Why did you become a Lutheran?

[KimLCMS]

Hello Everyone!
Why did you become Lutheran?
I wanted to ask of anyone who was Catholic and later became Lutheran. What were your reasons for leaving the RCC and joining a Lutheran Church?
My jouney in short: RCC, Southern Baptist, LCMS

 

[ctay]

I've been a Lutheran all my life. There are a couple of ladies in my church that were RC. They were talking about not being able to read the bible much at all when they were younger and when they had a chance when they were older were having doubts so they left and came to the Lutheran church

 

[Confess]

Baptized Catholic. My whole family is still "Catholic", yet none of them regularly attend.

Went from Catholic to Pentecostalism with my Aunt for about 5 years.

When I left the Navy we decided to begin going to church after some absence and decided to try the closest Lutheran church which was ELCA.

After a few years and attending one convention, we realized that the ELCA wasn't for us and we left.

We then went to a Pentecostal LCMS for a short time, then we attended a "social club" LCMS for a short time, then we attended a "mean" LCMS (they had a 50 year history of being mean to their pastors), then we attended a "Metho-bapti-Lutheran" LCMS and finally a "lathargic" LCMS church.

We basically went to all the LCMS churches within an hour radius of our home.

We are now apart of an independent Lutheran congregation until we sell our home and move to Wisconsin.

 

[jcj3803]

Raised LCMS then WELS. Then agnostic, atheist, back to agnostic. Returned to the faith and went back to an LCMS b/c there was no WELS anywhere close. New pastor came in and congregation divided - half stayed, half went ELCA and I went UMC.

I am now attending an ELCA church regularly as I missed the Lutheran liturgy and the closest LCMS churches seem to be dying out for some reason. I have mixed feelings about joining ELCA, so the journey probably isn't over yet...

 

[KimLCMS]

Thank you all for your responses. I enjoy hearing people's faith stories. I appreciate your willingness to tell your stories.

 

[QuiltAngel]

I was not raised RC but I was raised Presbyterian. In high school, I joined an LCA church (now ELCA) when my parents did not like things the Presby church was doing and I always had an interest in the Lutheran style of service (my grandparents were LCMS so had visited that when visiting them). I came to the LCMS when I married, I was marrying a guy who was LCMS and fairly sure he would be attending seminary. I am glad to be here.

 

[dinkime]

baptized Lutheran, my parents left that church (it was a forerunner to elca, woman pastor and all!)

then when i was preschool age i attended a UCC sunday school with a neighbor...

when i was in 7th grade my mom wanted to make sure i was confirmed (not sure why she didn't care about my brother getting confirmed, lol)...so i went on a church hunt with her...

we first tried an elca church where the building was pretty & they had a "showy" service (bell choir right in front, etc) but we were never spoken to -- no hello, no help from ushers or pastors, no thank you note from signing the visitors book, nothing!

next we tried a WELS church, we walked in the door and were greeted and helped and introduced to others...i started confirmation class about 2 weeks later...a few months later my mom & i stood in the front of church and were welcomed as members!

WELS is home to me now...my mother grew up Lutheran (ALC i believe) my dad did not grow up too much in church, but it was a UCC that he attended if he did...my dad was confirmed Lutheran before he & my mother got married...he joined the church my mom & i joined about 7 years after us once i went away to college

ironically enough, i attended an ELCA college, i never once went to a chapel service and i attended one of the local WELS churches whenever i could get a ride (which was almost every week!!)

 

[DaRev]

I joined the Lutheran Church because I believe that the Lord wanted me to be a Pastor.

I was born and raised in the RCC. I was married in the RCC although my wife was unchurched. There were a number of different things about the RCC that I didn't understand. I bought a Bible and read it. That confused me even more.
My wife one day decided she didn't want to be a wife and mother anymore and left me to raise our three kids by myself. Because of her decision, I was not able to be involved in the RCC. This, too, confused me.

