How to find a church

[peachskittles]

I feel odd even asking this but it is not only for my benefit but my sister's as well. We grew up in a Pentacostal church. My mother's family is Baptist, father's side is Presbyterian (not even sure that matters because I always thought a church was a church). How exactly do you find a church to attend on a regular basis? Do you just start showing up at random churches? We are both interested in a Sunday school for our children as well. My sister is confident that her son will love Sunday school no matter what so it's more about her enjoying herself than anything.

 

Oh and if you could do it simply, what is the difference between the different churches I mentioned (my sister asked and I went "Uhhh, I dunno")? I have not a clue. I'm church illiterate, be gentle with me.

[specialmama]

I would call each church (or visit their website) you're interested in and ask about their statement of faith. You want to hear healthy things, like

- the bible is the infallable Word of God

- Jesus is the Son of God

- Jesus was born of a virgin

Here's a good link to a non-denominational church I attended in Ontario, their statement of faith is pretty awesome. Remember, it should all be backed up by Scripture.

 

After you are fine with their statement of faith, you might want to ask about other things they have, such as the ALPHA course, which I would totally recommend, any small groups, etc.

 

I'm not going to get into the denominations, because each has merit. You need to find something that teaches truth, God's truth, not man's truth. Above all, PRAY for discernment.

[i.love.lucy]

I agree with specialmama. You might want to start with a "bible" church or something non-denominational so the belief is more basic. Once you grow and learn more you could decide to stay there or move on. A slightly larger church is going to have a better kids program, but sometimes you can get lost in the shuffle.

 

Do you have any friends locally that you could ask about their churches?

[Parrothead]

I'm Catholic so I don't have much choice about which church I attend. If there is more than one parish in which ever town I'm currently living in I can pick which parish I like best. Not even all Catholic churches are exactly alike.

 

I think if I were starting from scratch I'd do some research on the 'net. I'd find what I'd think of as the top 5 or 10 mainline denominations and start from there. Once I found a few that belive as I do or that I can believe as they do I'd attend a service or two to see if I like the message. I'd also talk to the minister and ask for some pamphlets or something with more information about the church.

 

And you could always try your local Catholic parish.

[SonshineLearner]

I would call each church (or visit their website) you're interested in and ask about their statement of faith. You want to hear healthy things, like

- the bible is the infallable Word of God

- Jesus is the Son of God

- Jesus was born of a virgin

 

 

& of course, that they believe in the Trinity:-)

:D

[specialmama]

& of course, that they believe in the Trinity:-)

:D

 

of course LOL... the list is just so long I thought it better to find a good statement of faith and attach that... but yes, the Triune Godhead for sure! :001_smile:

[creekland]

Do you see people around you who you admire (their faith & life)? If so, ask them where they go and check it out.

 

I've been to gazillions of churches over my life and consider myself a "religious mutt" more than any one denomination, so I'll attempt to answer some of the basics on the denominations you've asked about.

 

For "definitions," conservative means they tend to take the Bible literally and tend to be conservative on social and political issues. Liberal means they tend to take the Bible as parables or stories we are to get meaning from, but not usually literal. They tend to be liberal on social and political issues. None are totally one extreme or the other, it's more like a continual line between the two and different congregations can be in different spots.

 

Pentecostal tends to believe in ALL the fruits of the Spirit - meaning speaking in tongues is still valid today. (Google that for the debate on it.) They tend to have livelier services, but do vary in that aspect. They tend to fall more on the conservative side, but there are exceptions.

 

Presbyterian is often Calvinist and tends to believe God ordained everything from before the earth began - including who gets saved and who doesn't. God's grace saves, not a choice people make without it. They tend not to believe in speaking in tongues. Within Pres you can get conservative (PCA) or liberal (PC-USA).

 

Baptist tends to be free-will (but there are reformed/Calvinist Baptists too now) which means that God sent Jesus to die for all people and people choose whether to believe or not. Personal choice makes the difference as to whether or not people go to heaven. God's grace still saves, but is His sending Jesus for folks and their choice based on our beliefs with that. Like the others, you can get conservative or liberal within baptist.

