Spiritual abuse, false teaching, and doctrinal error are not exclusive to a specific movement or religious belief system. Having said that, when coming out of what is termed the New Apostolic Reformation movement, finding a Biblically sound church can be daunting and intimidating. There are some people who are reluctant to attend a local church again because of previous personal experiences with church leadership. Spiritual abuse and emotional manipulation can take a toll on the ability to trust another pastor or teacher, let alone ourselves in finding a place to attend. The demolition of unbiblical teaching and the realization of personal Biblical illiteracy takes time and can be difficult, though not impossible. There can be guilt and shame involved when coming out of false teaching and an unhealthy church because of the personal responsibility one faces in not testing things diligently in accordance with Scripture. I say that not to cast guilt or shame. These are simply some of the emotions and thoughts one grapples with when coming out this movement.

For those coming out of this movement, the million-dollar question is, where do I begin in finding a sound church? When so much is called into question so quickly, it can be overwhelming to consider this question. A sense of feeling lost is possible and even normal when detoxing and trying to make sense of things post NAR. Personally, that emotion was all too real after exiting all I had ever known for almost two decades of my life. Even after leaving, there was a great personal struggle in finding a solid church where some of the tentacles from this movement had not latched on to some area of the church. In trying to find a local church for our family, there were a number of times I sat in our vehicle following a service, tears streaming down my face in frustration and sadness, expressing exhaustion from all too familiar experiences and spiritual starvation due to narcigesis. The “more” I now wanted was solid Biblical teaching and to know God more through His written Word.

When discussing this movement, many of us are well acquainted with unhealthy church practices, ranging from modern-day apostles with disdain for questioning and being spiritually diagnosed with a plethora of demons to an emphasis on signs and wonders as evidence of the full gospel. The misinterpretation and misappropriation of Scripture is a major concern, and mixture of other beliefs, such as Word of Faith and the prosperity gospel results in much pride and entitlement. Classes of Christians are created as people make distinctions between “Spirit filled churches” and “Spirit filled believers”. Those who do not oppose this next great move of God are said to have the Spirit of God while those who would dare question a self-appointed apostle or prophet are labeled as Pharisees and hyper critics.

People are encouraged to sow a financial seed for demonic deliverance and financial increase. “Prophets” are told to “prophesy!” the desires of carnal hearts while many people forsake the very Word God has left for us to know and to understand. In the neglect of His Word, people disobey God’s instruction and perish for a lack of knowledge. Prayers become declarations rather than petitions to God, and Satan is made to be sovereign while God is ultimately said to not be omniscient. Spiritual hoops are placed in the pasture for the sheep to jump through, with empty promises that if they “do more”, then breakthrough is right around the corner. However, another hoop waits on that corner, and the true peace of God is a mirage. Sadly, the message centers on fallen man being the savior rather than fallen man desperately needing the Savior.

Many of us know the marks of an unhealthy church, but what are some of the distinguishing characteristics of a healthy church? Your response may be, “I have no idea where to begin.” Be encouraged! This is not exhaustive, but this list provided by 9 Marks Ministries with commentary from Tim Challies may be of help.

1. Expositional Preaching

“Expositional preaching (otherwise known as expository preaching) is the investigation of a particular passage of Scripture whereby the pastor carefully explains the meaning of a passage and then applies it to the members of the congregation. The point of a sermon, then, takes the point of a particular passage. This is in opposition to the topical preaching showcased in the majority of evangelical churches, where Bible passages are woven together to support a pre-existing point.”

2. Biblical Theology

“This emphasizes not only how we are taught but also what we are taught. In a sense this should follow naturally from expository preaching because the careful exposition of a passage should lead to sound theology. The majority of poor theology arises from a lack of careful Biblical exposition. Where there is poor exposition, we should expect to eventually find poor theology.”

3. Biblical Understanding of the Good News

“There needs to be a proper understanding and necessary emphasis on the full gospel. Where many contemporary churches teach that Jesus wants to meet our felt needs and give us a healthier self-image, that is not the gospel. The gospel message is that we are sinners who have rebelled against our Creator. But Jesus took the curse that was rightfully ours and all that remains is for us to have faith in Him so God may credit Christ’s righteousness to our account. When we de-emphasize sin and damnation to make the presentation more friendly and less offensive we cease declaring the full gospel.”

4. Biblical Understanding of Conversion

“When we have a Biblical understanding of the gospel, we must then also have a proper understanding of conversion. Conversion is a new birth from death to life and is a work of God. It is not merely a change of attitude or a change of affection, but a change of nature. Conversion does not need to be an exciting, emotional experience, but does need to produce fruit to be judged a true conversion.”

5. Biblical Understanding of Evangelism

“The way we evangelize speaks volumes about how we understand conversion (and further, what we understand about the good news). If we believe that people are essentially good and are seeking Jesus, we evangelize using half truths and tend to elicit false conversions. When we present a watered-down gospel, we end up with a watered-down church. We need to be faithful to present the full gospel, the good news with the bad, and leave the results to God.”

6. Biblical Understanding of Membership

“Church membership is a privilege and a responsibility and needs to be regarded as such. People should only be members if they are dedicated to the church – in attendance, prayer, service and giving. To allow people to become and remain members for sentimental or other unbiblical reasons makes light of membership and may even be dangerous.”

7. Biblical Church Discipline

“Discipline guides church membership. The church has the responsibility to judge the life and teaching of the membership since they can negatively impact the church’s witness of the gospel. Leadership needs to be firm in discipline as this is an expression of love to the congregation.”

8. Promotion of Church Discipleship And Growth

“We need to recover true discipleship – discipleship that causes Christians to live lives of increasing holiness. The emphasis on growth needs to be directed at holiness rather than membership. True discipleship producing strong, committed Christians will present a clear witness to the world.”

9. Biblical Understand of Leadership

“Until recent times, almost all Protestants agreed that in church government there should be a plurality of elders (which means that there should be an office of elder and not merely one or more pastors in positions of leadership). This is a Biblical and practical model that has fallen out of favor in modern times.”

For those who have come out of movements such as the New Apostolic Reformation or any other teaching leading to aberrant and unbiblical teaching, this list will be a great place to begin in looking for a Biblically sound local church. As born-again believers, we are to be part of the local church gathering. We are not meant to be an island to ourselves, and sheep cannot pastor themselves. Yes, we have the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, who cares for us and leads us by His Spirit and His written Word. God has also placed human shepherds in the world to guard the flock and to provide spiritual nourishment in the preaching of the Word of God. As believers, we encourage, edify, and lovingly correct one another through our fellowship and our proper understanding of the Word of God.

If you have come out of this movement and have not found a local church to attend, do not give up hope in finding a solid church. It is not a lost cause. It may take time, but there are churches that are prioritizing the written Word of God rightly divided. There are Godly men who want to serve the body as a faithful pastor and who want to feed the sheep a diet rich in the Word of God to the glory of God. Your participation in the local assembly of a solid church will be a vital step in the healing process for you and your family. Though practices marking unhealthy churches seems rampant, the Lord is faithful to guide us to pastures where we will not spiritually starve and where He is truly exalted and glorified.

Listen to this discussion regarding the topic of healthy and unhealthy churches: The Lovesick Scribe Podcast: The Difference Between a Healthy and Unhealthy Church on Apple Podcasts