often discourage that because it might “offend” unbelievers (or as they say unchurched) who come to church. Does the pastor at some point in his sermon talk about sin, the Cross (the atonement), and salvation? These are subjects many churches avoid because of the “offensiveness” of these messages. Better to offer an espresso drink and a little rock n’ roll music during the service and a psychology-based, feel-good message that appeals to the carnal senses (sensual) than to spiritually build up the inner man.
That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man. (Ephesians 3:16)
Once you have found a church that seems to be sound, you should not stop being discerning. That must be ongoing. That might seem like a “paranoid” or overly concerned attitude to have, but if we remember the many verses in Scripture that talk about spiritual deception (right from the Garden of Eden all the way to the Book of Revelation), we will realize it is the responsibility of the Christian to be discerning and watchful. And if you have a pastor and church leaders who are truly led by the Lord, they will want you to be discerning. The Bible often refers to the latter days before Christ’s return where deception will run more rampant than ever. We must be discerning.
Signs to Watch Out for
In Roger Oakland’s booklet How to Know When the Emerging Church Shows Signs of Emerging Into Your Church, he gives a list of signs to look for to see if a church is becoming or has become emergent/progressive. As you begin to attend a new church, this list may be helpful to you and your family:
- Scripture is no longer the ultimate authority as the basis for the Christian faith.
- The centrality of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is being replaced by humanistic methods promoting church growth and a social gospel.
- More and more emphasis is being placed on building “the kingdom of God” now before Jesus Christ returns and less and less on a coming judgment.
- The teaching that the church has taken the place of Israel and Israel has no prophetic significance is often embraced (Replacement Theology).
- The teaching that the Book of Revelation does not refer to the future but instead has been already fulfilled.
- An experiential mystical form of Christianity begins to be promoted as a method to hear the voice of and get close to God.
- The pastor may claim that in order to take the church forward, we need to go back in church history and find out what experiences were effective to get people to embrace Christianity (e.g., turning to the Desert Fathers).
- While the authority of the Word of God is undermined, images and sensual experiences are promoted as the key to experiencing and knowing God. These experiences include icons, candles, incense, liturgy, labyrinths, prayer stations, contemplative prayer, experiencing the sacraments, particularly the sacrament of the Eucharist.
- A strong emphasis on ecumenism is occurring indicating that a bridge is being established that leads in the direction of unity with the Roman Catholic Church.
- Some evangelical Protestant leaders are saying that the Reformation went too far. They are reexamining the claims of the “church fathers” saying that communion is more than a symbol and that Jesus actually becomes present in the wafer at communion (i.e., the Catholic Eucharist).
- There will be a growing trend towards an ecumenical unity for the cause of world peace—claiming the validity of other religions and that there are many ways to God.
- Members of churches who question or resist the new changes that the pastor is implementing are reprimanded and usually asked to leave.
The Mind of Christ
The task may not be easy finding a church that teaches (and believes) the Bible as if it truly is God’s Word. And, obviously, there are many issues that have to be considered. May God bless you and guide you in your search. It may seem impossible at times, but we know there are still good churches out there as we often hear from pastors who are staying the course and are aware of the times in which we live. No church is perfect, of course; but we can and should expect a church to believe and proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord, that the Bible is God’s Word wholly and fully, that He desires that all should come to repentance and be saved, and that false teachings that lead people away from these truths should be avoided. We should also expect a church to emulate God’s Word more than relating to and unifying with the culture around us. May God lead you to find one of these churches.
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural [carnal] man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. . . . For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:12-14, 16)
The Truth in Love
As we stated, no church is perfect, and that is because no person is perfect, nor is anyone’s understanding of biblical doctrine absolutely perfect. So while being discerning and watchful is vital in the Christian life, as is challenging and attempting to correct unbiblical teachings, it is also essential that we speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) and with grace toward others, knowing that it is only by God’s grace to us that we are able to see and have understanding regarding the issues at hand.
For the truth’s sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever. Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. (2 John 2-3)
Part 2: WHAT TO DO IF YOU CAN’T FIND A CHURCH
On almost a daily basis, the office at Lighthouse Trails Publishing receives phones calls from believers who tell us they cannot find a church to attend in their communities. Having gotten to know many of these people over the years, we can testify that these are not “church-hopping,” overly critical, mean-spirited people but rather are ones who love the Lord with all their hearts and love being part of a church body. In other words, they are not the kind of people who just go around from church to church criticizing every little thing that is wrong. On the contrary, many of them are willing to concede on some issues but not on serious matters such as some of the ones we’ve mentioned in this booklet. And after searching and praying wholeheartedly for a home church, they have come to the painful realization that there is not a church within driving distance (some are willing to drive sixty miles to church) that they can, in good conscience, attend.
