Choosing a Church 1

Where to start is continually my issue, everything I do leaves me struggling for a starting point, and therefore I procrastinate.  But I was in the shower this morning and it came to me - if I am to write about the church, it might be a good place to start with how do you pick one?
For Whatever reason: You've just become a believer, you've moved to a new area etc. etc. you are looking for a church.  What's important and what's not?
I have a feeling that this post may end up running on and on with different things to look at and why they're important, but I think I'll start with this:

THEOLOGY

Our theology is essential.  To know what we believe about God, the Bible and the Church, and why we believe it is fundamental to growing as a Christian.

So when we pick a church before how great it's worship is, before size, before social action, before anything else we must know it's theology.  Because it is out of what a church and it's leaders believe that worship, ministries, and growth flow out. 

Your desire might be to see a work among the homeless, or an amazing kids work, but even should a church not have these things yet - if that church has a strong theology, the application of their belief will be to serve these and other needs in their community as God gives them the grace to do so.

I used to be a Methodist Local Preacher, and I was regularly amazed that those in the churches I preached in had no idea what the church believed (I'm sure not every Methodist Church is like it, I can only speak for the 2 or 3 circuits in England I have preached in).  The truth was those in leadership didn't know what the Methodist Church believed.  I was told it was a very broad church, by a tutor who believed that Joseph was Jesus natural father! I was also told, should I want to, I would be rejected for candidating for ministry as I believed in Male eldership.  (Not as broad as they thought?)

To speak on doctrines such as Atonement, or Propitiation, Election would have meant little or nothing to people who struggled with concepts any larger than "God loves You".  The problem with this, is that when an issue arises, serious sin, a famous preacher saying something heretical, a collapse in faith, there is no theological training to reinforce the truth.

What do you believe about the doctrines that make churches what they are :
Church leadership
Baptism
Holy Spirit gifts
Worship
Church Discipline

Tithing & giving

Election & Predestination

If you join a church which upholds your belief about what the bible teaches, you can have a confidence that you will not find yourself in a difficult place of not being able to agree with a decision made by church leaders which you cannot follow.   This gives a great deal of security.

Of course there is always the possibilty that what I or you or your church believe could be wrong. So we also need the humility to allow God to change our theologies!