 

Lines blur, so the above is not 100% concrete, but just a quick overview. Google each. I've seen good churches in any of them and my "mutt" upbringing will never allow me to say only _____ churches are correct. I've also seen churches I'd never attend in all of them. Ditto those statements for non-denominational churches. Local congregations and their feel can make all the difference. Therefore, my first statement applies a bit for finding a church.

[MaMa2005]

Here is a good link that explains some of the similarities and differences in the mainline churches: http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/denominations/comparison_charts.htm

 

HTH

[Caribbean Queen]

I'd get recommdations from local people based on what kind of service you are looking for.

 

Do you like traditional hymns and quiet reverance?

Loud music, alter calls, shouting and clapping?

 

Service less than an hour and a half?

Go to church all morning, and then come back at night?

 

Wear suits and dresses?

Wear jeans and sneakers?

 

Children's church, youth group, Children's choir?

Children go to the same serivces adults go to?

[KristenS]

All congregations vary, but we're Methodist and find a lot of families join our church because it was a good middle ground for folks who came from different backgrounds. It's a pretty open-minded denomination, without being too liberal. Every individual church differs, of course. Our one drawback to some newcomers is that we rotate pastors ... so if it's the preaching you fall in love with, it may change in a few years! But we also don't get stuck in a rut so easily that way either.

 

I do tend to find myself the conservative one in my congregation, but it's pretty cool.

 

We use the Apostle's Creed as our basic statement of faith, if that helps, and we're liturgical (meaning we follow a church calendar through the seasons, though not as strictly as Catholic with all the saints' days and such), and there's a fair amount of ritual, but it depends on the congregation as to how much (older congregations will have more ritual, newer ones tend to less). We're all on the same page in a 3-year Bible reading lectionary plan, but every preacher will find something different to say on Sunday mornings.

 

Anyway, might be a place to start.

[Brigitte]

I would assume that the first step in the process is to figure out what denomination your beliefs are more in line with. That is going to require some studying for both you and your sister. If you are unsure of your beliefs, I would find someone whom I know and trust who could help me work that out.

 

Then visit the various churches within that denomination and see which one is a good fit for you.

 

I was away from the Catholic Church for 30+ years. Dh is the son, grandson, nephew, great grandson of Lutheran ministers, but he was not a church goer either. When we decided that we needed to provide some religious education for our kids, I assumed we would go with the Lutheran church. We had planned to "church hop" for a while, but started out at our local Catholic parish and it "stuck." Within a few weeks, dh said that was the place for us both in terms of Catholic teaching and the fit of the parish.

 

Good luck to you and your sister on your journey.

[cougarmom4]

I'd suggest that you do a little research into specific religions--by going directly to the source rather than relying on opinions of others. Look for official websites of some of the churches/religions you are interested in and learn directly from them what it is they believe. You could even create your own chart to keep track of various denominations. As you do this research, you'll start to see whether you agree with certain doctrines more than others. In addition to this kind of research, another huge component to it would be praying to know where the Lord would direct you. To those who truly seek, He will lead you.

 

On the other hand, if you are looking more for what programs are offered for children--that you'd probably discover by word of mouth or by calling around to various churches.

 

With the topic of religion, I'm always willing to offer my personal witness of what I believe...so if you want more information on the LDS Church from an active member, feel free to pm me.

 

Best wishes in your search.

[BakersDozen]

Other things we consider when looking for a church:

 

topical/story-type teaching or expository? (meaning does the pastor use one verse then expand on it using stories and such or does he go verse by verse and stick mostly to the Bible rather than "parables" and such?)

 

female/male preacher?

 

family worship or are children excluded?

 

standards held for youth (dress, conduct, etc.)? We particularly watch the pastor's/elders' dc.

 

Biblical practices promoted or excused as "cultural" and no longer valid in today's society?

 

There are other things but those are the big ones for us. Hope this helps!