If that is you and your family, you may be asking, “What do we do? We can’t find a church.” While Lighthouse Trails has always been very reluctant to advise people as to whether they should quit a church or just not go to church at all, we have offered some thoughts about this in a general sense. The reason we don’t advise specifically is because each family needs to seek the Lord in prayer and study His Word to find what His will is for their particular situation.
The following are some thoughts to consider while trying to decide what to do if you cannot find a church.
- First and foremost, parents need to protect their children. If the church you are attending or thinking of attending is promoting false teachings such as some of the ones mentioned in this booklet and your children are in Sunday School or youth group, then you are putting them in harm’s way by allowing them to be taught by teachers with false (and often spiritually dangerous) teachings week after week. Thus, in the case where children or teens are involved, we always advise, you have to do what it takes to protect your children.
- We know that some people decide to stay in a church that is going astray with the hope they can influence and help educate leadership and members. If you are able to actually do this, this can be very beneficial to the church. While we do hear stories from our readers where they have approached church leadership with their concerns and are given a green light to help bring the church up to speed on these issues, more times than not, the stories we hear are quite the opposite. What we are being told by most is that when they approach the pastor and/or the leadership with concerns, they are treated with much resistance and often contemptuously, even to the point where they are told that if they don’t like the way the church is being run, they can leave. We can’t tell you how many times we’ve heard where someone has been told to leave even after decades of faithful service and giving. So what we are saying here is this: if your church will allow you to freely share information with leadership and congregants and if the leadership will actually heed your warnings and get rid of the offending material, then it may be best to stay and help. But if you are being told that you can stay as long as you keep quiet, you may really need to seek the Lord as to whether this is what He would want you to do.
- If your decision has been affected by point one and two, then you are most likely now without a home church. It can cause an overwhelming sense of loss if you suddenly don’t have a church to attend. But remember, you have the Lord, and you have His Word. You are not alone. Here are a few practical ideas to help you:
1. For Teachings/Sermons: If you have Internet access, search out a few good livestream services that you can watch on Sunday mornings. If you don’t have Internet access, find out if a reputable ministry has a sermon lending library (in the form of DVDs or CDs).
2. For Fellowship: Pray and ask the Lord to bring you into contact with likeminded Christians living in your area where you can meet together on a regular basis. You can use the Lighthouse Trails Facebook page or our blog to leave a comment about looking for fellowship in your region. Of course, before meeting with any stranger, choose a public place (don’t meet in any dark alleys with someone you have never met).
3. You might consider starting a “discernment” study in your home or a restaurant or library auxiliary room. You may be able to let interested folks know about it through your local newspaper with a small ad or on a local community Facebook page.
4. If it is just your spouse or family (or a couple families), you can come together for a home “church” service (“where two or three are gathered . . . there am I in the midst”—Matthew 18:20). Pick up a few used hymnals from a local thrift store or the Internet that you can use for your worship time; you can watch a sermon online and spend time in the Word, in prayer, and in fellowship.
We have seen some pastors and church leaders turn Hebrews 10:25 (where we are exhorted not to “forsake the assembling of ourselves”) into the “eleventh commandment,” insisting that Christians attend a church no matter what. But can you imagine the apostle Paul sitting week after week listening to false teachings and saying nothing? Why do we think he was persecuted so much? It was for speaking truth. It’s interesting to note that in verse 23 preceding that verse, it says that we are to “hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering.” That’s a strong exhortation. While not having a church to belong to is not the ideal situation, we are living in a time of great spiritual delusion described in the Bible. In our human nature, it feels “safe” to be in a large group surrounded by others, but in comparison to the two-thousand-year history of the true church, what we have in North America today with an abundance of churches is not the norm. The norm for the church has been persecution, isolation, imprisonment, and believers secretly meeting in homes or elsewhere. Just read Georgi Vin’s book The Gospel in Bonds to see this.
It seems we are quickly approaching a time in North America (and throughout the western world) where it will not only be unpopular to be a Bible-believing Christian, it will be illegal. Meanwhile, an apostate “Christianity” is gathering momentum where the foundations are being destroyed while outwardly everything may appear to be normal.
