figuring out what I believe

[Honey693]

I'm not sure if this is in the right place so sorry if it's not.  I want to find a church and start attending.  It's becoming more and more important and I feel like something is missing that finding a good church could help fill.  The problem is I'm not sure what I believe.  My parents raised me Christian, but that's as far as I can get.  Once you start breaking it down into Methodist, Lutheran, etc. I just get confused and have no idea what the difference is.  I know Catholicism is not for me, but that's all I've been able to scratch out.  Any advice on how to do that and pick a church?

[Koalamom]

You could just attend different services around and see what feels good to you.

[woodchick]

Do you have any church going friends? Or any families at your children's schools? You could ask where they go and why they like it.

You might also try to notice if any of your local churches are involved in ministries or social outreach programs that you appreciate. That might give you a feel for the kind of church they are.

I would definitely second the suggestion to visit churches, but check their websites first and choose some that appeal to you.  If they don't work out you can always keep trying, but you might find that narrowing down the choices might make the process feel less overwhelming.

And, maybe most importantly, pray about it.  It doesn't have to be anything elaborate, but something like "God, I feel you calling me, but I don't know where. Please open my eyes to your plans for me and help me to recognize the right church home for me."  I have found that prayers of that nature help me to bring the focus back onto God's work in my life and I am better equipped to see solutions that I might not have considered otherwise.

Blessings on your journey.

[Purple Sage]

I'm not sure if this is advice, but I can tell you my experience..

When I was first looking into finding a Christian church, I started with trying to find one that matched my beliefs.  I had a list of things that were important to me, and I read many websites for various denominations and churches in my area looking for one that fit my list the best.  I'm not sure what happened, but after a while it became less and less important to me to have the church match my beliefs and more important that I find the church that holds the truth.  I had to admit to myself that just because I had certain beliefs and preferences that I held dear, that didn't mean they were right.  Truth is objective and does not depend on me believing it.

So then my search became more about reading church history and considering the claims various churches make regarding being the Church founded by Christ and trying to discern which one is the original, authentic Church.  That narrowed my choices down quite a bit.  Ultimately what made my decision for me was attending services at one of the churches I was considering....now I can't imagine not going to this church. 

I wish you the best in your search!

[TreeSong]

I'm in the same place ... except I just can't figure out what to believe. I was raised Methodist, but there are so many other religions that call to me. My husband has recently decided he's an atheist, so I feel even more torn ... Sorry I can't help - I think I just needed to start somewhere and your post struck a chord! I hope you find what you are searching for. :)