Church

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shlee23

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When I was newly saved about 8 years ago, I had been burned by many churches. I backslid a lot in the meantime and I'm looking to get my life back on track. I would enjoy going back to church because I feel like it's important and I don't have any Christian influences in my life, but I'm afraid to get burned again. And I'm also scared to go alone. Any advice?
 
Find a church that invites the Holy Spirit to be part of the worship service. A CHURCH that sings praise songs, does not have to follow a bulletin, where you still hear the rustling of the pages of the BIBLE and has altar calls. That should narrow down the ones that would have nothing better to do than to condemn you of your past.
 
shlee23 said:
When I was newly saved about 8 years ago, I had been burned by many churches. I backslid a lot in the meantime and I'm looking to get my life back on track. I would enjoy going back to church because I feel like it's important and I don't have any Christian influences in my life, but I'm afraid to get burned again. And I'm also scared to go alone. Any advice?
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Pray to the Lord and ask Him to help you find a church that can help you grow. Ask a friend or a colleague to go with you, or one of your siblings. What exactly do you mean by being burned in churches?
 
Unfortunately, none of my friends have the interest or same beliefs that I do. What I mean by being burned is that I was never good enough I guess. Many of the churches I attended were very cliquish and they would often ostracize people. I was often excluded and people were often rude. I jumped from church to church to try and find a different environment and different people and everywhere I went, it was the same.
 
pwrnJC said:
Find a church that invites the Holy Spirit to be part of the worship service. A CHURCH that sings praise songs, does not have to follow a bulletin, where you still hear the rustling of the pages of the BIBLE and has altar calls. That should narrow down the ones that would have nothing better to do than to condemn you of your past.
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Not bad. But what has the rustling of pages got to do with anything? You're not communicating by pen and paper right now, and neither do most people. I can consult as many as thirty or forty different versions of the Bible in church... within seconds. How many Bibles do you carry to church?

That comment is kind of silly, don't ya think?
 
shlee23 said:
Unfortunately, none of my friends have the interest or same beliefs that I do. What I mean by being burned is that I was never good enough I guess. Many of the churches I attended were very cliquish and they would often ostracize people. I was often excluded and people were often rude. I jumped from church to church to try and find a different environment and different people and everywhere I went, it was the same.
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I'm so sorry for you... I understand you're starting to feel desperate finding a good church. Are there really not any other churches out there in your neighborhood? I can't imagine people being cliquish and ostracizing people in a church, but I believe you. It's horrible... :/
 
When you are hoping to find people different in new places, you might keep this little story in mind.........

An old man sat quietly rocking on his front porch when a young couple approached him.

“Sir”, the husband said, “We’re thinking of moving to this town, and wondered if you could give us an idea of what the people are like here.”

“Well”, the old man replied, “What were they like where you came from?”

Both the husband and wife enthusiastically answered that they were friendly, outgoing, and always ready to lend a helping hand.

“Yeah, they’re pretty much the same way here.”, said the old gent.

A few hours later another young couple drove up and they too asked the same question of the elderly man.

“Sir”, the husband said, “We’re thinking of moving to this town, and wondered if you could give us an idea of what the people are like here.”

“Well”, the old man replied, “What were they like where you came from?”

Both the husband and wife snapped back that “those people” were very unfriendly, secretive and reclusive, and never seemed to care a thing about anyone but themselves.

“Yeah, they’re pretty much the same way here.”, replied the old gent.
 
There are many churches around me but it's weird because they're all like affiliated with each other. Everyone knows everyone around here. I understand that no one is perfect and we're not always the best versions of ourselves, but I guess I just feel like church should be different. It should be a place where everyone feels welcomed. I know that if I ever saw a new face, I would make sure to introduce myself and make them feel a part of the church.
 
shlee23 said:
There are many churches around me but it's weird because they're all like affiliated with each other. Everyone knows everyone around here. I understand that no one is perfect and we're not always the best versions of ourselves, but I guess I just feel like church should be different. It should be a place where everyone feels welcomed. I know that if I ever saw a new face, I would make sure to introduce myself and make them feel a part of the church.
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I agree, church should be a nice place to go to, a refuge... I'd welcome you in our congregation Ashley, we're warm, open people and anyone who likes to come, is welcome. And I'm sure there are still good churches out there, especially in the country that you live in. This might seem weird to say, but some people consider moving hundreds of miles away just in order to live close to a church that has some good values and where there is good fellowship. In my country, less than 5 percent of all people under the age of 60 are Christians, so there's still hope for you, where you live. Keep looking!
 
The brick and mortar church isn't as important as the church; i.e. the body of the church (or in a collective/more cosmic sense). But I'm not decrying finding a regular place of worship; having a community of believers you can pray with, worship with, grow with, learn from, and give back to is truly an awesome thing.

If you can find a church where the messages speak to you, start there, and then get to know the people; chances are that the message resonates with them too, in which case you have some common ground/like-minded people. :)
 
I agree that it is an important thing! I know that not all churches are like the ones I have been to. It's just convincing myself to go back.
 
shlee23 said:
I agree that it is an important thing! I know that not all churches are like the ones I have been to. It's just convincing myself to go back.
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Putting yourself out there where you've been burned takes some effort, for sure. It's totally understandable for you to be apprehensive about it.
 
Thanks for the thread. I would like to find a church to go to myself after some time away.

One thing that will turn me off a church immediately is any sense of a judgemental spirit.

The church I hope to find will have the common interest of LOVE. Loving God and love your neighbour as yourself. Love does not judge or condemn or segregate or give people status.
Not to be mistaken however for a church that has a underlying love of money. I believe them ones have the ability to deceive us the most. Is happy on the outside but at the end of it all is a hollow love...
 
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