I want to go to church but?

Question

I believe in God. I have since I saw my father live through aterrible illness that he should have died from and I witnessed that miracle. I want to bring God into my childrens' lives in a more full and complete way than my family did. We were not church going people, as my father was raised traditional Quaker and my mother was raised Presbyterian. My father struggled for years with church and God and how to believe. I don't necessaraly believe I have to go to church to worship Him, but would like for my children to feel Him in their life. What is a good church for me and my family and what is the best way to start going? Do you just show up? How do I know that the sunday school is good? How do I know my children will be comfortable in there while I'm listerning to the sermon? Do they have to sit with me during the sermon?How does this all work?

Just so it's known - my husband was raised catholic but very lax - and is not in any way interested in going to church-

Answer 1

For most churches, you can just show up on Sunday and see what it is like. And most churches have information on their church in the form of a pamphlet that they give to visitors (usually available from an usher, or an information table or pamphlet rack on the wall near the front door).

You will probably be expected the sit with your children during the sermon for two reasons: (1) to control your children so that they do not become a nuisance to other people; and, (2) your children will not sit there and listen to the pastor if they notice that you do not. Most churches provide a nursery or Sunday school for young children to keep them occupied while you are in the main auditorium listening to the message, so you do not have to keep them with you.

Since you are from a mixed background, why not try a nondemonational "Bible Church"? Or you could try Presbyterian or Baptist, since they are similar. Even churches of the same denomination will vary depending on the personality of the congregation (some are very friendly, while others are cold, judgemental & competitive), so you will probably have to try different churches until you find one that is a good fit.

I would choose a church that is committed to honestly teaching what the Bible actually says, even if some truths might be unpopular or culturally unacceptable. After all, you go to church to learn, not just to be told what you want to hear.

Try the link below:

Answer 2

Plain and simple coming from a Youth Pastor:

-No matter what denomation or Non-denm, make sure they believe in the whole bible, that it is error-less (because it's God's word) and that the pastor will speak on any part of it. (ask a pastor their what parts of the Bible they don't believe:if they don't belive the whole thing, how could you trust what that person says about any of it)

-There is no "Family friendly" demnomonation: if the church is family oriented, they'll have nursery for the real small ones and usally some kind of children's church for up to 5th or 6th graders during the regular service. A lot of times churchs will have some time of welcome center or at least greeters to help you point you to various things like Sunday School and nursery!

-You'll probably know excatly when you go to the right church that fits you, make sure they're friendly and outgoing, and focused on uplifting God; not themselves or trying to entertain or please the crowds.

-REMEMBER: the leaders and teachers can talk to your kids and teach them about God all day long, but if you as a parent(s) aren't backing up what the pastors say with your actions, it will all be in vain. Church doesn't bring up your kids, you do! :-)

Answer 3

I wish I could just take you and bring you to mine. I LOVE my church.
Here's how it works...
Yes, you just walk on in. haha!
Many churches today have greeters at the front door to welcome you, and give you a program. If you want to go check out the nursery, let them know and they'll show you where it is.
If you want to see the Sunday School classes and meet the teachers, just say so! People LOVE this! They'd love to show you around. If you want the kids to sit with you, they can do that, too.
Sit through the sermon, and see what you think. Most places have a time (ours does) during the service where you can say "hello" to new people, or whoever you want to say something to.
Talk to the pastor. Have him come to your house and talk with you and your family. Ask him his beliefs and tell him yours. This is a great way to find out if you will feel comfortable with that particular church or not. We are so fortunate that we have a pastor that is an opened book. He has no problem letting everyone in the congregation know about his life or letting people see him cry, and we feel very comfortable going to him with our own problems because of it.
We go to a 165 year old United Methodist church. All churches have their own unique way of doing things.
It's wonderful that you're doing this for you and for your children. Good luck to you, and God bless! :^)

Answer 4

I applaud you for seeking to give your children a spiritual background.

I would recommend church with Vineyard or a Calvary Chapel in their name. Call ahead and find the time(s) of their Sunday service and just show up. Some churches the children sit with the parents during the worship and then they go to Sunday school, but most have the children in Sunday school the whole service.

To see how good the Sunday school is, you can ask to review the curriculum, or ask how long their teachers have been teaching.

I think your kids will enjoy Sunday school; I did when I was a child. It will give them an opportunity to make friends who have a good moral background, have fun, and learn about God.

Answer 5

You ask some very good questions.

