Church Background/Denomination Survey

I'm curious about the kind of church backgrounds and doctrinal traditions represented in our community. Not interested in talking pros and cons of the different strands of Christian thinking & tradition, just curious about your church background, past and present, and whether or not you would say you agree with the traditional teaching of the churches you've attended or currently attend.

For myself, I was raised in the Lutheran Brethren church until late elementary and then attended a United Methodist church from then until the start of 10th grade. From 10th grade until now I've attended, been employed (for 4 yrs) and volunteered at the church we attend now, which until sometime in college I thought was non-denominational but is actually Evangelical Free.

I'd say my early views on some things like Free Will and Baptism were formed by the Lutheran Brethren tradition, but I have a more nuanced understanding of Free Will and Predestination now and also wouldn't agree with the Lutheran Brethren church on some issues of baptism. But their focus on scripture was a retained value in our home. The United Methodist church had no impact on my thinking, as I wasn't at an age yet where I was listening to the teaching. (My parents had some issues with the doctrine of the church and were largely there because my dad was hired as a choir director, which supplemented our family income.) My current church was certainly the most influential by far, emphasizing the importance of scripture as the primary means by which God reveals truth and instruction to us, and living in response to scriptural truth in a way that is grounded and authentic.

Took a quick scan of the Evangelical Free Church Of America statement of faith ( https://www.efca.org/explore/what-we-believe ) and would say that I certainly affirm everything there (before the "distinctives" section, which I didn't read), though without a death grip on some of the wording that I might want to get more precision or clarity on before I put the tattoo on my butt.

I was raised Southern Baptist. After '84 we started attending an Assembly of God church and both of my parents were eventually ordained. Currently I'm a member at a United Methodist church, where we've been for 13 years now.

My church, Door of Hope Christian Church, is part of the "Churches of Christ in Australia"
Technically, this is a movement rather than a denomination. It's a collection of churches united by some common values and practices, but with no particular political structure over them all. The churches are pretty much independent.

The Churches of Christ in Australia are made up of State Conferences which are an association of independent churches who choose to relate at a state and national level. Within this conference structure, individual churches are largely autonomous and operate on a congregational and democratic form of government. Leadership varies in local churches and where there are ministers or pastor they may or may not be formally ordained. Lay people usually play an important part in the worship, mission, governance and management of the church.

Key features of the church's worship are the weekly celebration of the Lord's Supper presided over by a lay person and believer's baptism. This Christian movement claims to "concentrate on the essential aspects of the Christian faith, allowing for a diversity of understanding with non-essentials." It is active in community services and supporting Christian unity, although this emphasis was stronger historically.

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Churches_of_Christ_in_Australia

The shared values are here
http://www.churchesofchrist.org.au/ccvt/the-movement/values

Essentially, Door of Hope is the kind of church that anyone from a baptist or pentecostal background should be pretty comfortable with, but doesn't technically fall into either bucket. We've been pretty active in promoting unity among Christian churches in our city, to various degrees, over the years.

I grew up going to a United Methodist church. I started paying attention to the preaching around middle school. Somewhere during high school, I got annoyed by certain practices such as everyone reading the Apostles Creed together robotically, thinking they reminded me too much of Catholic practices that I considered absent of true relationship with God.

I left that church (though I think my parents continued to pay for my membership or something? I didn't find out about it until later) and looked at a couple other places before running into an old friend at a Community Church. They met in the local movie theater at the time. I started attending regularly and eventually joined the lighting team my friend worked on. After a few years, a successful capital campaign got us our own building.

Sometime after that, I learned that we were a Presbyterian church. I'd thought we were non-denominational. Not long after learning that, though, the church had some disagreements with the Presbyterian organization and left to become non-denominational (or maybe inter-denominational).

Ironically, the "robotic reading" that I used to hate is one of my favorite things they do at this church now.

I still consider myself a member of that church, but since I live in China, I can't really attend regularly. I've hopped around to a few different foreigner-only fellowships and am now attending a government-sanctioned church that has a bilingual service on Sunday afternoon. I've gotten to meet a handful of people from all over the world who live in my city, so it's pretty diverse for still hosting a mostly Chinese congregation.

mindspike wrote:I was raised Southern Baptist. After '84 we started attending an Assembly of God church and both of my parents were eventually ordained. Currently I'm a member at a United Methodist church, where we've been for 13 years now.

Wow, for some reason I got a presbyterian vibe from you at some point. What was I thinking? Maybe some old conversation we had about reformed/calvinist concepts? Had no idea your parents were ordained!

The change to Assembly of God came after your healing, right? (And for those who don't know his story, bug Winston to tell you sometime or give a link to his mom's telling of the story. Wow.)

[quote="Reed Benson"]I grew up going to a United Methodist church. I started paying attention to the preaching around middle school. Somewhere during high school, I got annoyed by certain practices su

Oh my gosh, that totally reminds me! When we went to the United Methodist Church I was in late elementary and Jr. High I was watching Star Trek: The Next Generation. Almost every time we said the Apostle Creed I thought it sounded like the borg and I think I had to try really hard not to laugh a few times.

In fact I used to have a closing bumper on some of the CGC videos with a "crowd" saying "For thine is the Christian, and the Geek, and the Central, dot com. Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated." But eventually I stopped using it because I thought it might rub some folks the wrong way.

Paeter wrote:Wow, for some reason I got a presbyterian vibe from you at some point. What was I thinking? Maybe some old conversation we had about reformed/calvinist concepts? Had no idea your parents were ordained! The change to Assembly of God came after your healing, right? (And for those who don't know his story, bug Winston to tell you sometime or give a link to his mom's telling of the story. Wow.)

Reformed theology is something I've come to after college, and something I continue to study. My mother preached and taught at Women's Aglow and Joy Fellowship meetings for years. After we moved to Indiana, my father pastored a church for a few years. The audio files of my mother's testimony can be found online at Safe Harbor Lighthouse.

I didn't start attending church until I was 15. Neither of my parents were particularly interested in God.

I "got saved" at a youth camp in Houston, TX that was part of Lakewood Church. This was when John Osteen was pastor. I attended "Word of Faith" churches for about 10 years.

After I married, my wife and I attended her church (Conservative Baptist) for a few years and a Southern Baptist Church after we moved and I took my current job.

We currently attend a Calvary Chapel church (not a denomination, more of an affiliation) where we've been for nearly 15 years.

My theology has changed a lot and is constantly evolving. I don't agree with all of the Calvary Distinctives but I'm still a teaching elder in our church.

Paeter wrote:
In fact I used to have a closing bumper on some of the CGC videos with a "crowd" saying "For thine is the Christian, and the Geek, and the Central, dot com. Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated." But eventually I stopped using it because I thought it might rub some folks the wrong way.

[/quote]

HA HA!

jorowi wrote:

I "got saved" at a youth camp in Houston, TX that was part of Lakewood Church. This was when John Osteen was pastor. I attended "Word of Faith" churches for about 10 years.

Any relationship to Joel Osteen?