Finding a church where you can grow in your faith, serve God, and enjoy fellowship with other believers is a very good thing. Look for a church that teaches directly and only from the Holy Bible. In my opinion, those who teach verse by verse (expository), digging into the depths of the scriptures, are the best. A church that covers the fundamentals of the Gospel – the unrighteousness of mankind, the deity of Jesus, his atonement for our sins, his resurrection, and that faith in him alone brings salvation – is where you want to be.

Many churches teach what the Bible says and uphold sound doctrine, but in organized religion today, there is also a morass of error, deception, and crazy stuff. Here are signs of places you might want to avoid. The following teachings are red flags that something is wrong:

• Jesus is not God; he is a created being.
• There are more gods than the one God of the Bible.
• That you can become a God.
• You are good, and God loves you just the way you are.
• God wants you happy, healthy, and wealthy.
• Prayer to or the worship of dead people.
• You must give the church your money.
• Your salvation is dependent on things you must do.
• There are other ways to Heaven other than faith in Jesus.
• There are revelations from God outside of the 66 books of the Holy Bible.

Some churches aim to entertain, offer emotional experiences, or provide repetitive, mechanical liturgy. Avoid these kinds of churches that have missed the point, and also run from a church where the clergy enjoys luxury cars or private aircraft. Human religion often ends in death, so find a church that prioritizes preaching the truth from God’s Word above all else.

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. ^{2nd Timothy 4:3-4}