As far as finding a church goes, the best place to start is right where you are. Check the churches in your area. Some people start with something similar to what they were raised with but other people head in the opposite direction. The main thing is to ask God to guide you in your search.

My dad raised my siblings and I in a Protestant church. He did a lot of good things in his church but I do not know whether or not he ever accepted Jesus Christ as his LORD and Savior. My mom was and is a JW and I warn you to stay away from them.

I have learned to differentiate between KNOWING God and knowing ABOUT God. If you want to know Him, He will gladly help you. Otherwise you will find yourself wandering.

Reading a Bible from cover-to-cover will help you in your search. As an adult I belonged to a nice church that did lots of good works however it didn't help me in the least bit when my life fell apart. I started doing some church shopping. Yes, just show up. For some churches I went once and knew I wouldn't go back again. For others I went for several weeks, all the while asking God to help me find the place He wanted me to be.

I now belong to a Bible-believing church and that has made a tremendous difference in my life.

God bless your search!

Answer 6

Most churches have open door policies. You don't have to be invited. You might want to call first and get a feel for how things work. Maybe you should visit a few times first before taking your kids to Sunday school. Then, you should probably sit through Sunday school with them once or twice. Don't over think it. The first church you find might not be the right one. Good job. Your family will benefit more than you know.

Answer 7

I went through the same thing. I ended up trying several churches looking for the one that is right. Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian and finally Catholic. The really interesting thing is that I was liking the Presbyterian Church and went to a couple of Q&A sessions in hopes of joining. The other person in the session was a fallen away Catholic who had attended the Presbyterian Church for many years. So, the Presbyterian minister was providing all of the answers as to what Presbyterianism was in contrast to how it was different (or the same) as Catholicism. Somehow, and I am still not totally sure how, there at the Presbyterian Church listening to a Presbyterian minister, I came to realize that the Catholic Church was the one true church.

One really nice thing about the Catholic Church is that you get fully educated on what it is that they believe and what it means to be a Catholic. You go to a years worth of weekly classes just to become Catholic. One of my sisters ended up becoming Presbyterian. She just sort of started attending, and I don't think she really knows anything about her faith. My other sister joined me in the Catholic faith, incidentally.

My recommendation is to talk to your friends, see if they like their church. Visit many different churches, but most of all do some research because it isn't about what "feels" good to you. It is about finding truth.

If you have any interest in discovering what it is that Catholics believe, you should be able to find most of your answers here:

http://www.catholic.com/default.asp

http://www.scripturecatholic.com/

Answer 8

well pick a church and then talk to the pastor, the pastor will be able to answer any questions that you have for the church (for example: about the sunday school, what they believe, what they're mission statement as a church is, etc)...and you can just go, and a good chuch will be welcoming and would love for you to join them in their worship...you don't have to be put through any initiation or anything to attend church (and if you do then don't go to that "church" because it is probably a cult of some sort and not in fact a church)...as for picking out the church, if you have any neighbors that go ask them about their church or you can look through your phone book...one more thing, the sunday school thing, if they aren't comfortable at first they can usually go in with you as long as they don't disturb people and after awhile they'll probably want to go to the sunday school because it is more fun, but whatever works for them...i wish you the best of luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 9

Well, first, I would research different denominations to see which fits your core belief system the best.

Then, I would look in the phone book or intenet to locate churches near you. Then I would call them and talk to people there and get a schedule of services.

Then, certainly, just show up! Talk to people there, and to the clergypeople. See if you are comfortable and if it is a good fit. If not, move on to the next one down the line.

One thing... my family is mixed religions (Lutheran/Catholic/Jewish) and we like to go to services on a local military base since it is a shared location for services (there is one chapel that all denominations use) and the clergypeople work together, so we are all comfortable.

Good luck, and blessings to you and yours!

Answer 10

First I want to commend you on wantin to go to church because that means that you are seekin to know God on another level and thats great because God wants us to know him. And I want to applaud you for wantin your children to know God in a real way.

If you want to go to church, then GO! There is no specific strategic way to find a church... you can ask a friend, look in the phone book, watch t.v and look for a commercial of a church, ask God to lead you to the right one, or all of the above. And once you get to one you will know by how you feel... once you are greeted, once you have listened to the sermon and how you feel after the sermon, and by what your children say they did in class!

About your children in class, children are very complex being, so goin in a Sunday School is just like them goin to class at school (except they are learning about God at sunday school)... they will be uncomfortable departin from you first (dependin on age) and then once they get to know the teacher and a few of the students they will love it.