Church, religion, denominations

[RiverRat1]

I've noticed quite a few people have stopped going to church over the last few years. I understand each person has their own reason/s.
But please remember most all churches are different. There are very good Bible based churches out there. You may have to search hard and weed out 5, 10 or even 20 "bad" churches in order to find a very good one.

I post this because I know a couple guys that I fear visited a couple churches and they assume all churches are either the same or close enough so they don't even try anymore. I remember when my family was part of a church that we ended up leaving (far drive and our kids were almost teenagers that needed a close youth group) and holy moly it was horrible visiting churches in the Cedar Park area. I could not believe how many of them were plumb crazy.

It's worth the effort to find a good church home. Please do not give up. Ask other TBHers if you need to for churches to visit.

[kry226]

Yup, but also very much predicted by the Bible. Many folks these days are looking for churches with preaching that "tickles their ears" instead of keeping them accountable.

"I don't go to church because of all the hypocrites."

"Well, come on anyway. There's always room for one more."

There are great churches out there. Good post.

[huntingtx]

If you’re in Austin come check out AustinRidge Bible Church

[Double C]

People aren’t perfect, and neither are churches. We go because we are broken and seek relationship with the Lord. Find one that feels good, and give the people there some grace for their human failings too.

[60 Deluxe]

There is a meme that I see posted occasionally on Facebook that says something along the line that if your church changes to fit in with the people, you no longer have a church. I have to agree with that. Life long Lutheran here. Missouri Synod, not the liberal Lutherans that bend over backwards to be politically correct.

[RiverRat1]

My original post was not meant in any way to try and make anyone feel bad for their excuse. It's to try and help some understand there is a HUGE difference in most church denominations. If I never went and seen a Lutheran service I'd have no idea how different it was from a Bible Church service or Church of God or old school Baptist etc. There are too many to list these days.

So I can easily see a new believer trying to find a church home simply giving up after 2 or 3 churches. Or someone raised in a Church they find has bad teachings that do not follow the Bible not understanding there are some that try super hard to follow the Bible.

[Jesse]

Yes completely agree. Though it was spoken of in the bible we must try our best to help as many as we can. If anybody is in the San Antonio area try Living Word Church off 410/Fredericksburg. They stick to the bible and are family friendly.

[60 Deluxe]

My original post was not meant in any way to try and make anyone feel bad for their excuse. It's to try and help some understand there is a HUGE difference in most church denominations. If I never went and seen a Lutheran service I'd have no idea how different it was from a Bible Church service or Church of God or old school Baptist etc. There are too many to list these days.

So I can easily see a new believer trying to find a church home simply giving up after 2 or 3 churches. Or someone raised in a Church they find has bad teachings that do not follow the Bible not understanding there are some that try super hard to follow the Bible.

My post was meant to inform new believers that there are churches out there to avoid. Without getting deeply into the Bible, which is nearly impossible for a new believer, they don't know if what they are hearing is correct or heresy. Perhaps spending some spare time listening to some sermons by Adrian Rodgers, David Jeremiah, and Billy Graham would give them a good foundation in the Gospel. When I look for sermons to listen to, if I hear anything said about God wanting to bless us with riches or good health, I move on. The Gospel is the good news of salvation and spending eternity with God. What it isn't about is nice houses, fat bank accounts, and wonderful health. If you don't hear about Christ crucified and being victorious over death, you are not hearing the story of the depth of God's love for mankind. It is a wonderful blessing that I want to hear about daily. OK, I'm off the soapbox and need to get ready for church. May God bless ya'll!

[rjtkdplus]

Amen! Remember, The Church is not a place, it is the body of believers. We are all members of one body 1 Corinthians 12. Also, you’ll probably never find a place where you agree with everything that is said or happening there. That is a good thing. Make sure the place you attend believes in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus and don’t quarrel over the rest. To quote Jase Robertson, “ Eat the fish and spit out the bones”. Because people will fail you but Jesus will not. Do your part to make your local assembly better.

