Which denomination of Christianity is best for me?

Question

My boyfriend and I are looking to start attending church again. We're both in college on the east coast. We grew up on the west coast, where he attended a Baptist church when he was young and I attended a Lutheran church. We both stopped attending around middle school and would like to find a church again.

We don't really know where to start. He felt like Baptism was kind of extreme in terms of how conservative they were, and I was too young to really understand the nuances of being Lutheran. We're looking for a denomination that's fairly liberal, not too strict in terms of dress code, and not really extreme (ie churches that hate gay people, creationist).

Does it just depend on the church and not the denomination? Should we just start attending different churches to find the best fit? I guess, either way, it would help to know which denomination churches would definitely not fit what we are looking for so we could rule those out when we start looking...

Thank you so much.

Also, how do the denominations differ in terms of beliefs??

Answer 1

The bible does not speak about any denominations. So a specific denomination should not be your concern. The church that you attend does. I would put a red flag on a church that claims that they you must earn or serve your way to salvation. A church that claims that you must meet certain requirements for salvation. When visiting a church be sure to ask those attending, if Jesus is God. You both being from a babtist and lutheran church, lets me know that you both believe that Christ is God. I hope that you get a bible and read these verses, before choosing a church. These verses will help you to know if the church that you are attending is biblical.
1 John 4: 7 - 21
John 1: 1 - 18
Ephesians 2: 1 - 10
Romans 1: 8 - 17
Galatians 3: 1 - 14
Titus 2: 1 - 15
Hebrew 9: 23 - 28
Hebrew 10: 1 - 39
Romans 8: 1 - 17
Romans 12: 1 - 21
These are just a few of the verses that speak about what we are to look in a true church. If you wish to have me give you more verses to read. I am open to that. Please be specific on what it is that you are asking. I pray that your prayers and faith towards God. You let God guide you and your boyfriend to the true church for you.
Thank you for your time.
Jeffery

Answer 2

Good luck in researching the Christian Religion for the best denomination. As of 2001 there were 33,820 separate and distinct denominations (1). As far as picking the best church remember that the only source for what their individual theologies prescribe is the Holy Bible subject to the various and numerous interpretations of these denominations, so I suggest researching the Bible first.

One pertinent passage in the Bible that I think bears directly on church attendance is: Matthew 6:5-8.

If you have to Be something like a Baptist or a Lutheran then just find a church which fits both your likes and dislikes and go with that; It is not important what denomination you swear obedience to in my opinion as the passage mentioned above implies they are all mostly wrong (2).

Merry Christmas and a successful New year, Love!

Answer 3

Hello, Merry Christmas, first and foremost. :]

I think this is a kind of question that you should ask yourselves instead of others. You will only get bias answers (from myself including, I think, because being Roman Catholic, I would suggest you go to a Catholic church, haha). My second suggestion would be for the both of you to attend difference churches, speak to the priests or nuns or pastors or bishops or whomever, and see what fits the both of you. What you feel most comfortable with. Though I am Roman Catholic, I as an individual, have my own opinion on things. No matter what church you choose, you should always keep that in mind, you know? You're an individual. You want a personal, intimate relationship with Jesus and God, and no one can tell you anything or judge you for anything but God.

Answer 4

You'd probably be better off in a Lutheran, Episcopal or even some Catholic Churches. Baptists - as a stereotype - tend to be very judgmental of others and I disagree with their stance on infant Baptism.

Remember, it's perfectly acceptable to be a part of a church and not agree 100% with it's doctrine. I consider myself doctrinally Roman Catholic, yet regularly attend a Lutheran church. The key is never be afraid to think for yourself and come to conclusions based on your own study and prayer.

Answer 5

Try the belief-o-Matic at Beliefnet:

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/76/story_...

You answer 20 questions about what you believe, and it tells you what church or religion you best fit into. It's lots of fun!

Personally I church-hopped for a few years trying to find one where I felt the spirit, and the one which was everything I had been looking for was the LDS church. So I shall naturally recommend you look into that. Go to www.mormon.org.

Answer 6

Currently, the Pentecostals have the correct doctrine.
By Pentecostals, I dont mean the TV evangelist types. There are Pentecostal churches that are Bible based, and you ought to find one such.
They help you to recieve the Holy Spirit. And once you've receive it (or Him rather), you wouldn't have to worry much about being liberal or conservative, because he'll guide you into all truth, and its a real blessed experience.

Answer 7

Seventh Day Adventist. They actually follow what the Bible says. And also pray and ask the Lord to direct to the right church. I would like to know which church you choose in the end.God Bless you

Exodus 20 verse
008: Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
009: Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
010: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
011: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Answer 8

try DEISM -
there is no church
just a personal belief that God made the universe,
Jesus was a good teacher but that's all he was,
and the Bible is full of fairy stories.

It makes sense.

belief-o-matic is at a new URL

Answer 9

You may find this link interesting. It's a quiz to determine which Christian tradition is best suited to your beliefs.
http://selectsmart.com/plus/select.php?url=denomtradition

Answer 10

You would be better being a Catholic