Like a Baptist, but don't want to be one

GodLovesCats · Aug 29, 2019

I thought all Baptists in Alabama were Southern Baptists. That is certainly true in Mississippi: you're a SB or not a Baptist if you live in Mississippi.

So now I am at the weirdest poiunt in my church csearch: pews or chairs? I always prefer chairs because they have padding on all side; pew benches are just carbed wood with attached cushions where you sit. A simple decision can get complicated when you see some of the pictures.

chevyontheriver · Aug 30, 2019

ChristianForCats said:
I thought all Baptists in Alabama were Southern Baptists. That is certainly true in Mississippi: you're a SB or not a Baptist if you live in Mississippi.

Sort of. ABC has ONE church in Mississippi.

I don't understand Baptist distinctions. I sort of understand Lutheran distinctions.

GodLovesCats · Aug 30, 2019

One of them is the ABC hired two lesbians to be co-pastors in Washington, DC last year. That's prohibited in SBC churches.

chevyontheriver · Aug 31, 2019

ChristianForCats said:
One of them is the ABC hired two lesbians to be co-pastors in Washington, DC last year. That's prohibited in SBC churches.

Ah.

9Rock9 · Jan 26, 2021

I'm Baptist, but everytime I've taken the quiz, I always get Puritan as the number 1 result.

Andrewn · Jan 26, 2021

9Rock9 said:
I'm Baptist, but everytime I've taken the quiz, I always get Puritan as the number 1 result.

Historically, Baptists are a branch of Puritans who did not believe in Infant Baptism.

BobRyan · Jan 9, 2022

ChristianForCats said:
I took a denomination selector quiz called Go To Quiz. The top three results:

80% Baptist
79% Puritan
73% Pentacostal

Because Baptists prohibit women from being pastors and church leaders, I am unwilling to join one of their churches (or even walk into one). The name Puritan makes me think of the people who banned religious freedoms in colonial times and a simple lifestyle. I am not Pentacostal for sure, but do share their beliefs on women in the church and different types of worship. How do I choose one when I am a mix and match?

Most so called "Community churches" in the South end up being lead by a baptist-oriented pastor ... so you might want to check that out.

My denomination was heavily influenced by the teaching in the seventh-day baptist church and also Free will Baptist (similar to Methodist when it comes to free will)

tampasteve · Jan 10, 2022

BobRyan said:
Most so called "Community churches" in the South end up being lead by a baptist-oriented pastor ... so you might want to check that out.

My denomination was heavily influenced by the teaching in the seventh-day baptist church and also Free will Baptist (similar to Methodist when it comes to free will)

Many are even affiliated with the SBA. I know of a few "Community churches" in my immediate area that don't wear the "Baptist" name anywhere, but are in fact affiliated with the SBA when you get down to it.

Albion · Jan 10, 2022

tampasteve said:
Many are even affiliated with the SBA. I know of a few "Community churches" in my immediate area that don't wear the "Baptist" name anywhere, but are in fact affiliated with the SBA when you get down to it.

That may be part of a trend I've been noticing, and you may have seen as well.

A few years ago, some church organizations thought that people had a bad impression of anything called a "denomination" (narrowminded) and this meant any church with a denominational name on it (like Johnstown United Methodist Church, for instance).

So they changed to "Community" Church" or, sometimes, "Family Church"

But in a time of steadily falling attendance figures, doing that didn't seem to work wonders, so lately I've been seeing denominational churches being officially labelled with a new name like Victory Church which says I-don't-know-what but which probably isn't taken negatively by anyone driving by and seeing the sign.

tampasteve · Jan 10, 2022

Albion said:
That may be part of a trend I've been noticing, and you may have seen as well.

A few years ago, some church organizations thought that people had a bad impression of anything called a "denomination" (narrowminded) and this meant any church with a denominational name on it (like Johnstown United Methodist Church, for instance).

