If you’ve trusted in Jesus Christ, one of the best things you can do for your soul is to join a good local church. Not just visit now and then, but belong: be known, be cared for, and serve. I’ve seen this in my own life at Antioch Bible Church. Here is why I think it matters so much, and how to find a faithful church near you.

Why attend and belong to a local church?

The New Testament never pictures a Christian on his own. From the very first days after Pentecost, believers gathered together:

They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

Acts 2:42 (NASB 1995)

And we are told plainly not to drift away from that gathering:

and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

Hebrews 10:24-25 (NASB 1995)
  • We belong to a body. “Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27, NASB 1995). In 1 Corinthians 12 Paul shows that every member is needed, and every member needs the others.
  • Christ gives shepherds and teachers to build us up. In Ephesians 4:11-16 the risen Christ gives pastors and teachers “for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12, NASB 1995), so that we grow up into maturity and aren’t tossed around by every new teaching.
  • Membership is a real commitment. Joining a church means saying, “These are my people, and I place myself under the care of these elders.” Hebrews 13:17 speaks of leaders who “keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account” (NASB 1995). That only makes sense if we know who belongs to whom.
  • Elders lead and care. Scripture calls qualified men (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9) to shepherd the flock, teach the Word, and watch over the church.
  • The ordinances. Christ gave His church two ordinances: believer’s baptism, the public sign of a person’s union with Christ, and the Lord’s Supper, where the church regularly remembers His death until He comes. Both are meant to be practised in the life of a local church.
  • Accountability and care. In a church family, people know you well enough to encourage you, pray for you, and lovingly warn you when you wander (Matthew 18:15-17; Galatians 6:1-2).

How to find a good church

No church is perfect, because every church is full of sinners saved by grace (me included). But some things matter a great deal. Here are the marks I’d look for:

  • Expository preaching. The sermon opens a passage of the Bible and explains what it means, usually working through books of the Bible verse by verse. Paul’s charge is simple: “preach the word” (2 Timothy 4:2, NASB 1995).
  • Sound doctrine. A clear statement of faith that holds to the authority and sufficiency of Scripture, the Trinity, and salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. A historic confession such as the 1689 London Baptist Confession is a great help here.
  • The gospel is clear. Sin, the cross, the resurrection, repentance and faith are preached plainly, not assumed. (If you’re unsure what that looks like, read What is the Gospel?.)
  • Elder-led. The church is shepherded by a plurality of qualified, godly elders who teach and care for the flock.
  • Meaningful membership and church discipline. The church takes membership seriously, and in love, follows Matthew 18 when a member persists in unrepentant sin.
  • Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are practised faithfully and taken seriously.
  • Love and prayer. The people genuinely care for one another, pray together, and reach out with the gospel.

My advice: read the church’s statement of faith, listen to a few sermons online, then visit for a few Sundays. Stay for tea afterwards and ask to meet one of the elders.

Like-minded churches

Below are like-minded Reformed Baptist and Bible churches I know of, grouped by region. I’ve started with my own church.

Many of these churches belong to Sola 5, an association of like-minded churches in Southern Africa. Some of the churches listed here are not members.

Gauteng

North West

KwaZulu-Natal

Mpumalanga & Limpopo

Free State

Western Cape

Rest of Africa

International

  • Congregation Kiryat Shmona – Kiryat Shmona, Israel

Church search directories

Please note: this list is my own, personal list, not an official endorsement by me, by Antioch Bible Church, or by anyone else. Churches change, so always read a church’s statement of faith and visit for yourself. If you’d like to suggest a church, please get in touch.

Posts about the church

Here are my latest posts in the Church category: