I don't like the churches where I live. What do I do?

[com7fy8]

I didn't write off the Catholic church. I was raised in the Catholic church and attended for many years.

The way I was Catholic was not right. But things I was taught helped to keep me from getting in a lot more trouble than I did.

But I was not personal with God. I was inventing what I supposed God wanted, using Catholic things I was told. But I was not submitting to God, in order to share with Him and discover what He had me doing.

And I did not have rest in my soul, which Jesus guarantees us while we do what He has us doing >

"'Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.'" (Matthew 11:29)

And I did not get loving women. I would judge a woman by how attractive and intelligent she was; and if she was not impressive, I could look down on her.

So, I was horrible.

And that did not come from being Catholic, but from my own character.

Of course, I did not share personally enough with people who were Christian, so they could spot how anti-love I was, and help me.

And later, in evangelical circles, I could get fooled. But Jesus had me discovering things in the Bible, about loving any and all people, and seeking God for real character correction > Hebrews 12:4-14.

And I have had examples of gentle and kind and humble people along with ones fooling themselves.

The ones examples for me have not had labels. They trust Jesus and love, and help others. They always have wisdom to know how to relate with me.

But being with the real ones includes the risks of being with the ones they reach to, who can be right in their churches and who even can have so-called ministries in their churches.

So, we need to be able to tell the difference. But I suspect ones can withdraw and fear others, because they know they can't tell the difference, and so yes they can get hurt.

But with Jesus we can be guided reliably in our relating, according to what He knows about each person and what He knows He wants us to do.

Trust is not blind, by the way. Jesus has proven Himself, plus He makes us able to know how people are, plus to know if and how God has us trust each one.

"Test all things; hold fast what is good." (1 Thessalonians 5:21)

I now understand this means to make sure with God about everything, and especially do not evaluate anyone by one's claims and how the person might act nice and talk smart.

 

[anetazo]

I'm not knocking churches down.

There are many denominations that dont get around to teaching God's word. One verse Charlie's. Or misguided preachers.

Corinthians chapter 3 tells us about apostates who broke away from the foundation of christ and formed denominations.

Titus chapter 3
Is sound doctrine being taught??

Your going to be hard pressed to find churches that teach sound doctrine.

My recommendation. Shepherds chapel. There on YouTube. They tell you the truth. They teach sound doctrine.

It's your decision.

 

[OldAbramBrown]

Ask your daughter to ask God, as well, and you have two brains to recognise an answer IF there's one, and meantime hold a service between the two of you (not necessarily on Sundays). Also perhaps rotate among the four least unbearable each month? Perhaps someone unexpected (if they are wholesome enough) may want to join in?

 

[jsimms615]

I can appreciate what your saying because I find that I feel completely lost in the bigger churches and like nobody would care if I was there or not. And I don't like being a part of a church where I feel like I am at a rock concert. I think maybe you should try calling one of the denominational offices of the denominations you prefer and speak to a denominational leader about where they would recommend given your needs

 

[I's2C]

Thanks. I have done that many, many times. I have yet to hear a clear answer, unfortunately.

May I suggest you look up Shepherds Chapel and give them a try, if you can get the regular broadcast not the lies of the internet. They teach chapter by chapter, verse by verse teaching you the MS. They are my Church of choice for 2 decades and are truly blessed by GOD. If you need the fellowship of church then go to senior citizens groups, for there are usually their children who walk with them and are of younger age and join in but; most senior citizens crave company and GOD tells us to take care of them spiritually for most fear death and need guidance..; if it is the WORD of GOD you seek Check out Shepherds Chapel.

 

[Richard.20.12]

Hello. I moved to a new area about a year ago. It's a town of about 50,000, with another 70,000 town neighboring us. The area is very liberal, both politically and theologically, and I am not. Although there are many churches here, in terms of number, nearly all of the churches with relatively moderate or high attendance (more than, say, 70 people on Sunday), are either very liberal or are theologically aligned with Evangelicalism--by that, I mean pop Christian rock music, very low view of the Lord's Supper and Baptism, etc. There's also one large Roman Catholic Church, but I'm not Catholic.

