I want to become a Christian, but I have some questions.?

Question

I want to become a Christian, but I do not know what Church to join. As far as I can tell, these are the choices I have; Roman Catholic, Eastern Catholic, Anglican, Independent Catholic, Old Catholic, Lutheran, Reformed, Anabaptist, Baptist, Methodist, Adventist, Evangelicalism, Holiness, Pentecostal, Eastern Orthodoxy · Oriental Orthodoxy (Miaphysite), Syriac Christianity (inc. Nestorian Assyrians), and Nontrinitarian.

Which is the best Church to join...?

Answer 1

Assembly of God, but to answer a coming up question



Why so many denominations ?

The reason there are different denominations within Christianity is because the Bible allows for us to have differences of opinions. Within Christianity there are very few essential doctrines that define what it means to be a Christian. These essential doctrines are,



Jesus is both God and man (John 1:1,14; 8:24; Col. 2:9; 1 John 4:1-4).

Jesus rose from the dead physically (John 2:19-21; 1 Cor. 15:14).

Salvation is by grace through faith (Rom. 5:1; Eph. 2:8-9; Gal. 3:1-2; 5:1-4).

The gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (1 Cor. 15:1-4; Gal. 1:8-9).

There is only one God (Exodus 20:3; Isaiah 43:10; 44:6,8).

God exists as a Trinity of persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (See Trinity).

Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary (nature of incarnation)

As long as a church believes in these essential doctrines, then it is Christian. However, there are many things in the scriptures that have been interpreted in different ways. For example, what day of the week should be worship on, Saturday or Sunday? Should we baptize by sprinkling or baptize by immersion? Do we take communion every Sunday, once a month, or once a year? The answers to these questions do not affect whether or not someone is a Christian. It is in these issues, and others like them, that denominations are formed. It does not mean that one denomination contradicts another. It means that though they agree in the essentials, they differ in some nonessentials. This is permitted in Scripture:



"Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. 2 One man has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. 3 Let not him who eats regard with contempt him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats, for God has accepted him. 4 Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and stand he will, for the Lord is able to make him stand. 5 One man regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Let each man be fully convinced in his own mind," (Rom. 14:1-5).

Sadly, there is another reason for denominational differences and that is the failure of Christians to live according to the will of God. The truth is that we are all sinners and we do not see things eye to eye. It is an unfortunate truth that denominational differences are due to our shortsightedness and lack of love. But, the good thing is that God loves us so much that He puts up with our failures. There waits for us, in spite of our differences, a great reward in heaven. Neither salvation nor damnation is dependent upon our differences. Our salvation is based on our relationship with Christ.

Answer 2

Personally, I say Lutheran.

But, the advice I like to give is this:

Look at the doctrine, theology, and confessions of each denomination. Which ones do you agree with? Which ones cause you to scratch your head and go "huh???" The ones that have the most biblical/scriptural doctrines and which have unified confessions are to be most recommended. You start getting into churches with no set doctrine or confession, and you get a church based upon a pastor's ego and what he feels is right. Also, stay away from highly legalistic denominations, those with the huge long lists of don't do this and don't do that. Generally they will teach that if you mess up one of those, you've blown it. They keep you in a constant state of fear and guilt. Some guilt and fear is good, but not to the point where you will never feel that you're salvation is assured.



Lutheran church:

Sola Fide, Sola Gracia - By Grace, through faith, we are saved. Not by our own choosing or our works, but by God's loving Grace! (note: works are not necessary for salvation, but are done out of a response to that salvation)

Sola Scriptura - Scripture alone, only scripture can interpret scripture, not man.

Soli Deo gloria - To God be all the glory

Solo Christo - Christ is our mediator, and all things are possible through Christ.



Blessings on your journey

Answer 3

Bible based Christian Churches won't let you join until AFTER you've become a Christian.



The tragedy today is that most churches no longer follow the Bible.



Even many groups which left the Roman Catholic Church 4 to 5 hundred years ago and started following the Bible, no longer do.



If you call up a church office and say something like this:



"Hello, I'd like to join your church."



The first thing most churches will ask is something like this:



"Are you a member of a church of our denomination in another location?"



