no idea what i should be

[Shanna66]

ive got no idea what type of christian i should be, what type of church i should join.

ive tried praying and asking god what to do but i havent been given a sign yet.

what are some of the different types of chirches and what makes them different from each other? as of right now i dont know enough to choose what i should belong to. i cant ask my grandmother because she just wants me to join her church.  

[Shadows-shine]

Within Christianity there are so many different sects; Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Southern Baptist, Protestant, Presbyterian, Weslyian, LDS, non denominational...There are probably more, but I can't think of them off the top of my head. I only really know the beliefs of the LDS and the Protestants well. The others I only have a surface knowledge of.

This answer may sound cliche (sorry if it does) but you just have to let the Spirit guide you. You have to trust Heavenly Father to guide you, but you also have to get up and try some different chuches out and find the one that feels right to you, and when it's the correct one, Heavenly Father will let you know.

Did that help?  

[Scarlet_Teardrops]

I personally am a member of the Church of the Brethren. Essentially, this denomination holds to simple living and adult baptism, and puts a great deal of emphasis on peace and caring for the world. As all denominations should, but not all do. It is Trinitarian, for the most part, but I'm sure there are unitarian churches of the Brethren out there. You're trinitarian, though, so you don't really have to worry about that.

It's a good denomination with a lot of variety in it.

Methodists are generally Trinitarian as well. They believe that the holy sacraments of communion and baptism are also sacrifices to God. They're big on logic, reason, and missionary work.

Baptists also believe the Trinitarian view (it's very common and for good reason). They also believe that true believers endure through to the end. Basically, if you fall away from Christianity, you weren't really saved to begin with. It's sort of the whole "once saved always saved" belief. Baptisms for them are generally done through immersion. I think that's the only way they do it, actually.

Lutheran is also Trinitarian (you should be noticing a pattern here). They emphasize that salvation is done through Christ and Christ alone. Meaning no works can do anything for you. They also believe that any good deeds that are done by us are through the grace of God, and that simple faith in Christ alone is good enough for salvation.

Pentecostals place great emphasis on the Holy Spirit and the works of the Holy Spirit. They are sometimes also known as "charismatics". They're big on miracles through the power of faith. They also believe that all true believers of Christ will be able to speak tongues. As most of us here probably have never spoken in tongues, they would not consider us to be true Christians.

The Vineyard denomination is very similar to the Pentecostals, except that they do not hold that every true Christian will be able to speak in tongues. They are also more in tune with reasoning and logic than some might say for the Pentecostals. Essentially, they're a watered down Pentecostals denomination.

All of these denominations are Protestant. Now I will talk a little bit about the Catholic Church. This is a broad summary, as the Catholic Church also has different "denominations".

The Catholic Church generally holds to the transubstantiation view of the sacrament of communion. Instead of the bread and wine being symbolic of Christ's flesh and blood, they actually BECOME Christ's flesh and blood through the power of God. The Catholic Church also holds to infant baptism. If you have all ready been baptized as an infant, the Catholic Church does not believe you can be baptized again. They view it as wrong.

The Catholic Church also holds to the belief of prayer for intercession by the saints. Essentially, asking other believers in heaven to pray for them. The issue with this is that, through Christ, we have a direct connection to God. We don't need believers in heaven to pray for us. The Holy Spirit is sufficient.

You will also notice that the Catholic Church is quite different from Protestant denominations in its ways of church service and worship. I don't know much about the actual worship service as I've never been to one. But it's different. That's all I can say.

The Catholic Church is also Trinitarian.

So those are some major beliefs about some of the various groups in Christianity. I hope it helped. If you have any questions about other denominations, I'd be glad to oblige you. heart
 

[Shanna66]

thanks, you both helped alot.

i dont know if im right for the catholic faith or lutheran because of alot of my views on things

the church of the brethren sounds really interesting. ill try to learn more about all the ones you listed and pray on it some more  

[Shadows-shine]

I attended Catholic mass for a short time in life and there were a lot of things that went on that just didn't sit well with me. Plus a lot of the names in the church hierarchy (pope, arch-bishop, cardinal) are not biblical names. The whole idea of confessing to a priest is not biblical either, infant baptism is not supported by scripture as well. So no, I would not reccommend the Catholic religion.  

[Scarlet_Teardrops]

Shadows-shine

I attended Catholic mass for a short time in life and there were a lot of things that went on that just didn't sit well with me. Plus a lot of the names in the church hierarchy (pope, arch-bishop, cardinal) are not biblical names. The whole idea of confessing to a priest is not biblical either, infant baptism is not supported by scripture as well. So no, I would not reccommend the Catholic religion.

Well, confessing to one another is supported by the Bible. But forced confession to a priest specifically is not.
 

[Shadows-shine]

Scarlet_Teardrops

Shadows-shine

I attended Catholic mass for a short time in life and there were a lot of things that went on that just didn't sit well with me. Plus a lot of the names in the church hierarchy (pope, arch-bishop, cardinal) are not biblical names. The whole idea of confessing to a priest is not biblical either, infant baptism is not supported by scripture as well. So no, I would not reccommend the Catholic religion.

Well, confessing to one another is supported by the Bible. But forced confession to a priest specifically is not.

Yea I know that, but I dont think it was intended to be like how the Catholics do it. Where they ask the priest to forgive them for the sin instead of going to God for the forgiveness.  

