Hello all. I have a question concerning picking a new church. For most of my life, i attended a disciples of Christ church. I left that church about 8 or 9 yrs ago. I have begun looking for a new church, and in the last 2 yrs have really started to study theology. I feel that the CoC church isnt what i believe to be true doctrine. Here lately, i have been attending a baptist church. I like it, its small, very informal, and with a hint of calvinism mixed in.
My research seems to show that presbyterian churches are some of the most calvinist, which is what i want. But i havent visited any yet because i’m confused about something, their view on baptism. I dont believe babies should be baptized.
so my question is, baptists tend to be more in alignment with my beliefs, but arent as calvinist in doctrine.
Presbyterians are supposed to be more calvinist, but i disagree with their baptism views. How much can you disagree with a church and still support it??
Well, there are notable Baptist Calvinists, such as Dr. Al Mohler. However, to quote the late Presbyterian minister Dr. James Kennedy of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, in his book on cults, we Christians should not allow ourselves to be divided on the basis of minor doctrinal differences. And one case study in his book was a profile of a Baptist minister who had the difficult task of getting his deacons to quit Freemasonry, in which he succeeded. I think if you like the Baptist church you are now attending however, since they agree with your doctrinal views, I suggest sticking with them.
There are a large number of Calvinist Baptist churches outside the Southern Baptist Convention, including the Primitive Baptists. Among non-Baptist denominations such as Presbyterians, I think at a minimum the following Calvinist churches should be considered:
- The Presbyterian Church in America
- The Orthodox Presbyterian Church
- The Reformed Presbyterian Church in North America*
- The Conservative Christian Congregational Church**
- The Reformed Episcopal Church***
- The Christian Reformed Church in America
There are a few more very decent Calvinist denominations which are too small to be listed here; you are very likely to be near an SBC church and one of the six mentioned above, however, I suggest perusing the list of Calvinist denominations in the United States on Wikipedia to learn about some of them. There are also some non-denominational Calvinist churches, although most non-denom churches are Evangelical.
You should avoid the PCUSA unless your theology and worldview is extremely left wing; there is a moderate breakaway group called the Evangelical Covenant Order which ordains women but rejects gay marriage, abortion, etc. Likewise, the United Church of Christ is extremely liberal, and no longer objectively Calvinist in my opinion, which was tarnished by intimate involvement in that denomination.
Also I would urge you to avoid any church associated with 9Marks at all costs. This is a grouping of Calvinist churches, some Presbyterian, some Baptist, which stresses church discipline (i.e. punishing members), and if you leave a 9Marks church without a letter of dismissal, you cannot join another. They also had an extremely racist post on their website which attacked Eastern Orthodox and other Eastern Christians, which is documented on the Wartburg Watch blog. Although somewhat Lutheran/Evangelical in orientation, Wartburg Watch does an excellent job tracking abusive pastors and churches and is a good resource; I would avoid any church they have concerns about.
* The RPCNA is possibly the most Calvinist church in North America, related to the Covenanting Presbyterians of Scotland, with a capella exclusive psalmody as their music.
** Full disclosure: I am a Congregationalist minister, although not affiliated with the CCCC; however, their most famous parish, Park Street Church in Boston, which is the only remaining traditional Congregational church in that city, the rest having become UCC or apostatized to Unitarianism (that apostasy took place in 1770-1800, and caused the Congregationalists, formerly the Puritans, to lose control of Harvard Divinity School to the heretical Unitarian cult).
*** This church is affiliated with the Anglican Church in North America, but has a much older history, having separated from what is now the very liberal and very non-Calvinist Episcopal Church USA in the mid 19th century, about 150 years ago give or take a decade or two, in order to embrace a more specifically Calvinist theology.
I have tried to make this post as objective as possible in response to
@Lifelong_sinner ’s reasonable request, being respectful of his theological convictions, which it is not my business to try and change. If he had asked for Eastern churches, or liturgical churches, or churches with Arminian theology, I would have written a post catering to that desire.