And when they find out you've never been part of any church, they will usually respond in one of three ways:



A. They will invite you to take some sort of class teaching you about the distinctives of that denomination or group.



B. They will invite you to take a class such as the Alpha Course which is an introduction to the Christian Faith as described in the Bible but is not an introduction to any particular denomination of local church.



http://www.alphausa.org/



C. They will question you about what your relationship is the Lord Jesus Christ and will begin to tell how Jesus died for your sins and that by trusting in Jesus your sins can be forgiven. They might use a gospel tract such as the Four Spiritual Laws or something similar to that. Here is a link to a web site containing the Four Spiritual Laws:



http://www.godlovestheworld.com/



The church you want to start attending is the church which answers with B or C above.



There are lots of good denominations around and sad to say lots of bad ones.



Personally I would avoid any group which is a part of the National Council of Churches or which baptizes babies.



I would find an Evangelical Church. Not all Evangelical Churches are member of the National Association of Evangelicals, but most of them are and that is a good place to start.



http://www.nae.net/



Here is a list of the denominations which are members:



http://www.nae.net/index.cfm?FUSEACTION=nae.members



Denominations

Advent Christian General Conference



Assemblies of God



Baptist General Conference



Brethren in Christ Church



Christ Community Church



Christian Reformed Church in North America



Christian Union



Church of God



Church of God (Holiness)



Church of God Mountain Assembly



Church of the Nazarene



Churches of Christ In Christian Union



Congregational Holiness Church



Congregational Methodist Church



Conservative Congregational Christian Conference



Conservative Lutheran Association



Elim Fellowship



Evangelical Assembly of Presbyterian Churches



Evangelical Congregational Church



Evangelical Free Church of America



Evangelical Friends Church Eastern Region



Evangelical Lutheran Conference



Evangelical Methodist Church



Evangelical Presbyterian Church



Every Nation Churches



Fellowship of Evangelical Churches



Free Methodist Church of North America



General Association of General Baptist



Great Commission Churches



International Church of the Foursquare Gospel



International Fellowship of Christian Assemblies



International Pentecostal Church of Christ



International Pentecostal Holiness Church



Midwest Congregational Christian Fellowship



Missionary Church, Inc.



Morningstar Fellowship of Churches



Open Bible Churches



Pentecostal Church of God



Pentecostal Free Will Baptist Church Inc.



Presbyterian Church in America



Primitive Methodist Church USA



Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America



The Brethren Church



The Christian & Missionary Alliance



The Evangelical Church



The Salvation Army



The Vineyard, USA



The Wesleyan Church Corporation



Transformation Ministries



US Conference of the Mennonite Brethren Churches



United Brethren in Christ



Worldwide Church of God



This link gives a list of Organizations which are members:



http://www.nae.net/index.cfm?fuseaction=nae.members&listId=organizations



This link gives a list of Academic Institutions which are members:



http://www.nae.net/index.cfm?fuseaction=nae.members&listId=schools



And feel free to ask me questions directly if you like.

Answer 4

I think the best path would to go to the various churches that you have listed and listen in on the what the pastor is telling the congregation and then talk to the pastor after services. Each church has a slightly different view of the bible. Then you can decide what church you should belong to. If you ask people about that on here, most likely you will get people telling you that their way is the correct way. Do this on your own. You will thank yourself for it. Hope you find the path that you are meant for. Peace.

Answer 5

I personally like the Apostolic church, but since that's not one of your choices, I would say Evangelical.



Why? With my experiences the Apostolic church best represents God's word, in my opinion, and Evangelical for the most part is pretty similar to the Apostolic church.



I agree with springswallow02 though. Going to different churches will definitely help you decide which one you believe to be true. That's what I had to do as well and when you finally find the right one, it feels great! Good luck on your search.

Answer 6

This is a question you need to bring to God—not man. Trust in Him and He will show you the way to go. Thats what I did. I am an ex-Catholic. I joined the Church of Christ in 2006. And I thank God he lead me there because I have never been happier.



In an attempt to answer your question though, as long as its not a church that prays to dead people, or living people, then you should be ok. It should be a congregation that prayes only to God.



Hope that helps.



God bless you in your search for truth.