I had decided to do some "church hopping". I had read up on some of the different denoms and was leaning very heavily toward the Lutheran Church because I believed that they were the closest to the Apostolic faith of the early Church. The first church we visited (an 8yo, a 10yo, a 12yo, and myself) was the local LCMS congregation. It was on the same street that the kids school was on. Also, when my oldest was in cub scouts, they had their pack meetings there. We walked in (picture four deer in the headlights!) and we were welcomed like the prodigal sons! I had never felt more welcome anywhere.
I was somewhat surprised to see how very similar the service was to the RC Mass. It didn't take long to realize that this is where the Lord wanted us to be.

Someday I'll share with you how I ended up in seminary and an ordained pastor.

 

[C.F.W. Walther]

Well---why did I become a Lutheran. After my parents adopted my sister and myself, I was 2 and she was 3, we were baptised Lutheran and I have been one since then. Well.........sort of.

Why am I still Lutheran? Well being influenced by my inviroment and also being influenced by my genetics it was a rough trip; brought on mostly by myself. I was not like my God fearing parents. I was a rebel without a cause. I didn't like "religion" and as teenager and young adult I ventured off into Transindental meditation, astral projection and then any hairbrained scheme that came along. Then into the liberal attutudes of the 60's. Drugs, free love and then rebellion against the extablishment. A wanabe hippy with all the liberal agendas to fuel my attitude. After being a "carouser", dru use and a biker I fell into the wrong crowd and began drinking. There was a long descent that finally lead me to dovorcing my wife of 28 years.

While living with my girlfriend later on for 9 years my conscience really started bothering me. It really was the Holy Spirit convicting me. I didn't like what he was telling me because I was obnoxious and a know it all and really rebelliuos.

God didn't give up on me and finally I broke up with my girlfriend and started reading the bible more and going back to church. It didn't "catch" all at once so I began looking around for "other" denoms to fill my need while still trying to live my old life.

I was trying to a jugling act while still trying to be spiritual. It didn't work and only after visiting different churches for years and trying to give up the old lifestyle did I finally relize that being a Lutheran was probably the closest denom that adhered to the Bible.

I asked God to forgive me for divorcing my wife and my reprobate life and after I realized that his mercy was unbounding, I cried like a baby

I am still a work in pregress.

 

[DaRev]

Our Lord does great work!!

 

[porterross]

I was fortunate enough to have been baptized, raised and confirmed in the LCMS. Even so, I did turn away from what I knew was right and proper for few years and I have the scars to prove it.
By the grace of God, I was called back into the arms of Christ when I stopped ignoring the Holy Spirit, acknowledged the sinful life and bad choices that had made my life harder than it had to be, and repented. I've never such relief, love and forgiveness and it has been profound enough that now I want to lead a God pleasing life and obey His commands in all things.

He leads the way now. I just follow.

Without my Lutheran and Scriptural foundation, I'd be lost. Just getting knee deep in the Book of Concord makes me grateful to have a logical analysis available. I could never handle the pod people churches.

 

[DaSeminarian]

I was baptized in the ALC. My parents became members of an LCMS church when I was about 5 or 6. From that point to about the age of 20 I was a regular church goer. When I turned 20 I lived for a year with my Grandparents who didn't attend church regularly and so I didn't attend either.

I returned to church life a year later when I moved to Colorado and joined my parents church. A few years later I moved back to Minnesota and it was at this time that I left the LCMS and began a fifteen year journey in the desert by attending a Covenant church and then some Baptist churches. I got married and had a couple of kids before coming back to the LCMS and realizing that I wanted to be back here.

Now I am a Sem student at Fort Wayne and looking forward to becoming a Pastor

 

[DaRev]

Now I am a Sem student at Fort Wayne and looking forward to becoming a Pastor

How goes it there?

 

[jcj3803]

Someday I'll share with you how I ended up in seminary and an ordained pastor.

