Church Questions and Changing Denominations....

I do want to assure you that baptism is not your salvation, nor your son's, nor anyone elses. I am a Baptist. Have been most of my life. Salvation is by grace through faith alone...believing that Christ is your savior. We are baptized after we are saved to make a declaration of our faith to others, and to follow in Christ's footsteps.

Someone who believes in Christ as their savior and dies unbaptized certainly doesn't go to hell...the belief, by grace, is your salvation.

I would love to help you with some of the more technical things you are asking about switching churches, but I don't want to do it publicly for so many reasons. ;) If you'd like more info, please pm me and I would absolutely love to help you!

I was raised in a very strict southern Baptist church. No dancing, drinking etc. Women were not allowed to wear pants or shorts etc.

My husband was Catholic. We were married in a Methodist church because at that time I was not willing to convert. We went church shopping and went to several different kinds. None really fit. However after a few years and 2 babies I was ready to do something. I started going to church with him and we had the babies baptised and on our 10yr anniversary I started the classes to convert. I love our parish.

The previous poster is right. You go to a few til you find the one that works for you.

I was raised "non-denominational", we attended several churches of different denominations. Growing up I've learned that it's not the building/denomination that we need as Christians, it's like minded people. You can find those anywhere, in any church. As for your son accepting Christ and being baptised, he doesn't need your Pastor to do those things. Just a group of fellow like minded Christian and loved ones. "Where two or more are gathered in My name there I am in their midst." He is old enough now, if this is what he wants, you and your husband pray with him.

I was baptised several times in different churches, it seemed as if each church didn't feel that the previous baptism was valid or something. The most meaningful one to me took place in the Red Sea and preformed by a man who was not a seminary trained pastor, but someone who had the gift and the heart for it.

Switching is easy, you're all Christians, you SHOULD be welcomed into any congregation with open arms. The trick is finding one that that "feels" right. Keep looking and if it makes you feel better do research on each denomination before you go. While the roots are all the same, each denomination worships and focuses on different aspects and interpretations of the Bible. The "switch" should be easy, just start going and when it feels right talk to the pastor or the other elders/deacons.

PM me if you like. We're still looking for a home church as well. Finding the right "feel" can be hard, don't give up.

I have been involved in several religions over the course of my life, baptized Mormon, studied MANY...I have found my niche in the lake that we manage...God is here 24-7...my grans go to the local Methodist church here...one, our youngest grangirl (we have had here & her two brothers with us since she was 2 mts.) was baptized Methodist...I have found the Methodist church to be VERY welcoming, the pastors (oldest daughter in CA, oldest grangirl & her babygirl & DH) seem to be honest, dedicated, understanding, forgiving, forthright and compassionate...go to a few different churches in the area you are moving...perhaps even go on-line and/or call & speak to the pastors ahead of time that seem to be what you are looking for...let your son go online with you, allow him to speak to the 'young person' who is in charge of that part of the church...I think your old pastor was NOT a true 'man of God' in any sense of the word to do what he did to your son! GRRRRRRRRRR!

Your son sounds like a WONDERFUL boy! How dare that pastor think he knows the relationship between Christ and your son better than your own son does! That would make me furious!

I'm sorry I can't offer much help with anything other than Catholicism. You can participate in classes to convert, as well as for all of the sacraments. Once the classes are done you take part in the sacrament and will not be turned down or embarassed. How awful for your son.

I would just visit as many churches as you can until you find a comfortable fit and place to worship.

I would definitely find a church where the pastor doesn't think he is more important than God!

I am appalled, but I can't say surprised, by your son's experience. I am sorry for all of you that you had to endure that. Particularly in light of his illness and fears.

I was also brought up Southern Baptist. My husband wasn't really raised anything, but was sent to a baptist school (private education). When we got married, we started out searching in the nearby Baptist churches as well. None were really quite right for us, but settled. It's a small town... not a lot of choices. But then husband started doing some theological reading and we started having some deep theological discussions.

We ended up searching for a reformed church near us, and found a PCA (reformed Presbyterian PCA) and went there. We continued to grow and learn and subscribe to theological magazines, and realized that in all the "reformed" magazines we read, we were drawn to the material written not by the PCA pastors, but by Lutherans. So, we went again, searching, and found right near our home an LCMS church with a Pastor more than willing to meet with us and discuss theology. We found that our beliefs had changed and fit much more closely with Lutheran theology, and that became our church home.
Baptism is a gift FROM God, not something YOU do to prove anything. That pastor was so wrong to deny this gift to your son.

Wow, Rockie Mountain Fever. That is horrible! Your poor sweet boy has been through so much.. Start with tons of prayer to hear God's wish in this decision. Prayer is so powerful. When you get to your new location I would start visiting churches of different denominations and see what you find out. It took me two years of going solo without my hubs until I found a home. He finally came a few times, when I found one I thought was a good fit for my family, and then he was hooked. He never misses. Pray, trust in God, and you will find your place. Blessings!