Answer 7

The fact that you cant decide which Christian "denomination" to join, should help you make a logical decision to stay away from Christianity. Christianity is so far off track from the beginnings when it was a Gnostic way of life. There are over 2,000 Christian denominations and they will all argue that they are the right one. Do a comparative religious study, check out the jewish roots of christianity, look into archeology, Egyptian mythology, and a little history. This should help you find a good system. If you are serious about your studies you will find something that fits you to a TEE.

Answer 8

Different Christian denominations have different focuses and ideas about what the Bible means to them. Find out where you stand on issues and join a church that best coincides with your personality and convictions. The only way is to shop around. Try out a few places until you find "your" church.

Answer 9

I am an Eastern Catholic: Melkite!



Truly, I believe that any form of Catholicism or Orthodoxy is correct! They actually were one church before the 1000's



People might say to just say believe in Christ and don't conform to church because all they are are rules!



But the reason, I'm a Catholic, and an Eastern catholic at that is this:



Apostolic Succession: Basically, we are the church that Christ himself, founded. Every Bishop got his blessing from the bishops who got their blessing from the apostles, who got their blessing from Jesus. Neat-o



also, here's some other cool reasons



Catholicism avoids theological relativism, by means of dogmatic certainty and the centrality of the papacy.



The Catholic Church accepts the authority of the great Ecumenical Councils (see, e.g., Acts 15) which defined and developed Christian doctrine (much of which Protestantism also accepts).



Many Protestants tend to separate life into categories of "spiritual" and "carnal," as if God is not Lord of all of life. It forgets that all non-sinful endeavors are ultimately spiritual.



Accordingly (man having no free will), God, in classical Protestant and Calvinist thought, predestines men to hell, although they had no choice or say in the matter all along!



Positive confession" movements in Pentecostal evangelicalism have adopted views of God (in effect) as a "cosmic bellhop," subject to man's frivolous whims and desires of the moment, thus denying God's absolute sovereignty and prerogative to turn down any of man's improper prayer requests (Jas 4:3; 1 Jn 5:14).



The above sects usually teach that anyone can be healed who has enough "faith," contrary to Christian Tradition and the Bible (e.g., Job, St. Paul's "thorn in the flesh," usu. considered a disease by most Protestant commentators).



Last but by no means least, Catholicism has the most sublime spirituality and devotional spirit, manifested in a thousand different ways, from the monastic ideal, to the heroic celibacy of the clergy and religious, the Catholic hospitals, the sheer holiness of a Thomas a Kempis or a St. Ignatius and their great devotional books, countless saints - both canonized and as yet unknown and unsung, Mother Teresa, Pope John Paul II, Pope John XXIII, the early martyrs, St. Francis of Assisi, the events at Lourdes and Fatima, the dazzling intellect of John Henry Cardinal Newman, the wisdom and insight of Archbishop Fulton Sheen, St. John of the Cross, the sanctified wit of a Chesterton or a Muggeridge, elderly women doing the Stations of the Cross or the Rosary, Holy Hour, Benediction, kneeling - the list goes on and on. This devotional spirit is unmatched in its scope and deepness, despite many fine counterparts in Protestant and Orthodox spirituality.



So, I hope that helps: Here's a prayer to help you!



MY GOD! Source of all mercy! I acknowledge Your power.

While recalling the wasted years that are past, I believe that You, Lord, can in an instant turn this loss to gain. Miserable as I am, yet I firmly believe that You can do all things. Please restore to me the time lost, giving me Your grace,both now and the future, that I may appear before You!

Amen.



Also! Please check our this video



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vs6qZd_xP1w

Answer 10

I am Evangelical, I go to an evangelical church because i feel it sticks the most to the Bible , and doesn't have any added rituals or anything which many other groups do.

(adding stuff to the bible is V.bad as it says right at the end)



I'm not saying it's the only one that's good, as long as you believe that Christ died to save your sins, and you trust him - that's all that really matters. But i feel that an evangelical church community and teaching , really helps me and keeps me going strong.



whatever you decide, make sure you check that it actually says what youre being told , IN the Bible.

Keep trusting, I'm very happy for you.

=D

Answer 11

Honestly, noone can pick this answer for you. I was raised catholic and always went to a roman catholic church, now as an adult, I have gone to a christian church. This is something for you to figure out on your own. I would recommend going to different churches and see which makes you feel comfortable, which teachings make sense to you, etc. Also pray to God to help you make that decision. He will help, just have faith that He can guide you. If you have a gut feeling that this church is for you, its Him telling you.



