In this episode of Know & Do, we’re talking about something that many Christians wonder about but don’t always know how to articulate:

How do I know if I’m in a bad church?

Paul gives us a powerful summary of what a healthy church is in 1 Timothy 3:14–16. He calls the church the household of God, the church of the living God, and a pillar and buttress of the truth. If we understand what he’s saying there, we’ll have clarity about what the church is meant to be—and we’ll also be better equipped to recognize when something is off.

Jesus Himself warned that false teaching can be so convincing that, if possible, even the elect would be deceived. True believers won’t lose their salvation—but being part of an unhealthy church can make life spiritually confusing and unnecessarily hard.

The goal isn’t to produce suspicion or cynicism. The goal is discernment. Healthy churches matter—for your soul, for your family, and for the glory of Christ.

I. Red flag churches—run away

1. Teaching the wrong gospel (Galatians 1:6-9)

2. Man-centered preaching (1 Corinthians 2:1–5 )

3. Poor understanding of church membership (Hebrews 13:17)

4. Unqualified leadership

5. Pragmatism (1 Corinthians 3:10–15)

II. Yellow flag churches—proceed with caution

1. Shallow theology (Hebrews 5:12–14)

2. Weak ecclesiology

3. Not practicing church discipline rightly

4. Programmatic

5. Unexplained/unexplainable traditions (Colossians 2:8)

6. Inaccessible pastors/elders (1 Peter 5:1–3)

III. Green flag churches —run toward

1. Clear gospel (Romans 10:17)

2. Expositional Preaching

3. Careful with membership

4. Plurality of elders

5. Reasonable expectations for members

6. Ordinary means of grace

Handout Link