The Perfect Church

Is Your Church Perfect?

Do you attend the perfect church?

The music is biblical. The preaching is on fire every week. Teaching is solid at every level, no matter where you are in your walk. The pastor is always available, ready to meet with you and answer your questions with wisdom. The pews are comfortable, the temperature just right. The children are perfectly behaved, and the youth group has never even heard of rebellion. And best of all—there are more than enough volunteers for every single project.

If that sounds like your church… I invite you to look closer.

No, go closer. Take a long, honest look. Is your church really perfect?

In Revelation, John writes about seven churches, each unique—and none of them perfect. So, where does your church fit?

• Maybe it’s like Ephesus, standing firm against false teachers, but losing sight of its first love.

• Or Smyrna, faithful through trial and persecution.

• Perhaps it’s like Pergamum, letting just a little compromise sneak in—a little bit won’t hurt, right?

• Or Thyatira, where compromise has grown into full acceptance.

• Could it be like Sardis, having the reputation of life but spiritually asleep?

• Maybe it resembles Laodicea, lukewarm, comfortably indifferent to truth and holiness.

• Or, prayerfully, your church is like Philadelphia—steadfast, true, enduring in the face of opposition.

Most churches are a mix of these. Many go through seasons, shifting from one to another over time. So what’s the most important thing we can do for our church?

Okay, that was a slow pitch, right over the plate:

Pray!

• Pray for your pastor—he is on the front lines.

• Pray for the leadership team, navigating with discernment.

• Pray for the person beside you in the pew, for their faith, their burdens, their walk with Christ.

One of my former churches had an amazing prayer chain. When someone had a need—or a praise—it took minutes, maybe hours, before people were already lifting them up before God. They didn’t have to wait days for a formal team. That’s what the Body of Christ is supposed to look like.

If you haven’t read Revelation 2–3 recently, go back and do it—it’s only 51 verses. This time, read it personally. We are the church. Where do you fit? Have you allowed false teachings or worldly compromise into your life?

Go ahead… I’ll wait.

And now I’ll ask again:

What’s the most important thing?

Prayer.

We need to pray for one another. We need to pray for ourselves. We need to repent, rejoice, praise, forgive, petition, thank, love, and adore our Holy and merciful God.

Don’t chase the “perfect church.” It doesn’t exist. But you can find a church with faithful, expository teaching and a desire to follow Jesus. Like the Bereans in Acts 17, search the Scriptures daily to test what you hear. Tradition, dogma, even doctrine—these aren’t always the same as truth. If you have questions, go to your church leadership and ask! A healthy church welcomes truth-seekers.

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Prayer

Heavenly Father,
Thank You for the gift of prayer, for the invitation to come boldly before Your throne of grace.
Help us remember that there is only one Church, and You alone are its head.
Guide each person reading this to the place where You want them to serve.
Give us peace as we worship together, and eyes to see where we can help correct errors in our churches.
Grant us extra grace and discernment as we speak with the leaders You’ve appointed.
Jesus, we love You.

Amen.