A Christ Centered church
What to Look for in a Biblical, Christ Centered Church
When searching for a church home, it's easy to focus on the wrong things. We look at worship style, program offerings, building aesthetics, or whether the service fits conveniently into our schedule. But what if we're asking the wrong questions? What if, instead of asking "What kind of church works best for me?" we should be asking, "What has God done, and what is He building?"
The church is not a consumer product to assess or a weekly event to attend. It is something far more profound, a redeemed people, a united household, a holy dwelling place, and a royal witness. Understanding what the church truly is will transform how you evaluate where to belong.
The Church Is a Redeemed People
Ephesians 2:11-13 reminds us: "Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh... were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ."
Before anything else, the church is a people rescued by God. We were once far off—separated, alienated, hopeless, and without God. That's not a minor detail; it's devastating. But then comes the glorious turn: "But now in Christ Jesus..."
Everything changes with those words. We were brought near not because we figured it out, cleaned ourselves up, or earned our way in. We were brought near by the blood of Christ. This is redemption language. This is covenant language. This is grace.
What This Means for Church Search
When looking for a church, don't start with preferences. Start with this: Is this a place where the gospel of grace is central? Does this church understand that we don't enter by preference, but by grace? Does it preach that no one can boast, that we all stand the same way—once far off, now brought near by Christ alone?
A biblical church is built on shared redemption, not shared tastes. It's held together by Christ's blood, not by common backgrounds or personalities. If a church treats the gospel as assumed or secondary, keep looking.
The Church Is a United Household
Ephesians 2:14-19 declares: "For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility... that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace."
Christ didn't just save individuals—He did something far more revolutionary. He made one new man. He tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In the Jerusalem temple, there was a literal stone barrier separating Gentiles from the inner courts, marked with warnings: Cross this line, and you will die. That wall symbolized and enforced separation—insider and outsider, clean and unclean, near and far.
But Christ didn't step around the wall or negotiate access through it. He destroyed it. In His flesh, at the cost of His body, His blood, His life, that wall came down. When He cried, "It is finished," the hostility and separation were finished too.
What This Means for Church Search
Look for a church that reflects this unity. Does this church welcome people from different backgrounds, ages, and life stages? Is there evidence that the gospel has broken down walls of hostility—racial, economic, generational? Or does the church cater to one demographic, one style, one "type" of person?
A biblical church cannot be built on separation, superiority, exclusion, class, intellect, or appearance. The wall that defined "us versus them" has been destroyed by Christ. If a church mirrors the world's divisions rather than the gospel's unity, it's missing something essential.
Ephesians 2:19 says: "So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God."
The church is a household, a family. This means relationship matters. Accountability matters. Love, grace, mercy, and patience matter. You can't have a household without commitment. You can't have a family without responsibility. You can't belong without being connected.
Ask yourself: Does this church treat me as a family member or as a customer? Does it call me to commitment, or does it simply offer services? Christ didn't shed His blood for a weekly event. He created a family.
The Church Is a Holy Dwelling Place
Ephesians 2:20-22 tells us: "Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit."
God is not just collecting individual bricks. He is joining something together. Different stories, different backgrounds, being fit together by His design, not by our preference. And why? So that we become a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
In the Old Testament, God dwelt in the temple. In the Gospels, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Now, in the New Covenant, God dwells in His people. The church is not a place where God sometimes shows up. It's where God chooses to dwell.
What This Means for Church Search
Look for a church built on the foundation of God's Word. Is the preaching rooted in Scripture? Is the teaching faithful to the apostles and prophets? Does Christ remain the cornerstone, the one who determines everything, or has He been reduced to a supplement?
A church without this foundation is not a church, no matter how full, sincere, active, or impressive it may be. If the Word is sidelined, if Christ is distorted or diminished, the whole structure collapses.
Also, ask: Does this church take corporate worship seriously? Does it understand that what happens when God's people gather matters? Showing up matters. Everyday faithfulness matters. Bearing one another's burdens matters. Loving one another in weakness matters.
God is building a dwelling place for His glory. If a church treats worship as a performance or attendance as optional, it has missed the point.
The Church Is a Royal Witness
1 Peter 2:9-10 proclaims: "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."
God saves a people so that His glory might be seen, His gospel proclaimed, and His grace displayed. We are not saved out of the world; we are saved for the world. The church is a visible, unified people and a corporate witness.
This is why the church matters. The world doesn't just need individual Christians scattered and isolated. It needs the church, people who belong to God, who love one another, and who proclaim Christ.
What This Means for Church Search
Look for a church that understands its mission. Does this church exist for itself, or does it exist to proclaim the excellencies of Christ? Is there a heart for the lost? Is there a commitment to making disciples? Does the church see itself as a witness to God's grace?
A biblical church knows it is chosen, royal, holy, and His. It knows it is not its own. It belongs to Christ, and it exists for His glory.
A Gentle Correction: What Feels Like Being Slowed Down Might Be the Work God Has Given You
Some people say, "I don't want to waste my time on fluff. These people are just going to slow me down." That desire for depth is not wrong, it's actually quite right. But here's the question God would press upon us: Who gets to decide what truly matters?
In Scripture, the things God calls essential are rarely fast. Moses was 80 when God called him. Israel wandered 40 years in the desert. From the first announcement of the Messiah in Genesis 3:15 to the birth of Jesus was approximately 4,000 years. It's been almost 2,000 years since the resurrection.
God's work is often done in unimpressive ways: sitting under the preached Word with God's people, gathering week after week even when it's difficult, bearing with one another, being formed together over time, not just being informed.
What feels like being slowed down might actually be the very work God has given us to do. The people we think are slowing us down may be the very people God intends us to help speed up. That's not a distraction from spiritual growth, that is spiritual growth.
Jesus walked with His disciples, loved them, and met them where they were. That's grace. And that's how God still works in the church today.
What Is the Church?
The church is:
A redeemed people brought near by the blood of Christ
A united household reconciled through the cross
A holy dwelling place where God Himself lives by His Spirit
A royal witness proclaiming His excellencies
The church didn't begin with us. It's not built on our preferences, and it does not exist for our comfort. The church exists because Christ died, Christ rose, and Christ reigns. And because He reigns, He is gathering a people for His glory.
Reflection Questions:
Do I relate to the church mainly as a place I attend or as a people to whom I belong?
Am I looking for a church that fits my preferences, or am I looking for a church where the gospel of grace is central?
Does the church I'm considering reflect the unity Christ purchased with His blood?
Is this church built on the foundation of God's Word, with Christ as the cornerstone?
Does this church understand that it exists to proclaim the excellencies of Christ?
Take This With You
The church is not a place we just come to. The church is a family we belong to because we belong to Christ.
When you're looking for a church, don't settle for good music, convenient times, or relatable preaching. Look for a place where the gospel is preached, where Christ is exalted, where the Word is foundational, where unity is pursued, and where God's people are being built together into a dwelling place for His glory.
Because that's what the church is. And that's why the church matters.
At Summit Lake Community Church, we are committed to being a biblical, Jesus-centered church, a redeemed people, a united household, a holy dwelling place, and a royal witness. If you're searching for a church home in Southwest Colorado, we'd love to meet you. Join us for Sunday worship at 10:30am, and discover what it means to belong to the family of God.