Christians: how do you know your in the right sect or denominations since there's so many??

Question

or Better yet, how do you choose which is right for you...

Answer 1

I am not a part of a denomination. I am a Christian. And the church I attend is purposely nondenominational, we desire everyone to be united in Christ and to live by the Bible the best we possibly can.

In Essentials Unity, in Nonessentials Liberty.

Answer 2

Finding a Church you agree with could be a life-time search...
And I still haven't found one that is Perfect.


The first thing is, you have to read the Bible and know what you believe...

Then, Look up some different demonitions....read their statement of Faith....Find out what they believe...

One of the major differences you'll bump into is the timing of when Jesus second coming is. Some beleive Jesus will return to rapture them before a great tribultion, and others believe what the Bible says and agree even the Saints will face the great tribulation.

Look up Bible Verses, and make sure what they believe is within good standing of the Christian Faith and agrees Biblically.

For example, what are the prerequisites for Matthew 24:30?

Read Your Bible....Know the Prophecy.

When you finally find a Church...
If they say something incorrect, politely ask them to prove it to you and show you why they believe that. If they come with "well, nobody really knows, but we believe such and such..." then that's a flasing warning sign that the church you're in is teaching a false doctrine....because if they can't prove it to you with a Firm belief, then they are wishy-washy and false and shouldn't be preaching on the subject....


The truth is, it's in the Bible, and they just don't know, and have followed false shepards themselves and have been led astray.

I wish I could give you a list of recomendations, but it would not be fair to you. The Bible is something we all need to read, and come together with those who understand it the same way.

I wish you the best of Luck...

Answer 3

I want a church that has the following;
- meaningful worship,
- supporting missions
- strong children's ministry
- Biblically based teaching
- balance, not too much focus on any one area of the faith

I get uncomfortable when there is too much 'flash' - a very subjective measure.

There are some denominations that I will not have anything to do with at this point, given their very secular positions on a wide range of issues, and a departure from traditional orthodox Christian views.

In general, and this is a personal opinion, I like the Assembly's of God, Foursquare, Vineyard as well as various non-affiliated 'Bible' churches.

There are some specific issues that bother me about some denominations in general, and some bother me due to past negative experiences.

Answer 4

If you are a child of God's, you are in His denomination, not a manmade denomination.

Now there are many manmade denominations to go and fellowship in. Which one is the best, none of them are any better than the next. Its just the one you feel more at home, peace, etc while attending.

Most of the denominations (churches) consist of family and close friends. If an outsider comes, he/she has to prove themself to the rest... which turns me completely off of being a 'member' of that church (denomination).

One the excommunicates members I avoid as well.

I'm like Rachel, I call myself a Christian.... I used to go by Baptist; but, then God showed me that no man made denomination is the "true" one. Therefore, I stopped saying Baptist and started saying Christian. Even my military id tags say Christian on them.

Answer 5

Dont get caught up in denomination or tradition. I am Christian, why? Because I follow Christ and try to live according to his laws. His laws are written out plainly in the New Testament. He tells us what he wants from us... plain and simple. Being obediant to those things is what makes you Christian... not the denomination of Church... tradition and denomination are just another way to seperate the body of Christ. All I want is to have a genuine relationship with Him and to do his will, as he has plainly instructed me to!

.

Answer 6

I'm not a Christian, but I have felt the presence of God in different churches. I have not been to very many different ones, but the different ones I have been to (Methodist, Catholic, and Charismatic) have all had some good points. I think a lot of the differences are based on style of worship. Some people may benefit from more ritualistic styles, and others may benefit from more free-spirited styles. It depends on your personality and what works for you.

I realize that they also teach different doctrines, but most of them do agree on the essentials. So I think one needs to ask themselves what they are looking for in a church, and choose one that has what they are looking for. It does not make the others wrong.

Answer 7

Mine is non-denominational. You choose based on their statement of faith.

Do they believe the Bible to be the inspired, infallible, authoritative, and the inerrant Word of God? (II Timothy 3:15-17, II Peter 1:21 ).

Do they believe there is one God, eternally existing in three persons: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit?(Genesis 1:1, Deuteronomy 6:4, Matthew 28:19, John 10:30).

Do they believe in the deity of Christ (John 10:33); His virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23, Luke 1:34-35); His sinless life (Hebrews 4:15, 7:26); His miracles (John 2:11); His vicarious and atoning death (I Corinthians 15:3, Ephesians 1:7, Hebrews 2:9); His resurrection (John 11:25, I Corinthians 15:4); His ascension to the right hand of the Father (Mark 16:19); His personal return to earth in power and glory? (Acts 1:11, Revelation 19:11-13, Revelation 19:14-16

Do they believe in the absolute necessity of regeneration by the Holy Spirit for salvation because of the exceeding sinfulness of the human nature, and that all are justified on the single ground of faith in the shed blood of Christ, and that only by God's grace through faith alone are we saved? (John 3:16-19; John 5:24, Romans 3:23; Romans 5:8-9, Ephesians 2:8-10, Titus 3:5).

Do they believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; those who are saved unto the resurrection of life, and those who are not unto the resurrection of damnation? (John 5:28-29).

Do they believe in the spiritual unity of the believers in our Lord Jesus Christ? (Romans 8:9, I Corinthians 12:12-13, Galatians 3:26-28).