I'd be very interested in hearing that.

 

[jcj3803]

I could never handle the pod people churches.

Gig 'em?

 

[porterross]

Gig 'em?

Whoop! We'll be humpin' it tonight when our #8 lads take on Okie State in Stillwater. It should be a good one. ESPN2, 9:00 ET for anyone who cares to see Billy Clyde and the boys.

left me to raise our three kids by myself. Because of her decision, I was not able to be involved in the RCC. This, too, confused me.

I'd like to hear more about that! Being a single mom with one daughter and 0 help is tough enough, I can't imagine what you've been through or how organized you had to be to keep them corralled being so seriously outnumbered.

 

[Studeclunker]

My wife went into terminal overload in '90 and effectively abandoned myself and our children. the three oldest have had quite a journey in the desert. My youngest seems to be coming out of it. With him though, I'm never sure. Garrett's like a box tortise. Every time I come near, he closes up tight as Grant's tomb.

Single parenthood stinks!

The Lord was right, it takes two to parent properly. I've spent a lot of time on my face for the last seventeen years.

 

[porterross]

The Lord was right, it takes two to parent properly.

Only if both parents keep their children's best interest in focus. My daughter's father effectively abandoned her after I came to the realization that he had abandoned us as a family on every other level before I left.

He would have had us destitute, separate from God and isolated from the world and he came very close to succeeding. Leaving him was my only recourse after begging him to get help for years, which he refused while sabotaging our family with varied betrayals. Infidelity wouldn't surprise me and as important as it was to my mother to prove this was true, it was of little consequence to me given what he was doing to his own children by denying their basic needs. I felt I had to protect my stepsons from their own father's negligence and it was maddening.
In any event, I guess his not staying in contact with her was punishment for me, but even her not knowing him when he finally did surface 3 years later (thanks to the Attorney General) and running from him in fear, not knowing who he was, didn't bother him enough to include her in his life from then on.
I have no idea what she thinks of him, but watching her come to the realization of how he is was pure torture and it took years for "us" to be healthy and happy. Her oldest brother is good to call her often and I do not regret the years I was allowed to influence his life. It made a significant difference for both of us and his faith is strong even though he is also a scientist. Perhaps that was a large part of God's plan given the poor choice I made in getting involved with a man who was not who he would have chosen for me, I'm certain.

God is great, though, and once I did return to the LCMS it was rough going getting her used to the idea, but over the last year she has come to see how the world focuses on hate and the joy of sin as opposed to the goodness and love found in the Word. She was not taking catechism as seriously as I would have liked so I cut it off, but now she is asking to go again so there has been a great deal of maturation and awareness in the last year.

 

[Studeclunker]

He would have had us destitute, separate from God and isolated from the world and he came very close to succeeding. Leaving him was my only recourse after begging him to get help for years, which he refused while sabotaging our family with varied betrayals.

It seems to me (IMHO) that you, as a Christian and parent, did that which you were responsible to do. One sometimes has to separate oneself from an unhealthy influence. You seem to have done all you were called to do, then did what we are all called to do; "put that evil one out from amongst you..." Sometimes this is the hardest decision of all.

My dearest sister,
Please don't think I was criticizing you in any way. I was merely expressing my frustration with our broken world. The Lord would have it otherwise, except for the hardness of our hearts.

Let us praise God together on our knees...
Let us seek God together on our knees...
When I turn to the Lord, with my face to the rising sun,
Oh... Lord, have mercy on me...​

 

[porterross]

Ha. I have pretty thick skin and didn't take what you said at all personally. Sorry you thought I did.

My point was that sometimes children must be protected from their own parents' pathologies, which is a shame. Such is life and a symptom of giving into the influences of the world in lieu of God's Word.

My bad choices are my responsibility and I accept that fully, but that doesn't mean my children had to suffer one day longer than absolutely necessary. THAT would have been a worse choice. I am forgiven.