[Death from Above]

Biblical fruit is unattainable outside the Bride of Christ.

the church is Gods intended method for the propagation of the Gospel and the discipleship that follows.

it is a prideful person that claims Jesus and rejects His Bride.

blessings in this fine Lords day all!

happy fathers day!

[sasqy]

Was going every Sunday, before we moved 1.5 hrs west !
trued numerous Church’s , only to wind up not liking any of them. Went two years without. Noticed big difference without weekly teaching. Found a great Church finally. And they have a 9:30 service, which is much easier to attend than an 11 o’clock church. Bible based church that speaks the truth. Great music, and multiple pastors. Seems to be spot on.
Been going for a while now, and really helps with the War inside my head.
Check ‘em out !!
“Grace Fellowship” Paradise Tx.
PS they have online services, lots to do with the youth, and they don’t hound you for money.
And hot cookie and hot coffee when you get there .
Find the right Church whatever you do !
Cant learn, if we are not taught.

[BlessedVeteran0305]

We have a REALLY good church up here in the DFW area with 4 campuses. Frisco East, West, Mckinney and Prosper. They also broadcast live on YT. If your looking for a pastor that hits it home every time and always makes you feel like he's preaching directly to you. Give Hope fellowship a try. I will say this pastor John is by far the best pastor I've ever learned from but when he gets his other campus pastors to fill in I don't feel as connected and one I won't watch. They have a service Friday night, Saturday night, and Sunday morning. The best part is you can attend or watch any service from the comfort of your own home. I encourage anyone looking for a church or even just wanting to try someone new to give it a try. Hope Fellowship. God Bless

[DaveC]

I know this subject could open a can of worms, so I'll just slide it here on this thread-
Calvinism, I've read some Wikipedia articles discussing it.
Calvinism - Wikipedia (yeah, I know vetting doctrine via Wikipedia is a laugh, but there it is )
Some of it doesn't sit right with what I've been taught my whole life, but maybe i was taught wrong?

Free Will vs Predestination. I can see good arguments for both beliefs.

The reason I bring it up, our Church's pastor of 5 years has disclosed to some of the members in the last 3 or so that he believes in Predestination.
As far as I know he never stood in front of the Congregation and explained how he got there, it was just whispered around like good gossip.

As a result of his preaching style and beliefs, ~2/3's of the church membership has left. (not a hard #, but sure feels that way)
Since then, a new flock has arrived bringing the church's membership numbers to about 1/2 of what it once was before he was voted into the position.


My wife and I have been members here almost 20 year and so far have stayed.
Partly because I haven't heard anything contrary to normal Christian doctrine coming from the pulpit or in Bible study.

Although the Predestination does pop up from time to time.... when I look into it I'm left semi-confused but can still see some validity in it....


I serve on the security team and our membership didn't go unscathed.
We are down to 6 from what once was 12 or so.
2 of the 6 that left run the deer lease I'm on. That's made for some interesting "around the campfire" discussions.
If I leave the team will be in an even tighter scheduling pickle than it currently is.
The training part of being on the team adds a "fun" element to being able to serve in a church role. (not easy to do for a shift worker)


Due to the declining numbers and who left in the Exodus, my wife doesn't feel at home there anymore and wants to start looking around..

I haven't felt led to leave, but if someone walked up and asked if I knew a good church to attend in the area, I'd be hard pressed to recommend the one I'm a member of as I just don't know what to think about this.

And that right there is telling.....

So is this Predestination / Calvinism just a debatable topic or a reason to pick up and leave?

[RiverRat1]

Debates like this are one reason people do not attend church IMO. People are too hard core one way or the other.
Someone start a "Looking for church" thread and then we can talk about specific topics.

[Double C]

DaveC… I was at a church with almost identical issue. It ended up breaking the church sadly. Those are deep issues that have been debated for 100s of years. Folks that think they have the mysteries of that topic figured out is definition of arrogance imo. Sounds like you are humble enough to not let it break fellowship over or quarreling over which is the way I see it.

Iike RR said, the infighting turn off potential members or those seeking Christ and that’s the saddest thing of all.

To those looking for a Church… there are styles for all, and I’d encourage you to keep looking.