Do they believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by Whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life? (Romans 8:13-14, I Corinthians 3:16; I Corinthians 6:19-20, Ephesians 4:30; Ephesians 5:18).

Do they believe that we as Christians are examples of the love of God in this world. It is this (agape) love that we desire to possess and without which we have no right to call ourselves Christians? (I John 4:16-17).

Use the above criteria, and you can't go wrong.

Answer 8

I've been in many different Christian churches of many different denominations. There is little difference. It's all based around Christ. The differences are just in worship style.

Answer 9

My denomination (the Episcopal Church) is right for me. But I'm not going to claim that it's the one true church, or that it's right for everybody else in the world. Other people may prefer different styles of worship. My church appeals to me personally because it stands for things that I feel are right (justice and equality, for starters). How do you choose which denomination is right for you? Study. Research. Read. Attend services.

Answer 10

A great question!

As an atheist in 1995, I decided to prove Christianity false. However, I ran into the very problem that your question addresses. How can I prove Christianity false...when there are so many different denominations, etc...?

But the answer came fairly quickly...the Bible! The Bible was the one book that all denominations have in common. So, quite logically, I decided that if I read the Bible and proved it wrong, I would have my case against all of Christianity, no matter what the denomination...

Of course, in a dramatic night...after reading Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...I became a voice-piece for God. That is, a Christian.

However, being a part of NO denomination and having NO Christian friends...I had NO idea which church to go to!

And so began my search and assessment of churches and denominations.

But the answer is obvious...I could read and study the Bible for myself...and see what it said. When I visited a church that said something different (as MANY do), it was an easy decision...and I left that church and denomination.

Then, I studied various denominations and studied the things that separated them...not only from a historical point of view, but also from a theological point of view. BUT ALWAYS holding ALL things against what the Bible says.

This, of course, took a TON of personal Bible study. And then became even more difficult as I studied various "expositions" and "commentaries" on the Bible to help my studies, though many came from various denominations and various points of view.

But, being very logical and sensible, I compared each of these...and read and studied the Bible myself...and investigated what each "side" of a debate said about the other "side" of a debate, etc...

In the end, I found that many "sides" of certain debates were quite clueless...didn't even know what that there was another "side", or couldn't defend its own side very well, or had no rebuttal to the other side's arguments. Meanwhile, the other side had a more Biblical explanation, backed by TONS of scripture, often had very lengthy, logical, and Biblical rebuttals to the other "side", etc...!

The "deepest" or most "thorough" of ALL denominations would easily have to be found in the "Reformed" denominations...reformed baptists, reformed presbyterians, etc.

The MOST shallow teaching and LEAST thorough of all denominations (quite unfortunately) are the charismatics...who are growing in leaps and bounds in America today...and becoming more and more influential...

In the end, I believe Acts 17:11 is VERY important...which basically encourages "searching" or studying the Bible, to hold ALL things accountable to the Word of God.

With this, certain so-called "sects" or "denominations" can EASILY be thrown out the window...such as:
Jehovah's Witnesses
Mormonism
Christian Science

Which, after analysis, would better be called "cults" than true Christian denominations...as their fundamental beliefs contradict basic Biblical and Gospel truths.

After this, differences become more subtle...hinging on difficult concepts, like infant (presbyterians) versus adult baptism (baptists), the baptism of the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues (charismatics, pentecostals), etc...

Or even MORE difficult are the issues of "free will" and "predestination"...as well as Biblical understandings of the Sovereignty of God...and man's responsibility...!

Reformed Baptists and the PCA (Presbyterian Church of America) tend to be very solid and DEEP regarding this from a Biblical perspective...which is why I have ended up "siding" with these "camps", though I have been to many strong "non-denominational" or "interdenominational" churches...which tend to be a denomination in their own right, though trying to avoid that category (they are more "reformed" in their teaching)!

But in the end, a Christian (such as myself)...is...a Christian...a child of God. I am a part of the "invisible" church. On this side of heaven, where sin is so prevalent, NO church (or denomination) is "perfect"...and ALL people (including pastors and elders of churches) will disappoint us.

The book of Revelation speaks of various churches, which could be thought of as various "denominations"...and God had good and bad things to speak about nearly all of them.

So it is with many of the denominations today. Good and
bad could be spoken about each one by God. Some, more bad than good...and vice versa.

My walk with Christ has been DEEPLY enriched as I have delved into various denominations, gleaning many good things from them...and tossing out other bad things from them. The Bible even speaks of this...to "test all things, and hold on to that which is good." Good...is Bible-based truth. And this, is revealed by God through the Holy Spirit, but always in accordance with His Word. I have gained the MOST from the more "reformed" denominations (reformed baptists and PCA)...and not a little from the "charismatics".

I do not hesitate for ONE second pointing ANYBODY to the following:
http://www.desiringgod.org/

This is "reformed Baptist", though I am not a Baptist.

I wish I could safely lead people to other ministries and denominations, but there just aren't many that are all that good...and many that are down-right horrible (especially some of the mega-churches in America).

But in the end...

In Heaven, there won't be ANY denominations. We will be ONE in Christ, just as Christ is ONE with the Father!

...and, as Jesus prophesied in Matthew 13, the "wheat" are even now being gathered TOGETHER...to be one with Him forever...

He who has ears, let him hear!