In closing this part, keep in mind that God intended the church to be a place for building up the body of Christ and not for tearing it down. You are not alone if you are at a loss for good fellowship. In this booklet, we have offered some practical advice on how to find it, but in our day, we must each seek the Lord in how we can best do that.
Part 3: A SMALL FRACTION OF LETTERS WE’VE RECEIVED FROM THOSE SEARCHING FOR A CHURCH
Reading Through the Bible Helped Us to Spot False Teachings
A couple years ago, my husband and I saw some red flags in the church we were attending, so we decided to try a new church. We had been reading through the Bible and studying, and that was the only way we were able to see the false teachings being taught in a lot of churches. Now we have seen everything from Preterism to mystical-type teaching, some Roman Catholicism, and more! Satan is really targeting the church right now in these last days!
Only a Few Aware
My husband and I recently left our little country church. The pastor there is practicing “Spiritual Formation.” He began as a co-pastor, but when the other pastor had to resign due to health reasons, it became evident something wasn’t quite right ever since the co-pastor assumed the position of lead pastor.
On the surface, everything seemed OK, but then we noticed some of the deacons resigned and left the church. Some of these folks were friends, whom we had been in Bible studies with, small groups, etc. At first, we thought they left because the pastor left. But there was something else we just couldn’t put our finger on. . . . Attendance was continuing to dwindle; we started to make some phone calls to the deacons who resigned. As our calls were returned one by one, the common thread was the pastor wanted them to read a book by Ruth Haley Barton [a highly influential contemplative/New Age sympathizing figure]. . . .
We have been searching for another church in our area. Now that we are on our toes and know what to look for, it has become quite difficult to find a good church home. . . . Knowing what we know now about SF and emergent, contemplative, etc., it has proven difficult to settle down anywhere. It’s like choosing the lesser of the evils. One multi-site church is seeker sensitive and Purpose Driven and offers Karate and Yoga. In the other community church, in the next county over, you are in a rock concert during worship, the lights turned down, and the band on the stage singing “to” you not with you.
Anyway, that’s where we are at. I was thinking and praying about doing a Bible study on the emergent church and SF and contemplative. Folks in our area have not heard of this. We didn’t until six months ago, and it’s been a revelation. There is only a few of us here who are aware of this movement slithering into our local churches.
Religious Correctness in the Churches
Our Christian churches are being strongly influenced by what I call Religious Correctness. It is similar to Political Correctness. If you question anything, you are told to sit down and shut up. Do not rock the boat.
I am a former Roman Catholic who now knows and loves Jesus Christ. In Sunday school class at my church, when I questioned Mother Teresa, and I also brought up some of the anti-biblical practices of the RCC, I was told that I could either keep quiet or leave.
Besides that, last Sunday’s sermon at that same church was all about getting more of the un-churched in our community to come to church. Nothing about a sinner’s need for a Savior was even mentioned.
Instead of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ, a church is now supposed to be run like a business. Growth is the most important thing. Thankfully, the Lord has already led me to a strong Bible-believing church.
Asking for Answers at Church, But Ignored
My nondenominational home church started making changes, mostly subtle, a tad unusual, but nothing overtly alarming or distressing. For example, they started reading from The Book of Common Prayer. Popular authors like John Ortberg and Gary Thomas were taught, and since they sounded good and got the stamp of approval from our leaders, we followed along. Here’s a surprising change, coming from a nondenominational church with missionary denominational roots: they started practicing Lent and even had an Ash Wednesday service. . . . It was justified with “our church fathers did it, so we will.” Naively, a friend and I decided that reasoning was fine. I was heavily pregnant with my second child that evening. As they were calling people up to get ashes on their forehead, pew by pew, I was having contractions. When they were just a few pews away, we had to leave due to my contractions. . . .
Sober and grieving, we had to address the issues at my church. We penned a letter to all the pastors, buying and sharing informational books on this movement, and asking for answers. We were ignored. A year later, a respected person there raised concerns about us, and then we were called. That meeting with the senior and another pastor revealed that the senior pastor did breath prayers (mystical prayer), and their pride was palpable. It was our second blow dealt by leaders we had loved and trusted.
We fully believe that if you are wondering for yourself if you are being called to take a stand against this apostasy, just humbly ask the Lord for wisdom. Humility is essential here. Yet this stand we are proposing is no small task. In Matthew 10, the Lord warns that He did not come to bring peace but a sword, dividing people from those whom they love most dearly for His namesake. Everything and everyone must be laid down at the altar; we can hold nothing back. Personally, we cannot count the relationships that have been lost or damaged due to our stand, nor can we express the personal toll this has taken on us. But by God’s grace, we endeavor to surrender all. Jesus is worth it!
