Why do you belong to the denomination or type of church you attend? Were you born into it ie your parents went to this type of church? Have you learned about the theology of your denomination? Have you visited many other types of churches? Have you belonged to another church group that is quite different from your current church? What made you change?
What is the strength of the church you currently attend?
I'm Lutheran because I was born into that denomination (LCMS). I remain Lutheran because the ELCA exists. I now have a concept of theology because I made that move. Otherwise I think I'd now be Episcopalian....which I'd be very okay with. Main difference right now just being cultural.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in the Lutheran church ALC now become ELCA. The church I happen to worship in is also ELCA though who knows in the future if it will remain so (obviously God does). My wife and I searched many churches in which to attend when we were married and then searched again when we had kids because the one we attended then was far from home. It turns out my mother got lost one day coming to our house and told us "hey, did you know there was a little Lutheran church up the road." We did not. We attended once and have never left. It felt (and still does) like "home". We have since grown much closer to the Lord and know MUCH more about the Holy Spirit and how he works than ever before. We are constantly being drawn closer to the Lord and drawn by him further into deeper waters of faith, witness and service. We know tons more about deliverance and inner healing (which I don't recall ever being taught about in any ELCA church I had ever been in before). I never enjoyed "contemporary services" when we started, but now I love worshipping in a multitude of settings from traditional liturgy to the most charismatic joy-filled singing and flag waving and dancing worship services. I went from knowing nothing at all about any gifts of the spirit to praying in tongues. All through the grace and mercy of God as exhibited through the teaching and love of his faithful people. I think the strength of our church is the level to which the leadership listens to and obeys God and the level of commitment to the gospel and mission of God in the world that they have. They then do as scripture says and train and equip us, the saints, to do the work of the ministry in the world in which we live. Of course...after all this "bragging"....we are certainly not a perfect church and of course we are all sinners saved by grace...but compared to where I have been in the past...I feel much closer to being in a "biblical" church than a "worldly" church.
ReplyDeleteI am ELCA, mostly because they were the only church that embraced me in college and told me that I had a place at God's table. We have our family disputes...but that doesn't change the fact that they offered me shelter when no one else did.
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