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"That sounds a little scary...how do I know what church is 'right'?" Yeah, I know you might think it's a little scary, and it may be new if you've not experienced much with biblical Christianity. But it doesn't have to be scary. You might have been taught that the Christian world is filled with a bunch of sectarian chaos, with each little group trying to proclaim itself as the "one true church." Nope. In fact, you should steer clear of any church that claims this! Yes, churches do differ. Some are more formal, while others are informal. Some like traditional worship and singing, others like contemporary worship and singing. And they might even differ in opinion on certain things (though biblical Christianity agrees on the core doctrines of salvation.) But as you know, people are all different from one another. And since churches are made up of the "people of God" it stands to reason that you'll get the same kind of variety in churches that you do in individual people. And that's okay. So we don't recommend any one particular church or denomination; rather, we just encourage people to look for churches where:
But don't stress over it. Remember to let God in on your search...He knows the right place for you, ask Him to help you find it! Sometimes it takes visiting a few different churches before you find a "fit". If you know any Christians, you might start by visiting their church. What about Baptism? Water baptism is an important part of your journey as a Christian. Baptism and the Lord's Supper (also called "communion") are the only two sacramental commandments of Jesus, and as such, we hold them as very important. But they are NOT what save you, or even contribute to your salvation. Different churches have different baptismal and communion practices. If you are consistently attending a church where you believe God is leading you, we encourage you to speak to the pastor of your church about baptism, and about what this means, and that may help you decide what is best for you. Just so you know, Christian churches generally do not recognize the baptisms from the Mormon Church. So if you are seeking baptism, many churches will encourage you to be re-baptized. But again, don't let this be something that stresses you out. It will not be (or at least it should never be) something that is forced upon on you. It's all about Jesus. Again, and we can't emphasize this enough, it's all about Jesus. All the stuff we're sharing here is not about burdening you or stressing you out. Relax. At the end of the day (and at the beginning!) it's Jesus who lives in you, it's Jesus who does His work of changing you and making you grow, and it's Jesus to whom you belong! And that, friend, is Good News indeed!
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