:) Good Luck and welcome!

Answer 12

Please look into Church's from the restoration movement from the 1800's.

Church of christ, disciples of christ and the Christian church all started from this. It was from a group of men who wanted to get back to church basics. They wanted a church that relied on God's word/bible instead of the traditions of man over the bible.

We speak where the bible speaks and are silent where it's silent. We do not have graven images in our church, our clergy are always married with children/child since this is the biblical standard of a minister/preacher/priest.

We do not baptize babies or sprinkle since every person in the bible that was baptized was 1-immersed in water and 2- they believed the gospel of Jesus and repented first.



Please google restoration movement. You will be pleasantly surprised.

Answer 13

You are asking the wrong person here. You need to get on your knees and confess your sins before God and thank Him for sending Jesus as you saviour. ......Then ask Him to guide you to the correct church for you which, incidentally, might not be the same one that is best for someone else. No-one here knows which is best for YOU but God does.

Answer 14

you must distinguish between churchianity and christianity. a christian is one who passes the test of 2 corinthians 13:5 - is jesus in you? that is the important matter. whichever church you choose for fellowship is of less importance.

a recommendation is sola scriptura, adhering to the bible alone. don't let man impose his traditions over the word of god. he don't like that much, as jesus told the pharisees.

Answer 15

Each church has it's own way of looking at certain issues. I would say, look at the churches that are near you, maybe attend more than one...and just make your decision on which one you feel like God wants you too. Have faith, He'll show you :-). God Bless

Answer 16

First of all.....you must understand that to be a Christian is to be a believer and follower in Jesus Christ. It doesn't necessarily mean you need to join a particular church.

Answer 17

You dont have to join a church, you can believe in God without going. The kingdom of God is inside you. I dont go to church, I am a Roman Catholic, but i still believe in God.

Answer 18

Roman Catholic, Eastern Catholic, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, Syriac Christianity. Any one of these is fine, the rest I'm not too sure about. You obviously don't want to join a church that was created these days, or even earlier. You want one that's been around for quite some time.



But if I were you'd I'd become a roman catholic simply because it's mainstream and the masses are of course in english, whereas others are not such as oriental.



But the best one in my opinion is oriental or other othodox denominations. For eg. the priest doesn't face the congregation like Catholics, there is actual bread instead of the processed circular thing, the mass sings in monodic as opposed to polyphonic singing, icons, they bow instead of kneel, no eating before communion is much longer (9 hours I think) than 1 hour for Catholics, and finally the mass lasts longer than 1 hour (maybe 3 hours in total). But I only boast because I'm part of this church. Keep in mind there are different denominations because of little disagreements in teachings.



----edit----



"Well, my church was founded by Jesus Christ Himself."



No it wasn't; there was only ONE church Jesus founded, which was Christianity. Then it split into Catholic and Orthodox during the Great Schism.

Answer 19

Try a non-denominational/Bible-Believing church in your community! (Calvary Chapel perhaps.) ANY church that supports, Ravi Zacharias out there would be a great start!! <')))><

Answer 20

Find a church that teaches the bible, without compromising it, and is alive with the love of Christ. Best wishes to you.

Answer 21

Well, my church was founded by Jesus Christ Himself. It was the original church. Jesus did not intend His church to be broke like it is now. People left His church do to false rumors,teachings and prophets. Please go to the one true church. Catholic

Answer 22

Those churches have certain beliefs in common.

They all believe the trinity, immortality of the soul, hell-fire and that the good go to heaven.

That is all lies.

So reject them all.

Acts 15:14 says God would have a people for his name.

What is God's name?

Seek out those people.

Answer 23

Don't make salvation so complicated for your self.Get right with GOD and start enjoying your life in CHRIST.GOD BLESS!!

Answer 24

why are you doing that you should stay in your religion you should be proud of what and who you are i would never do that nobody would do that's right than why are you instead of being someone else you should be your self ok so please don't do that but if you stil want to than eastern catholic.

Answer 25

have to wonder why you'd want to join in a religion that can't even begin to agree with itself. **shrug**

Answer 26

Don't.

Answer 27

Church of satan is the best, satan has good music taste.

Answer 28

Christianity and it's ideology will make you do this constantly



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