So they changed to "Community" Church" or, sometimes, "Family Church"

But in a time of steadily falling attendance figures, doing that didn't seem to work wonders, so lately I've been seeing denominational churches being officially labelled with a new name like Victory Church which says I-don't-know-what but which probably isn't taken negatively by anyone driving by and seeing the sign.

Yeah, I have seen the same trend primarily among Methodist, Pentecostal, and various kinds of Baptists, and just general independent Reformed churches. Sometimes they are originally independent and join a denomination, sometimes they rebrand. My own church (with the somewhat generic name of "Covenant Church") was an independent Reformed church for something like 30 years that then joined the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. Then there is my son's school which was a named "Methodist Church" that rebranded to be very non-denominational looking and sounding (although still part of the UMC).

Andrewn · Jan 11, 2022

There is certainly a trend of calling churches community churches, people's churches, etc and hiding the denomination name even, sometimes, not mentioning it at all on the website. It's like telling all people: Join us we don't care what you believe or don't believe and we promise not to teach you any kind of theology whatsoever.

We'll only talk to you about the pursuit of happiness and you will feel uplifted every Sunday.

Albion · Jan 11, 2022

Andrewn said:
There is certainly a trend of calling churches community churches, people's churches, etc and hiding the denomination name even, sometimes, not mentioning it at all on the website.

It's like telling all people: Join us we don't care what you believe or don't believe and we promise not to teach you any kind of theology whatsoever.

We'll only talk to you about the pursuit of happiness and you will feel uplifted every Sunday.

There is some of that, yes. However, many of these churches do teach identifiable ideologies.

Many might as well be Baptist except for the name.

Still others ARE members of some well-known denomination, but they just don't want to advertise it, and that's for the reason that they think people shy away from any and all denominations, believing that such an identification signals narrowmindedness or religious provincialism.

Andrewn · Jan 11, 2022

Albion said:
However, many of these churches do teach identifiable ideologies. Many might as well be Baptist except for the name.

I think some Baptist churches call themselves "Christian" church. Do you think most of those who choose the "Christian" label in the CF are Baptists?

tampasteve · Jan 12, 2022

Andrewn said:
I think some Baptist churches call themselves "Christian" church. Do you think most of those who choose the "Christian" label in the CF are Baptists?

I think that many/most of the people on this site that identify as just Christian or Non-Denominational could pretty easily fall under a big tent Baptist denomination like the SBA or a big tent Pentecostal denomination. Broadly those two would cover the more mainline and the more spirit-filled evangelical people.

However, I know for a fact we have some Catholic and Orthodox people that identify as simply "Christian" for a number of reasons.

lismore · Jan 18, 2022

ChristianForCats said:
Because Baptists prohibit women from being pastors and church leaders, I am unwilling to join one of their churches (or even walk into one).

Hello! Why don't you visit a Baptist Church and see if the Lord is calling you there. I know from experience there are many women in Baptist Churches who don't feel aggrieved over that issue. As we say in Scotland don't cut off your nose to spite your face. God Bless

GodLovesCats · Jan 18, 2022

lismore said:
Hello! Why don't you visit a Baptist Church and see if the Lord is calling you there. I know from experience there are many women in Baptist Churches who don't feel aggrieved over that issue. As we say in Scotland don't cut off your nose to spite your face. God Bless.

God called me to a church with female pastors in 1997. As a Democrat, I can only see banning them from church leadership as a violation of the Equal Employment Opportunity Act even if churches are exempt.

lismore · Jan 18, 2022

ChristianForCats said:
God called me to a church with female pastors in 1997. As a Democrat, I can only see banning them from church leadership as a violation of the Equal Employment Opportunity Act even if churches are exempt.

Yes, that's what I mean. Don't let an already hardened attitude close a door that the Lord might be opening. God Bless

GodLovesCats · Jan 18, 2022

lismore said:
Yes, that's what I mean. Don't let an already hardened attitude close a door that the Lord might be opening. God Bless.

Mom has a hard attitude. I can't do anything to fix her.

Like a Baptist, but don't want to be one

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