How to choose a church: questions to ask

By ChurchCompass

Choosing a church comes down to four things: what it believes, how it worships, how it helps people connect and grow, and whether it fits your week (place, time, children, access). Read the church's own website first. Then visit more than once and ask a few direct questions. There's no single right answer. The questions below are here to help you decide for yourself, not to steer you toward any tradition.

1. What does the church believe?

Start here, because everything else grows out of it.

Find the beliefs page. Look for a page called "What We Believe", "Our Beliefs" or "Statement of Faith". Some point to their denomination's creeds or confessions instead.
Read it in their words. Each full ChurchCompass profile quotes the church's own What We Believe text and links to the page it came from.
Ask what is central. Who do they say Jesus is? What do they say about salvation? What role does the Bible play?

Questions to ask:

"Where can I read what you believe?"
"Do you belong to a denomination or network? Which creeds or confessions do you follow?"
"How do you talk about Jesus and the gospel to someone new to faith?"

On ChurchCompass, the Transparency rating describes how easy it is to find what a church believes on its website. Core Orthodoxy looks at whether its public statements affirm the Trinity, the deity of Christ and the resurrection. Gospel Clarity looks at how clearly its website explains its own message about Jesus and salvation, in its own words and tradition. These are draft assessments of what a website says. They are not a verdict on a church. See How ratings work.

2. How does it worship?

Worship style is a matter of taste. ChurchCompass doesn't score it, and no style is better than another.¹ Still, it helps to know what you're looking for:

Liturgical: a set order of prayers and readings shared across a tradition.
Traditional: hymns, often with organ and choir.
Contemporary: newer songs, often with a band.
Blended: some of each.

Contemporary, traditional, liturgical: worship styles explained goes through each one with local examples.

Questions to ask:

"What is a typical Sunday service like, and how long is it?"
"If there's more than one service, how are they different?"
"How often do you share Communion, and who may receive it?"

3. How is the Bible taught?

Are sermons posted online, so you can listen before you visit?
Is there a Bible study or class you could join?
Does the church say how it understands the Bible's authority?

ChurchCompass's Scripture & Teaching rating describes the role of the Bible and access to teaching as shown on the church's website: a statement about the Bible, posted sermons and listed studies or classes.

4. Can you connect with people?

A church is people, not just a Sunday service, so it's worth asking how you'd get to know them.

Is there a newcomer page that tells you what to expect?
Are there small groups, classes or ministries for your stage of life?
Is there coffee or a meal after the service where you can meet people?

Welcome & Community looks at whether the website has a new-visitor page, information about groups, and accessibility details. On ChurchCompass, 79 of the 130 full profiles share first-visit details from the church's own site.

5. Is there a path to grow?

How does someone become a member, get baptized, or take the next step in that church's tradition?
Is there a class for people exploring the faith or new to the church?
Are there ways to serve?

110 of the 130 full profiles list next steps like these. Discipleship Path describes how clearly the website lays them out.

6. Does it fit your week?

Practical things matter, too. They often decide whether you keep going.

Distance and time. Can you get there easily each week? ChurchCompass sorts churches by distance from your ZIP code.
Children. 101 of the 130 full profiles include something about children, such as a nursery, Sunday school or youth group.
Accessibility. 29 full profiles include accessibility details from the church's website, such as ramped entrances or hearing-assistance devices. If you need something specific, ask before you go.
Language. If you'd like worship in a language other than English, ask. For example, Living Hope Baptist Church in Crum Lynne describes a Ukrainian/Russian-language service with live English translation.

7. Visit, and visit again

One visit rarely tells you enough. Try to go two or three times, and if you can, stay afterward and chat with people.

Questions to ask in person:

"What would you want a newcomer to know about this church?"
"How do people get to know each other here?"
"Who can I talk to if I have questions about what you believe?"

Grace Lutheran Church in Broomall puts it this way: "No matter where you are on your journey, you are welcome here."² Many churches say something similar. The only way to know how it feels is to go.

Your first time at church: what to expect covers the visit itself.

What the Bible says

The New Testament doesn't give a checklist for picking a congregation, but it does describe what the first churches did together. Read both passages in full and in context:

Acts 2:42. Luke is writing a historical narrative. After Peter's sermon announcing that God raised Jesus and made him "both Lord and Messiah" (Acts 2:36), Peter called his hearers to repent and be baptized, with the promise of the gift of the Holy Spirit (2:38), and about three thousand were baptized (2:41). Then, Luke says, "All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer."³ It describes the new church centered on Jesus: learning the apostles' teaching, sharing life together, sharing in meals (including the Lord's Supper), and praying.
Hebrews 10:24–25. This is a letter. The writer has just said that believers can draw near to God through Jesus' sacrifice and should hold fast to their hope (10:19–23). Then the writer urges them, "Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together".⁴ Meeting together is meant for encouraging one another, not only for attending.

Read plainly, these passages suggest some questions you can bring to any church: Is Jesus at the center? Is the Bible taught? Can I share life with people here? Do people pray together?

Christians read some details differently. They disagree about how far descriptions of the early church set a pattern for churches today. The plain sense of both passages, though, is that following Jesus is something believers do together.

This is a starting point, not the last word. Read Acts 2 and Hebrews 10 for yourself, and ask the church you visit how it understands them.

Keep reading

ChurchCompass, How ratings work: "Worship style is not scored. Style is a matter of taste, so no style is rated better than another." ↩
Grace Lutheran Church, Broomall: home page. ↩
Acts 2:42, Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT). Context: Acts 2:36–47. ↩
Hebrews 10:24–25, Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT). Context: Hebrews 10:19–25. ↩

Information as of Nov 1, 2026.