Question about choosing denomination ..

[Solis7]

I am, in a sense, new to Christianity .. I was baptized Catholic as a kid but never attended past being 10 years old. We are trying to get back to church now while our kids are very excited about it. We attended a large church in the area that is non denominational for just a few weeks but after attending a Welcome class, feel it is a bit radical for our taste. I would consider my husband and I right in the middle of liberal and conservative .. We are looking for a new church but do not want to move our kids again after this move. We are thinking Methodist but would love information or advice for choosing a denomination that is family friendly and not super conservative or radical in nature .. Thanks !

 

[LilLamb219]

Well, could you state some of the things you believe in? That could help.

Things like, what do you believe concerning baptism, the Lord's Supper, decision theology, end times...?

 

[Solis7]

In complete honesty, I do not feel educated enough at this point to have a true opinion on these things.that is the hard part. I am currently reading the bible but have only just begun to learn all that I want to know. I do believe that Jesus died for our sins, and that by accepting God into our hearts, repenting, and living honest, selfless lives and being loyal to our church, other people, and to God we will one day have the chance to stand before him and be judged and hopefully be accepted into Heaven.

 

[jehoiakim]

in my experience no denomination is perfect, and even if you find one that lines up with your theology that doesn't mean every church in that denomination would be right for you. Some denominations like Presbyterian for example have some fairly liberal elements and some quite conservative... if you gave some specifics as to your beliefs however, like lil lamb said maybe we could point you in a more specific direction

 

[jehoiakim]

could you perhaps tell us a city you are in, many denominations are more regional. Methodist might be a good direction to head, Presbyterian would probably work as well although you would probably want to avoid the orthodox pres, they are probably more conservative then your liking, Baptist probably wouldn't be the best choice, most lean conservative fairly strongly, although some are more moderate. Lutheran can be fairly liberal, AG can go either way, some of those churches can be great, but some I think are just flat our heretical and dangerous
...just my thoughts

 

[Solis7]

Thank you ! I think I will check out the local Methodist church and see how it goes !! Thank you for the info

 

[jehoiakim]

methodist can be a wide ranging thing too, I haven't run into them as over conservative, more often I find they are overly liberal and sometimes water down the words of Christ... ashame because John Wesley was quite awesome... you may also want to try a weslyan church, similar vein

 

[chilehed]

I suggest joining the church which has existed since the time of the Apostles. That would be the one that Christ established.

 

[.Iona.]

I'd advise going to a few different churches and see how you feel when you are there. The best way to learn about and understand different denominations is to experience them.

 

[Powen]

Well I'm not a new believer, but a returning backslidden one, so I'm on the hunt for a church myself. I'm still trying to redevelop my theology, which is a mess seeing as I've forgotten a lot of the scripture. And having never known the Bible well to begin with, it's going to be a lot of work. Be confident though--God will help you find a good congregation.

 

[Harry3142]

Solis 1-

The Methodist Church is, by and large, a good choice for you, especially with children. The majority of them have excellent youth programs which educate and entertain the children.

Churches to stay away from are those who condemn all others except their own denomination (I know of at least one that claimed that they are not a denomination at all, but the only true church, and it was not the Roman Catholic Church that claimed this). They may do this overtly, claiming flat-out that only those who are obedient to their church leadership will obtain eternal life. Or they may attempt to do it subtly, through 'playful jabs' at other denominations. These are, in reality, insults aimed at tearing other denominations down in the eyes of their members. I've seen both tactics used in my lifetime, and in both cases the actual goal was the absolute subjection of the laity to their leadership.

 

[JasperJackson]

Also, check the websites of all the churches in your area. They usually have a statement of faith. If you hear any metaphorical alarm bells when you read them you know to cross it off the list.

 

[Sketcher]

Methodists are honestly shrinking, and for good reasons - they're becoming radical. I have relatives in that church, so I get to hear their perspectives on it. Not to say that all of them are bad, but there are going to be less and less good ones in the coming years. And it is unfortunate, since John Wesley said and did some very good things. I can't recommend them, to be honest.

 

[PROPHECYKID]

Do some research and see what every church believes and compare their belief with what the bible says both Old and New Testament. Beware of deception especially in these end times. The bible has shown time and time again that when it comes to religious matters, the majority is usually not right. You then owe it yourself to research and ensure you are not being deceived. Truth is truth regardless of who and how many people believe is. One you are honest and sincere, God will lead you into truth.

 

[SpiritlMuse]

I would look into the different churches, and let the Lord lead you. Do not commit for a while. Talk to the priest, pastors and you pray about it. I believe that the Holy Spirit will let you know where you should be.

I know that my journey was a long one and I didn't listen, I wanted things for my children, programs for them and things for me to be active in. I was not going to church for worship, it was for fellowship. Now with my children grown I find myself learning a new one, one that I believe the Holy Spirit wanted me in a very long time ago, only I didn't listen, even though I felt like this church wasn't quite right it was okay. Honestly I was wrong not to keep seeking and praying about it. (But it fulfilled what I wanted, not what God wanted for me).

May the Holy Spirit lead and guide you on your journey!
SpiritMuse

 

[knw1991]

the best advice is to let GOD lead you, He knows whose teaching sound and biblical doctrine, stay away from churches who claim you can only be saved in their denomination,stay away from churches that preach works to get into heaven, we are only saved by the blood of Christ, we do not earn our salvation therefore we cant keep it, God grows us and keeps us, read john 10 where Jesus says He holds his sheep in his hand and so does the father and no one can pluck them out, im saying this based on your first post where you were talking about remaining faithful to a church,etc, just because a person is loyal to a church does not make them a christian, it is great to be loyal but this is not required for salvation, only faith is required, many ppl debate over whether we can lose our salvation, i encourage you to go to gotquestions.org which is a biblical site ran by a pastor that addresses questions about christianity, answering straight from the bible, He has a response to the question "can we lose our salvation", as you grow you will see that its impossible for you to keep yourself saved because we all fail, but God is the one who keeps us and He has sealed us with His Holy Spirit, how can we be born again and then unborn?

 

[now faith]

I would suggust intense bible study. At this time it is important to realize that you are a babe in christ and you could be turned away from god over doctrine and denomination. Through prayer god will lead you to your church home. Simply ask in faith it will happen. Don't be lead here and their of your own accord. Discern the word of god and listen for the spirit to guide you. Sow your seeds on solid ground and you will bare good fruit. God bless

 

[bibledoctrine]

Choosing a church that righty divides the truth will be of great help as they teach excellent on how to understand the differences between the Body of Christ, the Church, today for believer who are In Christ (Galatians 3:26) and how that the Law has been completely fulfilled by Christ's resurrection and that we are saved by grace apart from works of the law. Righty dividing truth also teaches the differences between the former Jewish religion and today's grace churches. I hope this helps in the event that you are still researching a church.