Would i be better to join an Elim Pentecostal church or a Baptist church?

mrs hazel denise wykes · Oct 5, 2017

I am originally a member of The Church Of England & I was ''Christened'' & later ''Confirmed'' in the church.I do enjoy Traditional Anglican services with the choirs,organ traditional old hymns and incense,however I have been feeling restless and have started visiting other denominations of Christian churches,i have been to The Assemblies of God Pentecostal,Vineyard,Elim Pentecostal,Evangelical Free church & the Baptist church.I feel confused as to which church to settle at,i rather like the Elim Pentecostal movement and the Baptist church,however my parents are very much against my going to any kind of church other than a Church Of England church,they say they brought me up in the Church Of England etc and I should stay in my own church tradition.
There are certain things in the Elim church i'm a bit wary about,the preaching is one where the pastor shouts his sermon whilst walking up and down the platform,the hysteria and tongue speaking and falling on the floor and crying etc,therefore should I steer clear of Elim and other Pentecostal groups,are these churches dodgy?
I do rather like the Baptist church,we have two near where I live,one is smaller more traditional and the other is a large church with over 600 in the congregation and has fantastic contempory worship with a rock/pop type band and it uses little films and dvd clips in its services and has some interesting sermons,plenty of testimonies and baptisms and I do really enjoy this church and it is very welcoming and friendly,but I get opposition from my parents and other family members and friends saying I shouldn't be going anywhere other than the church I was brought up into The Church Of England & this is causing me to feel very confused and stressed & I don't know what to do.

Should I as a grown woman in her sixties pay any attention to what my family & friends say..should I stay put in my own tradition of church to please them or should I go where I feel happy and get enjoyment out of and what are your particular views of churches like the Elim Pentecostal churches and the Baptist churches?Should I steer clear of Pentecostal churches like Elim?
I really like the larger of the two Baptist churches actually but as its so big and I am a quiet shy person and don't make friends easily how would I fit in to such a big church?And what are the benefits of joining a large church over a small church & is it wrong for me to want leave the Church Of England and join a different church tradition?I know if I were to get baptised in the Baptist church my family and friends would be very much against it like they are with my going there in the first place.I keep getting told I belong to the Church Of England(Anglican) church therefore it is wrong to go to a different denomination..what do you think?
I'm not a ''Born Again'' Christian yet and I have addictions and other baggage in my life that is preventing that at the moment.

Root of Jesse · Oct 5, 2017

If you were baptized, you are born again...you just have to revert to your baptism and live the promises you made there and at Confirmation.

faroukfarouk · Oct 5, 2017

Root of Jesse said:
If you were baptized, you are born again...you just have to revert to your baptism and live the promises you made there and at Confirmation.

In my understanding of Scripture, the new birth is a spiritual thing , not caused by water (John 3).

faroukfarouk · Oct 5, 2017

The firs thing to do it to search the Scriptures; from them, and them only comes the authority of believer in the Lord Jesus.

Acts 2.41-42 is a good guide to local church activities.

Rescued One · Oct 5, 2017

Catholics consider the new birth to be baptism. Evangelicals believe it is a change of heart to pure devotion to God.

I don't care for large churches, but 600 isn't a mega church. Larger churches usually have smaller groups for midweek Bible studies. I would contact the pastor and ask him about that.

com7fy8 · Oct 5, 2017

mrs hazel denise wykes said:
I'm not a ''Born Again'' Christian yet and I have addictions and other baggage in my life that is preventing that at the moment.

Possibly, you here are answering your own question, Mrs. Hazel Denise Wykes

mrs hazel denise wykes said:
I as a grown woman in her sixties

And you call yourself by "Mrs." So, are you married? If you are, possibly it can be good to work this out in agreement with your own husband and you two doing what is good together.

In case you are by yourself, now . . . who you are with God is more important than what you might hear from people who are trying to be your dictators while they are not caring about your soul and where you spend eternity.

It can be Biblical for a minister to act out of his mind, according to how I understand our Apostle Paul > 2 Corinthians 5:13. But, Mrs. Wykes, Paul also describes what qualifies a man to "take care of the church of God" > 1 Timothy 3:1-10. And this includes being "sober-minded".