Church Pastors Knew Exactly What They Were Doing!
A few years ago a friend at my church came up to me looking quite disturbed and said, “Can you believe our church is teaching contemplative prayer?”
I just looked at her in shock and asked, “What’s wrong with contemplating and praying?”
She said, “No, no, no! You don’t get it—it’s not that—it’s Contemplative Prayer!”
I asked again, incredulously this time, “What’s wrong with contemplating and praying? I don’t have a problem with that—at all.”
She said, “You don’t get it—but I’ll bring you a book next week that will explain it.” And she brought Ray Yungen’s, A Time of Departing.
It helps to have an open mind. If a Christian brother or sister tells you they have something they want you to consider—at least be willing to consider it. I started the book with an open mind and was quickly engrossed by it. It very methodically and logically lays out the case against contemplative prayer/spirituality/meditation. By the end of the book, I realized what our church was doing was really dangerous and completely unbiblical. It’s a prominent well-known megachurch in New York City where I had heard the pastor speak out against eastern/mystical meditation from the pulpit so I naively thought he must not be aware that the church was promoting it in several of its weekend classes.
After reading Yungen’s book and doing a little further study, I had the information I needed to go to the leadership of the church to warn them what they were getting into. I say naively, because as it turns out, they knew exactly what they were doing, and they had every intention of continuing it. They knew it was unbiblical, but they didn’t care. And that’s all I needed to know to make my decision whether to stay or leave the church. I decided to depart. It truly was a time of departing for me!
Staying in or Leaving a Church . . .
We want to be in a strong local church, sure. But if we find ourselves in an unfortunate place, we can also step up there and try to influence people back toward truth. I don’t claim to know where the line is, exactly, on when to leave such a place. But it would be good to self-evaluate and make sure we’re not cowardly slipping away merely to avoid awkward conversations. Part of a believer’s role is to help others stay true and grow.
Spiritual Formation Infiltrating So Many Churches
Spiritual formation has been of particular interest to me as I’ve watched its infiltration into nearly every church here in the Albuquerque area. It is so difficult to explain this deception to friends who are being introduced to it in their churches and para-church organizations. Near the end of the Covid scare, I was blessed to find a small Bible church with a pastor who is well aware of the dangers of spiritual formation.
Also, the search engine on your website has been extremely helpful in keeping up with emerging trends and finding great articles from other discernment ministries. May you have courage and strength for the good fight until He comes for us.
Many Churches Destroyed
The Purpose Driven Life teaching with its rock-like music bands has destroyed many churches in our area. It has become difficult to find a God-honoring, truth-preaching congregation. After different tries, we now look for truth-preaching pastors on TV. We do miss the fellowship with other believers.
One of the “Better” Churches
At one of the “better” churches in our area (the pastor still preaches straight from the Bible, speaking the truth in love), the pastor has also unfortunately been promoting Sozo, a new counseling method popularized by Bethel Church of Redding, CA, which has been engaging in problematic practices for some time. That local church also promotes “word of faith” teachers. I attended a Bible study there with a friend, and one of the leading women of the church was actively involved in reading Jesus Calling every day. It is very sad and very concerning to see “strong” Christians falling for these things.
We Thought We Were Safe
We left a moderate Baptist Church in Raleigh because of the emergent teaching. Thank the Lord, a number of families left because once we connected the dots, we left. We were all rather shaken that this extreme theology could be right under our noses and we didn’t recognize it.
So, my husband and I found a conservative church with their statement of faith reflecting the five fundamentals of the faith. We thought we were safe, but we still met with the pastor and his wife to be on the safe side. We discussed our previous experience, gave the minister books and materials from the Lighthouse Trails website, and we were assured he would not tolerate emergent.
An assistant pastor, with the approval of the senior pastor, showed Jeff Bethke’s film, and he quoted [Catholic panentheist priest] Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (what is a Baptist pastor doing quoting him!). I just assumed he was ignorant, and perhaps he was. But I documented the dangers of these two people and gave it to him. No follow-up desired. At this point, I’d be flipping out if I was a pastor reading this information. But, no response to me. Then, a Sunday-school teacher was allowed to introduce Bill Hybels and his teaching. Then 1,000 Gifts [by Ann Voskamp] is allowed to be taught to the women. I documented in detail the dangers, the leaven, being brought into the church. I left it with the pastor and his wife.
