The first question is what is a church? All sorts of groups claim to be Christian churches: Mormons, Roman Catholics, Baptists, Joe’s community church on the corner, etc. How do you differentiate a true church from a false church, otherwise known as a sect?
The Bible explains that true churches have three marks, or defining characteristics: they preach true Gospel, they administer the sacraments according to Bible, and they lovingly discipline their members who neglect, or attempt to corrupt, either of the two.
The best way to evaluate whether a group is a true church is to read their confessions, such as the documents stating our faith. Spread out various groups’ confessions and see which most closely match biblical teaching.
Some groups have confessions but no longer subscribe to them, that is they retain them for their historical value as relics of what they once believed; other groups have no confessions or broad “statements†that fail to specify what they believe about the issues of great importance in the Bible. Neither of those options is helpful in making a decision and groups refusing to state what they currently believe or doing so in a vague and nebulous way that passes over crucial biblical teachings should be passed over.
For a directory of URC churches and plants, please CLICK HERE.
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