I’m so glad that, of all the religions and all the churches in the world, I grew up in the right one.” I remember thinking that in my childhood. I felt truly blessed. And I was right. I was in the United Presbyterian Church. In God’s mercy, that modest-sized congregation has remained true to God’s Word over the decades. After a while it was the only biblically sound congregation in the presbytery. Recently the congregation decided that the best route in which to remain strong and faithful to Christ was to leave that denomination.

I did wonder, though, in my teen years, what the chances were that I could really have been born into the ideal religion and church. I questioned my childlike assessment. For the most part, that questioning was healthy. God expected me to use the maturing mind He had given me, to look at His revelation and to seek to understand and apply it as a maturing young person. He was not afraid of my questions. He had answers.

Taking a job at a nondenominational publishing house drove me to think deeply about doctrine. Instead of pulling me away, it compelled me to draw nearer to my Presbyterian and Reformed roots. Both at the beginning of my time as a Reformed Presbyterian and today, I felt at home in a place where biblical doctrine and worship are upheld, and where godly fellowship and discipleship abound. Am I in the absolute best denomination and church on the planet? If I were, would I be qualified to judge a fine distinction? The Bible teaches, though, that I am qualified to judge a good and godly church. You are qualified to do the same. Don’t be like the first two people below.

••The Explorer••. This guy is on a quest for the best church on the planet. He’s been to several different denominations before yours, and he’ll be in several after yours. He might even decide that no church is good enough, so he’ll start his own or have church at home. He’ll be dismayed at your lack of interest in joining him on the quest. He’ll doubt that you really understand why you’re here. And he won’t work very long or lovingly to reform any problems he sees.

••The Nomad••. She’s the classic case of the tail wagging the dog. She doesn’t think about church until after she has moved to a new location. Then she’ll pick a congregation because it’s the closest or has the best music or nursery. She’ll start looking around if something doesn’t please her, or if she moves a few blocks away, or if she has a conflict with another member. She wouldn’t say doctrine is unimportant, but she’s content to spend her time focusing on other things. She’ll wander out, just like she wandered in.

••The Homesteader••. He is serious about finding a congregation, because he knows that it’s much like a marriage. He’s looking to find a spot from which to serve and be served for the long haul. It takes a monumental issue to sever that commitment. He understands that the best way to make his inheritance prosper is to stay. If there is a problem, he works through biblically accepted means to be the “reformed church always reforming” rather than the “reformed guy always changing churches.”