You need people who can talk sense with you, in order to help you get with God, be submissive to God in His love and how He guides us in His peace, and find out how to share as family with His people.

A church of Sunday-only tradition, only, can not do this.

So, I think you can find who is obviously helping you to get real correction by God > Hebrews 12:4-11 > and who is a good example to feed you how to be real with God and do His will and learn how to share as family with His various children who are helping you with their good example >

"nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock." (1 Peter 5:3)

There could be people like this in a traditional church. And ones sober in mind could be sitting quietly and enjoying a very expressive minister.

And there are kind and caring Baptists, but also in a same church there could be legalistic members.

You need to pray and trust God to make you able to tell the difference, so you can find the ones who are really Christian people.

And even if you are failing now, because of sin, do not judge only by how you and things are now; but know God is easily able to correct you and grow you in love with Jesus and good examples

But, first, you can make sure you are born-again, by trusting in Jesus and turning from however you have been depending on yourself and however you have been self-seeking and not loving people whom Jesus has died for. Trust God for howsoever you need forgiveness, but also know that our Father expects us to forgive as He has forgiven us, and do this in family kindness and tenderly caring love > Ephesians 4:31-32.

And if you become satisfied that you have started new in Jesus, it could be clear who has helped you with this, and who is helping you to grow in how to please God and love any and all people.

And these really Christian people might be in church with others who are not for real. So, do not judge by the wrong things.

And do not judge by how you are now. But know that God is the One who is able to do all His good with you

PloverWing · Oct 5, 2017

Welcome to CF!

My spiritual path took me the other direction: I grew up in a Baptist church and am now Episcopalian (the American counterpart of the Church of England). The Baptist church of my childhood nurtured me well; while I eventually chose a church with more liturgy, I'm grateful for what the Baptists taught me, and I think they are a good home for many people. The biggest strengths of the Baptists, in my experience, is their emphasis on making a personal commitment to Christ, and their emphasis on reading and studying the Bible.

I'm not familiar with the Elim Pentecostal movement. Their Wikipedia page describes a theology that's pretty mainstream. You'll have to decide for yourself whether elements like speaking in tongues and the emotional content of the sermons are a help or a hindrance to you in your Christian life.

Whatever you decide, choose the church that best enables you to worship and serve God. As you say, you're a grown woman in your sixties. You no longer have to obey your parents the way you did when you were a child. Spend some time worshipping with the other churches, and see which ones help to bring you closer to God. There's not that much difference in theology between Baptists and Anglicans; the differences are mostly about style of worship.

As Phoebe Ann mentioned, large churches often have smaller groups within them. If you end up at a large church, look for a Sunday School class (Baptists usually have Sunday School for adults as well as children) or midweek Bible study group; these smaller groups are good for making friends.

paul1149 · Oct 5, 2017

mrs hazel denise wykes said:
There are certain things in the Elim church i'm a bit wary about,the preaching is one where the pastor shouts his sermon whilst walking up and down the platform,the hysteria and tongue speaking and falling on the floor and crying etc,therefore should I steer clear of Elim and other Pentecostal groups,are these churches dodgy?

With small denominations it usually depends on each church. They tend to take on the personality of the pastor. It doesn't sound to me that this is a fit for you.

I do rather like the Baptist church,we have two near where I live,one is smaller more traditional and the other is a large church with over 600 in the congregation and has fantastic contempory worship with a rock/pop type band and it uses little films and dvd clips in its services and has some interesting sermons,plenty of testimonies and baptisms and I do really enjoy this church and it is very welcoming and friendly,but I get opposition from my parents and other family members and friends saying I shouldn't be going anywhere other than the church I was brought up into The Church Of England & this is causing me to feel very confused and stressed & I don't know what to do.

Your take on this church sounds a lot brighter. The only negative is family reaction, and that is an external force, aka persecution. Generally we should go where a) we're fed, and/or b) we have an opportunity to serve. You can continue to shop around, but this seems to be a good fit for you from what you've described.

Should I as a grown woman in her sixties pay any attention to what my family & friends say.

