Ten Questions:

Introduction: this letter was written in an attempt to find a local church in an area I had just moved to. I sent it out as email to a variety of local pastors; their responses are after the letter. All the responses have not been edited. 

Dear pastor/elder,  I am looking for the local body of Christ...

I am aware that the body of Christ is not wrapped up in a particular group or sect, that calls themselves ‘the church’, but that the Body is scattered abroad, and is doing the will of the Father through the work of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I feel dismayed and discouraged by the current condition of what is so frequently called or looked upon as ‘the church’; it seems to be consumed by the gods of this world. My passion and desire is to find believers who are committed to the Scriptures, who also strive to abstain from the things of this world, thus bearing the fruits of righteousness, through the power of Christ. I understand that we, as believers, have sin and will most likely continue to sin in some form as long as we remain on this earth; but, through the work of Christ we daily walk towards holiness, fleeing temptation.

My family and I live in the Sacramento metropolitan area; we are looking for a fellowship to become a part of. I am interested in your opinion, and wonder if you will give a few minutes of your time to answer a few of my questions. May the God of all creation give you wisdom.

1. Do you teach and preach from the Bible?

2. Do you believe that Jesus is Lord?

3. Do you currently have a men’s bible study that meets once a week?

4. Do you publicly preach out on the streets on a regular basis?

5. Do you have a passion for the gospel of Christ?

6. Do you think that it is our responsibility to preach the gospel?

7. Is the preaching the gospel of Christ exclusively for those who are ‘evangelists’?

8. Do you preach topically, verse by verse or both?

9. What passion has God put in your heart for His people?

10. What percentage of ministry, from 1-100, does your church fit into?

As Paul commended the Bereans for testing everything he said  with Scriptures, I likewise feel in the same position as the Bereans. I am not a pastor, nor an elder in any fellowship. If God has not led you to answer my questionnaire, please feel free to tell me why, but I do hope as a brother and fellow worker in Christ that I would be granted the respect of a response.

Thank you,

Steven

We encourage you to email the author to prove or disprove, from the Scriptures, the intent, meaning, purpose or doctrine of this piece. email Steven

Note: The above letter was sent out as an email to approximately 50 congregations in the Sacramento, CA area, with the intent to find a place to fellowship. The replies to said email are found by following the link below marked 'pastoral responses'.  I will post more responses as they come in. If you, likewise, live in a city where you are trying to locate a good congregation and would like to send out something similar to this letter to the pastors, feel free to contact me with the responses you get and I'll post them along with the original letter you sent. 

My response to the replies I received to the above ten questions: Pastoral Responses