Yes you can switch that's your call. I think the clostest religion to Baptist is Methodist. But your best bet would be to visit different churches and see where you and your family feel you fit the best.

An Assembly of God church will baptize him, member or not if HE says he's ready!
Geez....
So sad, the statement made by your church.
I think people need to focus less on the "denomination " part and more on the "Christian" part, for sure!

I don't believe you have to "switch", per se. You find a church you like and you find out what it takes to join it. It's a spiritual internal thing for you, and a matter of paperwork and education, I would guess, for the church. Your son's faith path may be different from yours, and I hope he finds some peace in the journey. That pastor was a jerk for messing around with a kid's head.

As many others have said, switching is easy...you just find a new church/denomination you like and start attending there. There ARE theological differences between denominations, so you might want to start researching if you're not sure what you're looking for quite yet.

I've moved LOTS of times in my life. Each time requires finding a new church. I started off in a Southern Baptist Church, my husband grew up Lutheran. We currently attend a non-denominational church.

Please remind your son that baptism is a SYMBOL,not the "essence" of, salvation. That's a teaching even southern baptist churches agree on. Salvation happens in your heart. The example that's always given: the thief on the cross. Saved, but not baptized.

When you find your new church, they will probably have orientation classes to introduce you to the church, their philsophy and their staff. Attend the classes and find out more about the church. Ask questions. If it's a fit, there are usually membership classes you must attend.

Good luck

certainly you can switch.. when you get to your new home.. attend services at a couple of local churches to see which one fits for you and your family.

I am episcopal.. and we attend an episcopal church.. but our church does not have sunday school in the summer so we go to a Lutheran church int he summer... it is all good..

If you feel like more privacy, you can PM me.

I am Baptist. I am not privy to the discussion between your son and your pastor so I will not defend him or defame him.

I can help you with questions about salvation, gladly.

You can go to any church you are comfortable in and join. Nothing more to it.

I would look for a multi-denomination prayer group or service group in your new area and talk with the people there. They can give you insight to what attracted or repelled them from any one church. I grew up going to prayer meetings with people from many denominations, each with slightly different views, all praising God with joy and love.

Of course you can change denominations!

I highly recommend visiting several churches and several denominations before committing to one. When I moved to NY, I attended Mass at different churches for months before finding a parish where I felt welcomed. Every church is different and I kept looking until I found one where the greeter actually recognized a "new person" and said "hello".

When you find a place you like, make an appointment with the Pastor of the church and give him or her the Cliff Note version of what you have said. Then simply ask "How do we become members of this community?" The pastor will tell you what you need to do. It may be simple or it may be more drawn-out, but if you like the parish and you like the spirit of that community, then go for it!

I would also HIGHLY recommend that you join the women's group at the church, as it is a great way to meet people of similar mind and philosophy!

You don't have to be Baptist to be accepted by most of the religions of our country. There are many denominations that are considered mainstream that everyone accepts as a normal church.

There are the Pentecostal religions. Most of them are going to be louder and much less organized that you're used to. They have a lively service that is full of God's presence.

There are plenty of other religions too, they all believe basically the same thing.

God created the world for us so we could make choices and choose him. That we'd accept Christ as our Savior and make a commitment to live as close to his example as possible so we can return to Heaven and our Heavenly father when we die.

They all have slightly different takes on some little thing. Most of the differences are minuscule and they only make a small difference to the individuals. For instance, one of the people I used to work with decided to leave his church and start his own over "a word". He heard the pastor say that God gives grace a

If you don't like people singing and clapping and having a wonderful time singing praises then you need to find a more stoic church.

Go visit a few and see how you like them.

I don't know if I caught all the details, but yes, you may do anything you choose when it comes to religion. I grew up Catholic, but tried a number of churches for my dd (not Catholic).

We finally found one that is non-denominational and VERY contemporary (more rock concert and motivational speaking than the regular church sermon, but they still quote the bible).
Most churches we tried also cater to kids. I prefer larger churches just because they have lots of kids activities. That keeps them interested and they are willing to stick with it.
Churches want new members, most that I tried go way out of their way to make you feel wanted and are very accommodating.

My advice would be to search for a good Bible church. One that studies the bible and follows it wholly. Baptist churches can be good but growing up I ran across the same issues that your son did. My husband and I found Calvary Chapel and we have really enjoyed them as they go book by book, chapter by chapter and verse by verse in the bible. I also found that the majority of people who go to a Calvary Chapel are real about their faith, their struggles and life in general.
You can to http://calvarychapelassociation.com/churches/ to see if there is one in the area you are looking for.