I want to try a liberal church.

[Shane19]

I would really like to try going to a church which follows a more liberal ideology. Ideally a place with an open door policy that is open to different ideas and beliefs.

I personally believe abortion is wrong but it is not the churches place to force others into what they believe is right and what is wrong. I'm ok with preaching about this but not actively doing things in the community to tell people they are wrong. Helping by making other options easier is ok.

I'd also like a church that embraces the LGBT community, immigrants, and doesn't get overly involved in preaching about political events.

Another thing I would like is contemporary Christian music rather than old hymns or a mix of both.

Over the years I have had a hard time finding a church that I feel is right for me. Ami being too picky or can someone point let towards a denomination that will check some of my boxes? Thank you for any help you can provide.

 

[Albion]

Checking all the boxes is the trick, as you said. Among the more conventional denominations, the ones that would seem most likely to fit with your liberal views would be the United Church of Christ and the Unitarian Universalist Association. However, they both, and certainly the latter, do tend to get into public activism and neither is known for the contemporary kind of worship style that I think you have in mind. Not very ceremonial, but also not very up-tempo, if you know what I mean.

 

[Sam91]

Editted: Because I didn't realise there was a forum for this and while I meant to be useful, I do not think that my post was in keeping with the forum.

Sorry to OP for offering general advice and not being as relevant as I should in this forum.

 

[All4Christ]

I would really like to try going to a church which follows a more liberal ideology. Ideally a place with an open door policy that is open to different ideas and beliefs.

I personally believe abortion is wrong but it is not the churches place to force others into what they believe is right and what is wrong. I'm ok with preaching about this but not actively doing things in the community to tell people they are wrong. Helping by making other options easier is ok.

I'd also like a church that embraces the LGBT community, immigrants, and doesn't get overly involved in preaching about political events.

Another thing I would like is contemporary Christian music rather than old hymns or a mix of both.

Over the years I have had a hard time finding a church that I feel is right for me. Ami being too picky or can someone point let towards a denomination that will check some of my boxes? Thank you for any help you can provide.

Some Church of the Brethren churches fit most of what you said. Some don’t, so it depends on which one. They do push a lot of community service though in the public and do have some pushes for pacifism.

 

[Shane19]

Some Church of the Brethren churches fit most of what you said. Some don’t, so it depends on which one. They do push a lot of community service though in the public and do have some pushes for pacifism.

Im all for community service. I'm more concerned with things like preaching "we need to close our doors to Satan" in regard to not allowing gay people to enter the church. And people that stand outside of abortion clinics shaming people who are making a hard choice. If the community outreach is to spread the word and not to shame or lobby to change laws and force others into our ideallogy there is nothing wrong with it imo.

I'll check them out. Thank you!

 

[KWCrazy]

What would Jesus do?
Jesus would not prevent abortions, but neither would he hold guiltless those who murdered their babies.
Jesus would not refuse homosexuals to hear his word, but neither would he pretend that they are not condemned for their sin.
I don't know of any church that opposes immigration, but sneaking across a nation's border is a crime. Churches should not embrace criminal behavior.
The problem is that modern liberalism embraces sin. If you find a church that embraces sin, you won't find the Lord within its doors.

 

[Hazelelponi]

I'm unsure what your looking for, exactly.

 

[hedrick]

I would really like to try going to a church which follows a more liberal ideology. Ideally a place with an open door policy that is open to different ideas and beliefs.

All of the mainline churches are worth checking out. Episcopal, Presbyterian, United Church of Christ, Lutheran, American Baptist, etc. However you'll find that just about all denominations have a lot of variation among churches. Some are more liberal than others. There are Southern Baptist churches that accept gays, though not many of them. So you really need to check out your specific local church.

The liberal denominations tend to be conservative in their worship services, so not all will meet your needs. But a reasonable number of them have contemporary services that I think are what you're looking for.

There are also evangelical and non-denominational churches that accept gays. Not many, but they certainly exist.

 

[Tigger45]

Welcome to the Looking for a Church forum! We encourage members here to ask questions about churches and denominations, doctrines, practices, etc. in order to facilitate their search for a church home. This is not a place for debate, teaching, or proselytizing. Posts and threads of this manner will be considered off-topic and may be closed or removed. Please do not start threads here to advertise your congregation, these will also be considered off-topic to the forum.

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Last edited by a moderator: Oct 13, 2015

 

[All4Christ]

Im all for community service. I'm more concerned with things like preaching "we need to close our doors to Satan" in regard to not allowing gay people to enter the church. And people that stand outside of abortion clinics shaming people who are making a hard choice. If the community outreach is to spread the word and not to shame or lobby to change laws and force others into our ideallogy there is nothing wrong with it imo.

I'll check them out. Thank you!

Mos that I’ve seen is helping out those who are in disadvantaged situations...financially, helping give shelter, volunteering to help rebuild, giving housing to elderly and those who need short term housing help, disaster relief, etc.

While I disagree with much of the theology, I certainly admire their focus on ministry and outreach.