[Scarlet_Teardrops]

Shadows-shine

Scarlet_Teardrops

Shadows-shine

I attended Catholic mass for a short time in life and there were a lot of things that went on that just didn't sit well with me. Plus a lot of the names in the church hierarchy (pope, arch-bishop, cardinal) are not biblical names. The whole idea of confessing to a priest is not biblical either, infant baptism is not supported by scripture as well. So no, I would not reccommend the Catholic religion.

Well, confessing to one another is supported by the Bible. But forced confession to a priest specifically is not.

Yea I know that, but I dont think it was intended to be like how the Catholics do it. Where they ask the priest to forgive them for the sin instead of going to God for the forgiveness.

Agreed.
 

[squeakygirl]

I am Baptist. Always have been.

I have visited a few other Baptist churches and they just never felt right. Either the atmosphere wasn't there or the Preacher didn't use the Bible I prefer (KJV) or they said something I just didn't agree with.

I have also been to a few churches of other denominations. I have found that I am Baptist through and through.

You will never know until you go.  

[Lusitana]

♩♪♫ 𝔪𝔲𝔰𝔦𝔠 𝔱𝔬 𝔪𝔶 𝔢𝔞𝔯𝔰 ♫♪♩

i am catholic christian. uuh... neocathecumenal.

i think, about this, you should look for the one which calls you more to get near to God.  

[Grace from God]

Shanna66

ive got no idea what type of christian i should be, what type of church i should join.

ive tried praying and asking god what to do but i havent been given a sign yet.

what are some of the different types of chirches and what makes them different from each other? as of right now i dont know enough to choose what i should belong to. i cant ask my grandmother because she just wants me to join her church.

I was in your situation about a year ago, confused about what kind of Christian I should be and what church to attend. But I've decided to be non-denominational. Christ isn't divided, so why should we? (1 Corinthians 1) I've tried to attend various churches, but haven't found any that I was comfortable with when it came to what they preached and how they had fellowship. So now, I just study the word with my fiance everyday and I have fellowship through Gaia. ^^ Someday I hope to join a church that was like the church in the NT... where disciples actually lived together, rather than just meet a few times a week lol. It would be cool to have a church where all the members lived in the same house and watched out for each other 24/7... someday.  

[-xAngel of Redemptionx-]

Well there's a name i haven't seen in a while

Catholicism....oh boy. There are 23 separate rites.

Don't listen to what you hear about Catholicism from people on the street and such, they're just out there to ruin Catholicism. I personally have a problem with many of the Church's doctrines. I personally don't agree with calling the Pope "Holy Father" (instead i refer to Pope Benedict as "Darth Benedict" due to the resemblance with Darth Sidious). The forced confession once a year, i do believe is not true (i've had the priests i've confessed to say you SHOULD do it about once a year, considering you never know when you are going to be called home). Frankly i also have a problem with infant baptism, it wasn't my choice to be baptized then. But the reason for it, is that the parents of the child make a commitment to raise him/her as a Catholic. But i've since chosen Christ for myself (and rejected Catholicism, as i chose it because of my parents, i've never truly wanted it).


@Luna, what rite are you of? I've never heard of the Neocathecumenal.

Unless you are referring to the Neocathecumenal Way  

[Hizuma the Troublesome]

Personally I am Apostolic Pentecostal. My heart led me to it because it feels more real to me than any church I have ever been in before or since. And the Apostles in Acts spoke in tongues, as have the three thousands added to them that day, so why do people believe that they cannot.

And calling all Pentecostals "charismatic" is simply wrong. We believe what the Bible says, plain and simple, instead of adding in a bunch of nonsense gibberish.

And for saying we are not in tune with reason or logic...
Why do you think we are some of the few that believe there is One God?  

[Scarlet_Teardrops]

Hizuma the Troublesome

Personally I am Apostolic Pentecostal. My heart led me to it because it feels more real to me than any church I have ever been in before or since. And the Apostles in Acts spoke in tongues, as have the three thousands added to them that day, so why do people believe that they cannot.

And calling all Pentecostals "charismatic" is simply wrong. We believe what the Bible says, plain and simple, instead of adding in a bunch of nonsense gibberish.

And for saying we are not in tune with reason or logic...
Why do you think we are some of the few that believe there is One God?

I do believe people can speak in tongues. But if you judge people by whether they can speak in tongues or not as being Christian or not Christian, you are in the wrong.

Completely.

Paul addresses gifts in his epistles. Not everyone has the same gifts. Meaning not every Christian will speak in tongues.

I never called you charistmatics. I simply said that you were sometimes also known as charismatics. Referring to other people's views. Not my own.

I also said "more in tune with reasoning and logic than some might say for the Pentecostals..."

Than some might say. I never included myself in that group. But I have heard people say that Pentecostals have no reason or logic. I don't agree. I, personally, am a strong believer in miracles and the power of the Holy Spirit. It seems illogical to not believe in the power of the Holy Spirit.

So don't assume that I'm downing the Pentecostals. I'm not. However, I don't like the fact that they judge Christians based on specific gifts.

There is only one God. Not three gods. You can say that God was talking to the angels when He said "let us create"...but angels do not have the ability to create. So He couldn't have been talking to them.

And so you must find another way to explain this. The Trinitarian view is reasonable and logical. I have made a perfectly good case for it a number of times.

So please don't put words in my mouth. Thanks.
 

[Ametrin]

So pentecostals don't believe in the Trinity? I didn't know that.

As for an advice for the OP, I suppose you should first find out which options you have in your area and then pray about it, research on the churches' teachings and also visit them to see what it's like there and how you feel there; I suppose also the people there will be willing to talk to you about what you want to know about their church. Nothing wrong with exploring a bit before you settle down in a church.