Then a familiar call comes to our home (this is our second church dealing with this) from the pastor basically telling me to stop it. Asking the pastor if he had a problem with 1,000 Gifts, he said 90 percent was solid and 10 percent questionable. I replied that since when do we as Christians put percentages on allowable heresy. I said, “I don’t mind if this book is taught as long as you also use this as a teaching time to warn about emergent and panentheism and all of its authors she references.” Deaf ears. Then I find out the Bible study leader for the women loves Jesus Calling and 1,000 Gifts. Where is the discernment? The pastors are not guarding their flock. We are sick at heart. This pastor said he reviewed Lighthouse Trails and had problems with you all.
Wish Pastors Would Be Honest
If the “new spirituality, soul care, contemplative prayer” are a gauge of what is happening, it seems like it is blossoming in leaps and bounds in the world. But what concerns me is that, often one would be able to attend our church and hear a magnificent, passionate sermon, and many of the sermons that are preached are such that they just couldn’t get any better. But then we hear of someone like Ruth Haley Barton’s series of Bible studies being held at the church. Occasionally, we hear of names of authors whose writings seem questionable, being mentioned in sermons, and there is little mention of the return of Christ anymore. And the word “sin” is hardly ever mentioned. The church does a lot of good things for suffering people in various parts of the world, and I sincerely believe that many of the people attending have never even heard of this new spirituality.
What I truly wish is that if the pastor/pastors are striving to guide the church in the direction of the new spirituality, that he/they would come out and tell us and be honest about their intentions. I sincerely think they should be more truthful, but possibly they fear division in the church. And so it goes on—a slow trend to the new!
I don’t attend the church anymore, but I am very concerned for my children and grandchildren. I tell them what I sincerely think is happening, and after hearing it several times, I think that young people believe that we “old folks” are of another generation and that they now know a new and better way. Am I alone in my thoughts?
Churchless in the Church
A while back, I sent either links or material to those who, in increasing numbers, find themselves in churches where they are no longer welcome, be they founding or sustaining members, or new arrivals seeking a place to worship and share with like-minded believers. Some stories detail how people were actually booted out of churches they helped start and financially support. Many, like us, had horrible experiences and had no choice but to leave.
. . . I think it’s important that folks understand they are not alone and that in a growing number of cases, it’s not the fault of the departing believer but the pastor and church. Just because someone is churchless doesn’t mean it’s their fault; yet we’ve heard countless preachers issue stern mandates that Christians absolutely must be churched.
My wife and I thank the Lord regularly for our both having obtained a solid foundation in God’s Word at Bible school and are also grateful for bringing us together in unusual circumstances; but almost every married couple’s meeting-story is unusual! It’s literally just the two of us and the Lord. We have the idea that we’re a rather rare situation and that most other people have more, if not much more, social exposure than we do, but that assumption could be wrong.
The Spirit of Truth
I’ll be 75 soon and was genuinely “born again” about 43 years ago. I knew next to nothing about churches, denominations, cults, etc. but was immediately thrust into the “morass” of modern-day professing Christianity. Over the years, I’ve attended many churches across denominational (and cultic) lines and felt like I was put through a wringer. But the Lord was with me every step of the way, teaching me by experience church after church. I remember thinking “What’s wrong with me? Am I so self-righteous and judgmental . . . am I the problem? All this time I was reading my Bible, Genesis through Revelation, daily, year after year, and I began discovering that “the Spirit of truth” really will “guide you into all truth” (John 16:13) when you search through the word of truth (John 17:17).
Slowly, year after year, and church after church, I was learning how to discern truth from error and discard all of the seeker friendly, Purpose Driven, Calvinistic, hyper-charismatic, emergent, New Age, and cultic nonsense. My own experience has been that there are still good churches out there, but they are few and hard to find.
Church at Home—He Is With Us
Like many of you, my husband and I read God’s Word together at home as we pray for His direction in these end times. This is our eighth year to be reading the Bible through together. We would be so happy to be part of a biblical Christian group, but in our searching since leaving the church we were members of for years because of false teaching infiltrating our assembly, we have not been able to find a church that is not compromised.
I am thankful that as we gather in Jesus’ name to read God’s Word and to worship Him in spirit and in truth, He is there in the midst of us.
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Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. (Colossians 2:8)
Editor’s Note: If you would like to share your experience in trying to find a biblically based church, please feel free to write to us. We will share your letter with our readers (without using your full name). We hope this booklet has been some help to you in your own situation.
*Lighthouse Trails has a large archive of printed materials and online materials that address all of these “isms.” Our search engines can help you find those important writings.