Life is short, and we only get one shot. If there is some compelling reason to surrender your rights and preferences, then fine, do so. But if it's just other people's preferences versus yours, or if it's their closemindedness and resistance to change, that doesn't seem to me to be a good thing to conform to, and maybe they are the ones who need to change. Many times the apostles told the religious leaders, "we must obey God rather than man", and very often God calls us out of a lifeless status quo.

I really like the larger of the two Baptist churches actually but as its so big and I am a quiet shy person and don't make friends easily how would I fit in to such a big church?And what are the benefits of joining a large church over a small church

Churches that size often offer a lot of services to people in a wide swath of circumstances. They probably have many home groups meeting weekly. They probably have various Sunday school classes for every age group and situation. You actually could find a larger church more personable and hospitable than a small one. You have to go by the church and see for yourself.

I'm not a ''Born Again'' Christian yet and I have addictions and other baggage in my life that is preventing that at the moment.

I'm not sure how you're defining Born Again. If you have made a sincere Good Confession as explained in Romans 10, you are born again. You will get different opinions, but I believe baptism is a sign of the inner reality, as circumcision was to the Jews. And as far as the baggage goes, all the more reason to give your life to Christ now. Get Him on your side, so He can begin to take you through it and out to the victory side.

Halbhh · Oct 5, 2017

mrs hazel denise wykes said:
I am originally a member of The Church Of England & I was ''Christened'' & later ''Confirmed'' in the church.I do enjoy Traditional Anglican services with the choirs,organ traditional old hymns and incense,however I have been feeling restless and have started visiting other denominations of Christian churches,i have been to The Assemblies of God Pentecostal,Vineyard,Elim Pentecostal,Evangelical Free church & the Baptist church.I feel confused as to which church to settle at,i rather like the Elim Pentecostal movement and the Baptist church,however my parents are very much against my going to any kind of church other than a Church Of England church,they say they brought me up in the Church Of England etc and I should stay in my own church tradition.
There are certain things in the Elim church i'm a bit wary about,the preaching is one where the pastor shouts his sermon whilst walking up and down the platform,the hysteria and tongue speaking and falling on the floor and crying etc,therefore should I steer clear of Elim and other Pentecostal groups,are these churches dodgy?
I do rather like the Baptist church,we have two near where I live,one is smaller more traditional and the other is a large church with over 600 in the congregation and has fantastic contempory worship with a rock/pop type band and it uses little films and dvd clips in its services and has some interesting sermons,plenty of testimonies and baptisms and I do really enjoy this church and it is very welcoming and friendly,but I get opposition from my parents and other family members and friends saying I shouldn't be going anywhere other than the church I was brought up into The Church Of England & this is causing me to feel very confused and stressed & I don't know what to do.

Should I as a grown woman in her sixties pay any attention to what my family & friends say..should I stay put in my own tradition of church to please them or should I go where I feel happy and get enjoyment out of and what are your particular views of churches like the Elim Pentecostal churches and the Baptist churches?Should I steer clear of Pentecostal churches like Elim?
I really like the larger of the two Baptist churches actually but as its so big and I am a quiet shy person and don't make friends easily how would I fit in to such a big church?And what are the benefits of joining a large church over a small church & is it wrong for me to want leave the Church Of England and join a different church tradition?I know if I were to get baptised in the Baptist church my family and friends would be very much against it like they are with my going there in the first place.I keep getting told I belong to the Church Of England(Anglican) church therefore it is wrong to go to a different denomination..what do you think?
I'm not a ''Born Again'' Christian yet and I have addictions and other baggage in my life that is preventing that at the moment.

Wow, a lot there! You are really thinking it over carefully.

When I was young we moved several times, and usually lived in the country, and went to the nearest church, instead of traveling far to find another church, and because of this I went to a variety of churches growing up.

Including a lot of services in a Pentecostal Church of God, a big city (during the summers with my Grandparents) Church of Christ next to a university, and now lately a Lutheran church. In addition to these churches I've been to hundreds of services in each, I've also been to more than a few services at Catholic, Methodist, and even a couple of Baptist and other things (even once Unitarian Universalist, and twice to Quaker!). And a service or two at various other denominations also.

