They tend to be very, very comfortable. For anyone who understands the Bible, there is nothing at all comfortable about the World as it is today. It may be well for a newly converted Christian to feel deep comfort at what he has recently come to know. But for any genuine, mature Christian there must be some sense of urgency or disquiet about the state of the World.
Older churchgoers, of which there are many, frequently show little concern for children or grandchildren who do not attend. If their view is that the Gospel saves from Hell, and that Church attendance is the mark of Gospel acceptance, they should be deeply worried.
Singing and music are major parts of church life. While these things may be evidence of praising God, communal singing is also something that many people enjoy regardless of any spiritual context. If faith is not clearly demonstrated in other ways, it is reasonable to assume that the singing is really just for its own pleasure.
Church leaders are mostly just people doing a paid job. They studied Theology at University rather than English or Engineering, and followed through on the relevant career path. Huge numbers of them have not read the Bible through even once, or ever had a true conversion experience.
Sermons are more ritual than teaching. It’s rare for anything really challenging or instructive to be said in a Sermon, and therefore rare for those who hear them to be moved to ask questions or discuss among themselves afterwards. There is also a common failure to recognise the difference between proclamation and teaching that the Bible speaks of. Preaching can become a vague mixture of the two, with “Gospel Services” a common feature in many churches. In such services the Gospel is proclaimed, but it is literally preaching to the converted; or at least the to “should be converted”. The place to proclaim the Gospel is outside of a gathering of believers, to those who need to hear.
Churches as a whole engage in very little evangelism. This should be the primary purpose of any true Christian, or any group of Christians.
Churches are never in the forefront of campaigns against war. On the contrary, they readily supply Armed Forces Chaplains, who “minister” to their military flock without ever raising the Christian requirements to avoid violence and love enemies. They are part of the machinery of war, for which they are well paid in this life.
Almost all churches support evolution over millions of years. Very, very few church leaders ever bother to learn some science in order to enlighten their flock, or even themselves. In their aquiescence to Darwinism, they do much to promote the lie which is the very foundation of atheism.
Dedicated buildings, often large and expensive, that remain empty for most of the week, play a key role in what they do. The Community-Centre-cum-Church is more common now, but normally only because churches are shrinking and can no longer afford a dedicated building.
Church leaders frequently cannot live in an ordinary flat or house, but need a “Manse” or “Vicarage” or some such, which can often be recognised by its size or quality compared to other local buildings. Bishops even have palaces.
Doctrine is, put simply, all over the place. There are “Priests”, or ministers who act as priests, when the Bible is clear that there is no Priesthood in Christianity. Calvinism, Zionism, Infant Baptism, Pope Worship, Pastor Worship, people pushed over to be “Slain in the Spirit”, Toronto Blessing, belief in wealth, female priests/ministers; in short, anything that the itching ears of the congregations want to hear or that is in fashion.
In place of the Love Feast, which was a real meal in the New Testament, just tiny crumbs or sips of ceremonial food, which are of no benefit (Hebrews, chapter thirteen.)
The collection bag or plate is a central feature of almost every gathering; getting money in is important.
No sense of alarm at statistics showing that churches will barely exist in the UK in about twenty-five years. For two thousand years the church has never looked extinction in the face. Now that it is doing so, somehow it is not an issue.
All sorts of fancy dress, from Dog Collars to pointed hats and embroidered cloaks; none of them Biblical.
In the case of the Anglican Church, the deep connection between Church and State.
Frequent following of the dictates of Political Correctness rather than Scripture.
These matters could be rephrased or expanded upon, but the list here should be sufficient to alert anyone who is not already aware of the shortcomings.