Posted on 01/30/2022 4:47:46 PM PST by the OlLine Rebel
Just a query to those more knowledgeable and savvy, about church denominations.
Actually, I mean ANY division of organized Christian religion.
I am frustrated by so many churches now, with all the nonsense of the last 2 years. Paying homage to BLM and homos and bowing down to every COVID decree.
Everyone says what was our church, Lutheran Church - MO Synod (LCMS), is good for being true. However, after the riots started I saw a bit too much virtue-signaling. The only thing I can say was the website did not seem to specify blacks and BLM, but the statement seemed to be self-concsious again about looking like social justice proponents.
So, I’m thinking of looking for other churches, which might happen to be reasonably close to us.
If you go to NAPARC.org you will find a large list of Bible believing churches in the US. Find one near you and see how it goes.
Visit SLBC.org. But the One True Church is the one spiritual entity Jesus by the Holy Spirit started on the day of Pentecost. That church has continued since then because the hallmark of that church is that God is ABIDING in the born again spirit of every member (see 1 John 3:9). Jopin THAT CHURCH and you are in eternal life from then on by God’s Promise.
SBC (sadly) is going woke. Many of the individual churches aren’t, but the to echelon is.
Stay with independent instead of having tithes and offerings sent to the Convention.
Jesus started the church and was a Jew. The first church was Jewish. The Apostles went to church on Saturday. They observed the Leviticus 23 Feasts days and observed the true Sabbath. All of the Scripture was given to the Jews, all covenants were made with the Jews.
Then came the Roman Catholic church in 325 AD and paganism was introduced to the church. The Babylonian religion that worshiped idols, several gods, and changed Scriptures, times and laws. They forbade worship on Sabbath, changed the Feast days of God to Christmas and Easter, and declared the pope could change what Jesus said. The Bible calls her the "Whore of Babylon". All these denominations that you named Broke Off of the "Mother Church". They are just daughters of the "Whore". The True church would follow the first church that follows the Bible.
IMO, you won't be happy until you get back to what God says to His people, not what some guy that follows what they teach in seminary.
The Bible was written by Jews, for Jews. If you don't understand Jewish laws,culture and customs, you can't read the Bible. Just as an example, If I said I will call you next "Turkey Day", you as an American would know I will call you next Thanksgiving. If a Jew hears Rapture will come on some day "no one knows the day or the hour", they know it will happen on some Feast of Trumpets. If they hear it will happen at the Last Trump, they know that only happens on Feast of Trumpets. Most Christians think Rapture could happen in February or June, or any random day of the year because they don't understand the Feast days of Scripture. Scripture says to "Watch" or He will come as a "thief in the night". Do you know what a thief in the night is to a Jew? He is the High priest checking his watchmen in the middle of the night and the ones he finds asleep, he sets their clothes on fire and they run away naked. We "watch", by repenting, fasting and praying in the month of Elul right before Tisheri.
Along with misunderstanding, there is also key phrases that have been mistranslated in English Bibles. If you aren't following the church started by Jesus in the Bible, you are following Babylon and that won't end well.
This I agree!
Sound doctrine......big emphasis on missionaries
PCA does not have ‘women leaders’......as in pastors, etc
This is a stated ruling
Presbyterian Church in America.
Hoss
Your other option is to become an elder or a leader in that church body and push it in the way that it should go.
There come times when you need to shake the dust off your feet, but there are also times when people desperately need leadership and God is the one calling you to do it.
It can’t just be the pastor after all; you are yoked together.
I am LCMS as well. Before you leave, I think you should look for a church that you that fits within the LCMS. There are some doctrinal distinctives that make other denominations a non-starter:
1) Communion - true body and blood
2) Baptism - God active and saving work; adopted as a child of God
3) Christ crucified for your sins - a real emphasis on the cross, we are lost without Christ work on the cross and there is literally nothing we do to save ourselves. Other churches say this, but the practice and actual theology does not add up.
Our LCMS church seems to go on too much about covid/vaxx etc. I have chosen to overlook it in these strange times as the fellowship is great and we are the closest to a faith family I have ever felt. So - look around at LCMS options if you can? I believe that is your best option.
The Evangelical Covenant Church has one tenet -— “What does the Bible Say?”. To become a member, you must be born again, but of course, anyone is welcome; church is for those who need it.
Amen.
Acts 15:13-21
The determination of the Nations finding salvation in the Way. Specific attention needs to be paid to verse 21. Usually ignored when quoting the impact of this judgment by James. What does it mean to you? Is there a literal understanding of his statement? What precludes an interpretation outside of the times and culture it was presented?
I found that two different LCMS congregations in the same general vicinity were quite different. So now I drive the ten miles instead of the three miles and am much happier with the congregation and pastor of the farther one.
My belief is that while a woman can certainly preach and evangelize, they shouldn’t be pastors. Pastoring needs a shepherd, after the model of our Good Shepherd, Jesus. The vogue for the past few decades, is to say the pastor and his wife are pastoring the church, with the wife being a sort of co-pastor. I’m sure most pastors’ wives do perform a lot of tasks, such as minister of music or Sunday School superintendent. But some wives feel their main job is to support and care for their husbands, because if a pastor is doing it right, he is taking care of the needs of his flock, body, soul and spirit, and that is a very big job.
Not an option if most good churches are men leaders only.
For Presbyterians, OPC (Orthodox Presbyterian) and ARP (Associate Reformed Presbyterian) are generally solid. (I’m not affilated with either). PCA churches must be evaluated on a congregation by congregation basis. Some are solid, some are woke jokes. (There are reasons metropolitan Atlanta is split between 3 PCA prebyteries with some creative line drawing). Baptists are the same mixed bag, although the SBC seems to be moving quickly to the left. (Note, in Texas there are two separate SBC state conventions. BGCT are more liberal, SBT are the more conservative. Complicating matters, some churches affiliate with both.)
One thing I can say about Catholics, they know how to be obedient to their teaching. (Not saying they’re all obedient, but if they were raised in the Catholic Church, they have been taught how to obey).
Official leadership positions at least. If I remember correctly, LCMS also has positions for teaching and the like where women can lead. The next generation is important after all!
Also a Deaconess program in the synod, though I admit that would take several years that you might not want to invest.
Mostly I’m just saying that whereas leaving the congregation may be necessary, I recommend making sure to look at all your options before voting with your feet. You may have the chance to change things for the better.
Of course, you also may not, so don’t feel like you have to shackle yourself to a dead congregation either.
I don’t know the entirety of your situation, so I can only really advise in generalities after all!
Oh yeah. Let me tell you, it’s frustrating to no end when having to deal with constant ramblings about masks and vaxx, especially when it’s gotten to the point where it’s actual literal idol worship—and I would argue that in some cases it really is.
On the other hand, people are scared even if there’s no reason to be. If they’re not completely lost, it’s possible to reach out to people with the Gospel, because how do you counter the fear of death, after all? The Gospel of life!
Check out the Anglican Church of North America.
Our denomination broke off from the Episcopal Church over liberal garbage.
Anglicanism is known as “the middle way” because we welcome diverse theological perspectives while affirming basic essentials. https://anglicanchurch.net/
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