So, you can see how I cannot even understand, don't have a basis to understand, the idea: "...shouldn't be going anywhere other than the church I was brought up [in]..."

Or: "...it is wrong to go to a different denomination."

These seem clearly wrong to me.

We do know for sure at least this -- that the real Church is the Body of Christ, and is composed of all who truly believe in Christ Jesus, the risen Son of God.

So....while I cannot tell you about those churches you are trying, because in the 25 or so different church locations I've been to services in, I noticed that each one is unique in some ways, each pastor unique, I could at least offer this:

You should find in a church you attend that the people are very clearly doing as He said --

34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

If you don't see that clearly happening in a church, flee!

Also, a church should have gospel readings so that you hear the Words of Christ there, and/or that the pastor is often (most often) preaching in ways that include and teach you from Christ's words, commandments to us.

Also, in a church, you should be able to take communion, and in a way that profoundly aids you in subtle ways. (In the Pentecostal church of my youth we were at for a few years, communion was only rarely it seemed (we usually went for Christmas holidays to my grandparent's house, and at their Church of Christ we had communion each Sunday.) I don't know if this is common for Pentecostal to have communion only rarely.

Dave-W · Oct 5, 2017

It seems Elim Pentecostal is affiliated with the Four Square church in the US. They are a good denomination, not that much different than Assembly of God.

But I would have a hard time going to anything with that name. Elim in Hebrew means "gods." Plural.

PloverWing · Oct 5, 2017

Dave-W said:
But I would have a hard time going to anything with that name. Elim in Hebrew means "gods." Plural.

According to the Wikipedia page and Welcome to Elim, the name Elim was chosen based on Exodus 15:27, which describes an oasis that the Israelites found in the desert.

seeking.IAM · Oct 5, 2017

You are a grown-up. Grown-ups make grown-up decisions. You, not your family, will be held accountable for your own actions and faith practice. My path also went the opposite direction from 50+ years in Methodism to joining The Episcopal Church. I changed from my family's faith practice and left many Methodist friends behind. It was not easy, but I have no regrets and can't see ever going back.

Far be it from me to criticize another person's Christian faith practice. I advise only slow, careful, and deliberate discernment about which path you think is correct for you.

Dave-W · Oct 6, 2017

PloverWing said:
According to the Wikipedia page and Welcome to Elim, the name Elim was chosen based on Exodus 15:27, which describes an oasis that the Israelites found in the desert.

Yeah - I read that passage. 12 watering holes. But the translators did not actually translate the name: "gods."

El = god
-im plural ending

chevyontheriver · Oct 8, 2017

mrs hazel denise wykes said:
I am originally a member of The Church Of England & I was ''Christened'' & later ''Confirmed'' in the church.I do enjoy Traditional Anglican services with the choirs,organ traditional old hymns and incense,however I have been feeling restless and have started visiting other denominations of Christian churches,i have been to The Assemblies of God Pentecostal,Vineyard,Elim Pentecostal,Evangelical Free church & the Baptist church.I feel confused as to which church to settle at,i rather like the Elim Pentecostal movement and the Baptist church,however my parents are very much against my going to any kind of church other than a Church Of England church,they say they brought me up in the Church Of England etc and I should stay in my own church tradition.
There are certain things in the Elim church i'm a bit wary about,the preaching is one where the pastor shouts his sermon whilst walking up and down the platform,the hysteria and tongue speaking and falling on the floor and crying etc,therefore should I steer clear of Elim and other Pentecostal groups,are these churches dodgy?
I do rather like the Baptist church,we have two near where I live,one is smaller more traditional and the other is a large church with over 600 in the congregation and has fantastic contempory worship with a rock/pop type band and it uses little films and dvd clips in its services and has some interesting sermons,plenty of testimonies and baptisms and I do really enjoy this church and it is very welcoming and friendly,but I get opposition from my parents and other family members and friends saying I shouldn't be going anywhere other than the church I was brought up into The Church Of England & this is causing me to feel very confused and stressed & I don't know what to do.