There are some traditional denominational churches in town -- Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Anglican -- but all of these churches are very, very small. Some only have 15 people. Nearly all of them have a very old demographic (70 seems to be the average age at these congregations). I wouldn't care too much about that, except I have a child and I would like her to be able to make friends at church, an impossibility if there aren't any children around.

A church I would feel most comfortable in -- a more traditional Protestant church with a younger demographic -- doesn't exist. I either have to go to a progressive church, a very small, aging traditional Protestant church, or an Evangelical church where many of my theological views won't be taught.

Needless to say, I'm not excited about any of these options. What do you think I should do? (And no, moving is not an option at this time.)

Make sure you know all the groups active in each church. Sometimes a church can have some surprising groups within it. Or you could start your own in that church as others may join that think more like you.
Consider starting a Facebook group, especially if you can keep yourself anonymous. Or other Christian groups online may be active in your area. A lot of Christians don't use the internet for Christian stuff enough! I'm sure guilty of that. If you use daycare or recreation activities in that area try to mingle and ask others about social interests. For instance someone interested in homeschooling shares their opinions on many other things with others interested in homeschooling. The point is to keep asking around to local people. Often word of mouth is the only way in smaller communities. Don't mention Christianity right away either. Let that slide in later.

 

[Richard.20.12]

May I suggest you look up Shepherds Chapel and give them a try, if you can get the regular broadcast not the lies of the internet. They teach chapter by chapter, verse by verse teaching you the MS. They are my Church of choice for 2 decades and are truly blessed by GOD. If you need the fellowship of church then go to senior citizens groups, for there are usually their children who walk with them and are of younger age and join in but; most senior citizens crave company and GOD tells us to take care of them spiritually for most fear death and need guidance..; if it is the WORD of GOD you seek Check out Shepherds Chapel.

What is the "MS"? Google doesn't seem to help. Why do people abbreviate? Let's encourage everyone to put the lid on abbreviation. Explain it in the beginning then you can use your handy tool.

 

[MOzarkMs]

The way I was Catholic was not right. But things I was taught helped to keep me from getting in a lot more trouble than I did.

But I was not personal with God. I was inventing what I supposed God wanted, using Catholic things I was told. But I was not submitting to God, in order to share with Him and discover what He had me doing.

And I did not have rest in my soul, which Jesus guarantees us while we do what He has us doing >

"'Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.'" (Matthew 11:29)

And I did not get loving women. I would judge a woman by how attractive and intelligent she was; and if she was not impressive, I could look down on her.

So, I was horrible.

And that did not come from being Catholic, but from my own character.

Of course, I did not share personally enough with people who were Christian, so they could spot how anti-love I was, and help me.

And later, in evangelical circles, I could get fooled. But Jesus had me discovering things in the Bible, about loving any and all people, and seeking God for real character correction > Hebrews 12:4-14.

And I have had examples of gentle and kind and humble people along with ones fooling themselves.

The ones examples for me have not had labels. They trust Jesus and love, and help others. They always have wisdom to know how to relate with me.

But being with the real ones includes the risks of being with the ones they reach to, who can be right in their churches and who even can have so-called ministries in their churches.

So, we need to be able to tell the difference. But I suspect ones can withdraw and fear others, because they know they can't tell the difference, and so yes they can get hurt.

But with Jesus we can be guided reliably in our relating, according to what He knows about each person and what He knows He wants us to do.

Trust is not blind, by the way. Jesus has proven Himself, plus He makes us able to know how people are, plus to know if and how God has us trust each one.

"Test all things; hold fast what is good." (1 Thessalonians 5:21)

I now understand this means to make sure with God about everything, and especially do not evaluate anyone by one's claims and how the person might act nice and talk smart.

I haven't found a church in my very rural area that feels right to me. I also study with the Shepherd's Chapel. It's on TV at 5am weekdays here in Southern Missouri but can also be found online on youtube and their website ShepherdsChapel.com You can listen to the study of the day or even stream it. It is simple, straight up Bible reading, chapter and verse. No nonsense. Even referencing much back to the original texts (Aramaic, Hebrew and Greek ) for clarity and verification. At the end of each Bible study they have a question and answer from people that called or mailed in questions. Sometimes I learn more from the Q&A than just the readings. I have yet to find a church that teaches this way, and it always makes sense.