 

[Afterhours]

I am also seeking a progressive, and inclusive church. I am looking for a church that is not overly formal in worship, but I do not require rock music or contemporary music at church. I have found that churches with the loudest music tend to be the most conservative socially and theologically. Churches in our area are rather limited. We intend to try a Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, and a federated church which is American Baptist, UCC and Disciples of Christ. Please pray that we find a church home.

 

[Albion]

Start with the UCC.

 

[Afterhours]

Start with the UCC.

Strangely, the UCC in my area is rather conservative. As I understand it, UCCs that were once Evangelical Brethren (before the UCC) tend to be more conservative. Ones that were Congregationalist before the merger, more progressive. The UCC in my area fits this.

The Federated Church, which is a combination of UCC American Baptist and Disciples of Christ appears to be more progressive socially than the UCC.

The DoC church also appears to be progressive, however another in our area is very conservative and filled with people who constantly talk politics and are not at all friendly if you disagree with them.

We are also open to low church ELCA churches which were prevalent in are former location, but are rare here. There are a lot of Fundamentalist and Pentecostal churches here.

 

[Albion]

Its true that particular congregations of most denominations can depart from what is typical for that denomination. I assumed that you were starting an investigation and did not have the low-down on the available choices that you do.

If we were to judge these churches only by their affiliations, I would rate the UCC as ' Most Likely,' given the wording you chose to use in your first post.

 

[Afterhours]

Its true that particular congregations of most denominations can depart from what is typical for that denomination. I assumed that you were starting an investigation and did not have the low-down on the available choices that you do.

If we were to judge these churches only by their affiliations, I would rate the UCC as ' Most Likely,' given the wording you chose to use in your first post.

I would agree. However, affiliations can sometimes be deceiving. I think many of the clergy are more progressive than their congregations. At least around here.

In my experience, when a church has a vocal conservative contingent, the whole church tends to "go conservative" and the others just bite their collective tongues - including the pastor.

 

[FireDragon76]

The UCC is the only mainline church that checks all those boxes denomination-wide.

Most Episcopalian, ELCA Lutheran, or PC-USA churches will at least meet most of those, and are generally liberal, but there is a spectrum in just how liberal they are. Some are only somewhat more liberal than ordinary American evangelicals, but most tend to track the average American's attitudes on various social issues.

You might also like the Metropolitan Community Church, but it is focused primarily on ministry to the LGBT community and their families. However, the MCC welcomes everyone as long as you are OK with that. The founder of the denomination was raised Pentecostal, however theologically, they tend to be from different traditions, with most being similar to the Protestant mainline.

 

[Newtheran]

I am also seeking a progressive, and inclusive church. I am looking for a church that is not overly formal in worship, but I do not require rock music or contemporary music at church. I have found that churches with the loudest music tend to be the most conservative socially and theologically. Churches in our area are rather limited. We intend to try a Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, and a federated church which is American Baptist, UCC and Disciples of Christ. Please pray that we find a church home.

Are you looking for a church that gets rid of Jesus entirely, or only gets rid of traditional Christian morality? If you're looking for the former, you'd do better in the Unitarian/UCC type churches. The latter, probably more along the lines of ELCA/Methodist/PCUSA.

 

[Tigger45]

1. Looking for a Church Forum Statement of Purpose
   
   
   
   
   Welcome to the Looking for a Church forum! We encourage members here to ask questions about churches and denominations, doctrines, practices, etc. in order to facilitate their search for a church home. This is not a place for debate, teaching, or proselytizing. Posts and threads of this manner will be considered off-topic and may be closed or removed. Please do not start threads here to advertise your congregation, these will also be considered off-topic to the forum.
   
   Thank you for respecting this space as a safe place where others can find the church that suits them best.
   
   Please do not use this forum to discuss churches which are outside of this forum's Statement of Faith.
   
   Homosexuality and Same Sex Marriage:
   Homosexuality and same sex marriage may be discussed in this forum, however, no promotion of these topics is allowed. Promotion is defined as encouragement of the progress, growth, or acceptance of something including advertising and publicity.
   
   All posts within this forum must adhere to the site wide rules.
   

 

[Afterhours]

Are you looking for a church that gets rid of Jesus entirely, or only gets rid of traditional Christian morality? If you're looking for the former, you'd do better in the Unitarian/UCC type churches. The latter, probably more along the lines of ELCA/Methodist/PCUSA.

Why on earth would I be "looking for a church that gets rid of Jesus?" That makes no sense. Surely I am aware of the Unitarian Universalist Society. They are not Christian and do not pretend to be.

I am looking for a church that follows the teachings of Jesus. There is a movement called Solus Jesus, which adheres closely to the teachings of Jesus Christ, but views Hebrew scripture and the teachings of the Apostle Paul, within a cultural and social context.

I am also looking for a church that teaches social justice, and that is collectively appalled by the individual who sits in the White House, and the actions of his regime.

 

[Albion]

I don't see any reason why the UUA wouldn't be appropriate, based on what you've told us, Afterhours. It is not as though the Unitarians prohibit belief in Jesus. However, you didn't list one as being near your residence anyway. It looks like it would be hard to beat the UCC, given your criteria.