Should I as a grown woman in her sixties pay any attention to what my family & friends say..should I stay put in my own tradition of church to please them or should I go where I feel happy and get enjoyment out of and what are your particular views of churches like the Elim Pentecostal churches and the Baptist churches?Should I steer clear of Pentecostal churches like Elim?
I really like the larger of the two Baptist churches actually but as its so big and I am a quiet shy person and don't make friends easily how would I fit in to such a big church?And what are the benefits of joining a large church over a small church & is it wrong for me to want leave the Church Of England and join a different church tradition?I know if I were to get baptised in the Baptist church my family and friends would be very much against it like they are with my going there in the first place.I keep getting told I belong to the Church Of England(Anglican) church therefore it is wrong to go to a different denomination..what do you think?
I'm not a ''Born Again'' Christian yet and I have addictions and other baggage in my life that is preventing that at the moment.

Pentecostal and Baptist seem in some ways polar opposites. One rejecting what the other considers normative, the charismatic gifts.

Both of them will likely tell you they don't accept your baptism and want to baptize you over again. Doing so would be a repudiation of the baptism you have received.

You don't have to stick with the group that you were born into just because you were born into it. That said, it isn't clear why you want to move on. I suppose you have your reasons. Hopefully whatever you do will be because of the Lord. That is the only worthwhile reason.

macpella · Oct 23, 2017

mrs hazel denise wykes said:
I am originally a member of The Church Of England & I was ''Christened'' & later ''Confirmed'' in the church.I do enjoy Traditional Anglican services with the choirs,organ traditional old hymns and incense,however I have been feeling restless and have started visiting other denominations of Christian churches,i have been to The Assemblies of God Pentecostal,Vineyard,Elim Pentecostal,Evangelical Free church & the Baptist church.I feel confused as to which church to settle at,i rather like the Elim Pentecostal movement and the Baptist church,however my parents are very much against my going to any kind of church other than a Church Of England church,they say they brought me up in the Church Of England etc and I should stay in my own church tradition.
There are certain things in the Elim church i'm a bit wary about,the preaching is one where the pastor shouts his sermon whilst walking up and down the platform,the hysteria and tongue speaking and falling on the floor and crying etc,therefore should I steer clear of Elim and other Pentecostal groups,are these churches dodgy?
I do rather like the Baptist church,we have two near where I live,one is smaller more traditional and the other is a large church with over 600 in the congregation and has fantastic contempory worship with a rock/pop type band and it uses little films and dvd clips in its services and has some interesting sermons,plenty of testimonies and baptisms and I do really enjoy this church and it is very welcoming and friendly,but I get opposition from my parents and other family members and friends saying I shouldn't be going anywhere other than the church I was brought up into The Church Of England & this is causing me to feel very confused and stressed & I don't know what to do.

Should I as a grown woman in her sixties pay any attention to what my family & friends say..should I stay put in my own tradition of church to please them or should I go where I feel happy and get enjoyment out of and what are your particular views of churches like the Elim Pentecostal churches and the Baptist churches?Should I steer clear of Pentecostal churches like Elim?
I really like the larger of the two Baptist churches actually but as its so big and I am a quiet shy person and don't make friends easily how would I fit in to such a big church?And what are the benefits of joining a large church over a small church & is it wrong for me to want leave the Church Of England and join a different church tradition?I know if I were to get baptised in the Baptist church my family and friends would be very much against it like they are with my going there in the first place.I keep getting told I belong to the Church Of England(Anglican) church therefore it is wrong to go to a different denomination..what do you think?
I'm not a ''Born Again'' Christian yet and I have addictions and other baggage in my life that is preventing that at the moment.

If you are really serious about finding the true church of God, then you should ask God the Father Himself. If you do that with all sincerity of heart He will direct you to His church. It is not a matter of choosing a church, it is a matter of going back to our Father in Heaven. If that's what you truly want, then go to Him in all sincerity of heart and He will show you.
One of my favorite passages is found in Jeremy 29:13, which I have used:
"And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart."
So the question is: Are you seeking HIM or seeking a church?

Would i be better to join an Elim Pentecostal church or a Baptist church?

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