We want you to understand that when we look at the religious world today, we see thousands of churches teaching different doctrines, offering different plans of salvation, worshiping in different ways, and organizing themselves differently. That can be confusing, especially when each group claims to belong to Christ. So we want you to ask a simple question: How can you identify the church you read about in the Bible?

We begin with Jesus’ promise in Matthew 16:18: “I will build My church.” Jesus did not promise to build thousands of competing churches. Ephesians 4:4 says there is one body, and Ephesians 1 identifies that body as the church. When the gospel was preached in Acts 2, about 3,000 people obeyed it; they were added to the church. They did not choose among denominations because denominations did not exist. They simply became Christians and belonged to Christ’s church.

We believe this matters because the church is described as the bride of Christ. Jesus purchased that church with His own blood according to Acts 20:28. He built His church, and Scripture teaches that His kingdom will ultimately be delivered to the Father. If Christ gave His blood for His church, then we cannot treat one religious body as being just as good as another. You need to know that you belong to the church that belongs to Him.

So how do we identify it? We approach the question the same way we would identify a particular piece of luggage among hundreds of similar bags: we compare the identifying characteristics. If something does not match the description, we eliminate it.

First, we look at the church’s beginning. The New Testament church was established in Jerusalem in the first century, during the Roman Empire, as prophesied in Daniel 2 and Isaiah 2, and fulfilled in Acts 2. A religious organization founded centuries later, in another country, by another person, does not match that beginning.

Next, we consider its identity and founder. Scripture speaks of the church, the churches of Christ, the church of God, the body of Christ, the kingdom, and the house of God. Most importantly, its founder is not a later religious reformer or leader. Its founder is Jesus Christ. He is also its only head.

Then we examine its organization. In the New Testament, local congregations were self-governing under Christ. Qualified elders shepherded each congregation, deacons served under them, and evangelists preached the gospel. We do not find popes, denominational headquarters, governing conventions, or a system in which one preacher serves as the ruling head of a congregation.

We also compare its worship with Scripture. We find Christians praying, preaching and teaching God’s Word, partaking of the Lord’s Supper on the first day of the week, giving as they prospered, and singing praise to God. We believe Scripture is sufficient, so we do not need a human creed, catechism, confession, or religious manual to tell us what the church should believe. Our standard must be the Word of God.

Most importantly, we examine the plan of salvation. In the New Testament, people heard the gospel, believed in Jesus Christ, repented of their sins, confessed their faith, and were baptized. Jesus said, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16). On Pentecost, Peter told sinners to “repent, and let every one of you be baptized … for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). We see the same pattern repeated throughout Acts.

Because of that, we cannot substitute a later tradition for the biblical pattern. We do not find the apostles telling lost people simply to “invite Jesus into your heart,” pray a sinner’s prayer, receive infant baptism, or depend upon faith alone while rejecting baptism. We want you to respond to the gospel the way people did when the church first began.

Even the label “non-denominational” does not automatically settle the question. A congregation may reject a denominational name and still follow teachings, worship practices, organizational structures, or doctrines of salvation that originated in human religious traditions. The real question is not what a church calls itself. The question is: Does it match the New Testament pattern?

That is the challenge we want to leave with you. Do not choose a church merely because it is popular, convenient, modern, friendly, traditional, or called non-denominational. Open your Bible and compare. Ask who founded it. Ask when and where it began. Examine its organization, its worship, its teaching, and especially its message about salvation.

We are not asking you to leave one denomination to join another denomination we prefer. We are asking you to go further than that. Leave human divisions behind and seek simply to be part of the church that belongs to Jesus Christ.

Christ has one bride. He purchased her with His blood, and one day He is coming for her. That is why we believe the question of the church matters so deeply. We want you to search the Scriptures carefully, obey the gospel as those first Christians did, and make certain that your faith is built not upon religious tradition, but upon the pattern God has given in His Word.