looking for a church similar to LCMS

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michigan22 said:
To answer the question of what is avialable in my town, here are the choices:

United Church of Christ ( have no idea what that is)
Baptist
Catholic
Episcopal
2 non denominationals
and a huge ‘indpendant charasmatic’ church that I wouldn’t go near for any reason.
there’s also a small ELCA church that I’m not interested in.

Thank you for your responses.
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The ELCA church would probably be the most similar, since they are Lutheran. Although they could be very liberal (female pastor, perhaps). United Church of Christ is very liberal (supports “gay rights”). Episcopal may or may not be liberal, depending on the pastor (could be female or gay as well). Baptist is non-liturgical; probably conservative, but the service would be nothing at all like your former church). Non-denominational could be similar to the charismatic church or the Baptist church.
 
ralphinal said:
In my humble opinion (or not so humble as I am not blessed with a lot of humility), you can attend any church you want, even if oyu do not accept the teachings. You cannot (should not) be a member of that faith, however, if you do not accept them. You are more than welcome in the Catholic church where I attend. Unless you are Catholic, however, you cannot receive the sacraments, including communion. It does not eman that you cannot learn in our classes and attend the masses.
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Hi

I am an Ahmadi peaceful Muslim. If they tolerate me I could attend any mosque or church or synagoue or any worship place and join in whatever they say in the service except that I do not join in their formal prayer, though I remain seated there with them. I had been attending JWs Kingdom Hall (it is their church) for a year or so.

Thanks
 
michigan22 said:
To answer the question of what is avialable in my town, here are the choices:

United Church of Christ ( have no idea what that is)
Baptist
Catholic
Episcopal
2 non denominationals
and a huge ‘indpendant charasmatic’ church that I wouldn’t go near for any reason.
there’s also a small ELCA church that I’m not interested in.

Thank you for your responses.
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United Church of Christ is the most liberal Protestant denomination of any size.
Baptist could be a little liturgical
Heck, visit them all, might as well.
 
Just to clarify on my Baptist comment, some AMERICAN baptist churches I have been to were as liturgical as my United Methodist church…but it could just be a Kansas thing.
 
BrianH said:
Just to clarify on my Baptist comment, some AMERICAN baptist churches I have been to were as liturgical as my United Methodist church…but it could just be a Kansas thing.
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You make a good point. I have never been to an American Baptist church. The Baptist churches around my neighbourhood are either Southern Baptist or independent Baptist, which are not at all liturgical.
 
michigan22 said:
To answer the question of what is avialable in my town, here are the choices:

United Church of Christ ( have no idea what that is)
Baptist
Catholic
Episcopal
2 non denominationals
and a huge ‘indpendant charasmatic’ church that I wouldn’t go near for any reason.
there’s also a small ELCA church that I’m not interested in.

Thank you for your responses.
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Michigan22,
I am LCMS. I’d suggest at least visiting the Episcopal church. Doctrinally, the other protestant churches you mention will probably be much different, particularly in the area of the Sacrament. But honestly, if I were in your shoes, based on the sad drift of the Episcopal and ELCA churches, and based on the choices you have, I would visit the Catholic Church, and try to come to terms with those basic things that make the Lutheran and Catholic churches different. It won’t be easy, but at least for me it would be easier than accepting symbolic communion.
 
BrianH said:
Just to clarify on my Baptist comment, some AMERICAN baptist churches I have been to were as liturgical as my United Methodist church…but it could just be a Kansas thing.
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I agree, Brian

I sometimes attend an American baptist church that I live next door to. I thought it very similar in character to Catholic Mass when serving communion. I also attended the new pastor’s consecration. Pastors and ministers from other AB churches did the laying on of hands. It was beautiful. Nice little church and this in the Northeastern part of the country.

Subrosa
PS, Merry Christmas!
 
lak611 said:
I was tied with 100% Roman Catholic and 100% Conservative Protestant. There was another quiz I took once where I was Lutheran, Catholic or orthodox Quaker.
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And a non-orthodox Quaker meeting would be…??🤷
 
WELS or ELS would be similar. If anything even a bit more conservative than LCMS.

Despite what these guys are saying there are significant differences between Lutherans and Anglicans.
 
lak611 said:
The ELCA church would probably be the most similar, since they are Lutheran. Although they could be very liberal (female pastor, perhaps). United Church of Christ is very liberal (supports “gay rights”). Episcopal may or may not be liberal, depending on the pastor (could be female or gay as well). Baptist is non-liturgical; probably conservative, but the service would be nothing at all like your former church). Non-denominational could be similar to the charismatic church or the Baptist church.
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I am former ELCA. and there are many ELCA congregations that are not buying into the liberal takeover. There is a conservative movement/faithful to the Lutheran Confessions within the ELCA, and it is growing.
Many congregations, those who are most liturgically sound, strong, and a maybe more rural, but not always, are banding together and are resisting. They used to known as “Word Alone” congregations…the name of the organization formed to oppose the liberalism. Now, several organizations have merged, as the fight grows fierce, and I think the new organization is LCCC-Lutheran Congregations of the Common Confessions.
Just ask the pastor/ or many times they put it right next to their ELCA affiliation in any ads, or even on their sign.
I think they may even have a website with a list of member congregations.

Being a traveler, with relatives in small towns, one in Michigan, and always looking for where to attend Liturgy on SundayI know there are a couple of small rural Eastern Orthodox Parishs that are wonderful. Some are mostly converts ( so don’t write them off as too ethnic).
 
lucy212 said:
Being a traveler, with relatives in small towns, one in Michigan, and always looking for where to attend Liturgy on SundayI know there are a couple of small rural Eastern Orthodox Parishs that are wonderful. Some are mostly converts ( so don’t write them off as too ethnic).
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According to the OP, Eastern Orthodox is not among the churches available in his town.
 
lak611 said:
According to the OP, Eastern Orthodox is not among the churches available in his town.
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Thanks for taking the time and effort to correct my oversight . Didn’t mean to waste space and time on useless information. :tiphat:

But I think the OP also was looking for comments on churches that, like the LCMS, would have traditionally liturgical worship, not only an all male pastor/priesthood, but last I checked, the LCMS felt strongly that women were not even allowed to assist at the altar; Lutherans also value a have a strong tradition of congregation music/hymnody as part of worship; usually have a education program/bible study/sunday school every Sunday and hold to a similar conservative view of doctrine.

As a former (LCMS and ELCA) Lutheran, I thought I might have an idea what he is used to, and may be looking for.

There are also some Episcopalian Churches who were allowed to refrain from buying into the female priesthood move, and after the recent happenings, many of them are totally withdrawing from ECUSA, and may be just as conservative and have similar practices as the “Word Alone” ELCA churches. The small Eastern Orthodox Church I attended a couple years ago, the majority of the congregation were converts that were former Lutherans, and was, again, just offered as a consideration as to wear he might feel comfortable with the worship and doctrine.

Not every Church within a reasonable distance gets listed in the local yellow pages.
If is important to him, he may be willing to widen the search or travel a bit farther if he knows he can find what he is looking for.
 
I’m surprised that our Catholic brothers and sisters here haven’t pointed this out, but this whole discussion points to an issue that Lutherans have to come to grips with; that without a strong tradition and hierarchy, we seem to be fracturing even more as different people and groups within the Lutheran faith decide to re-interpret scripture to meet their own view of “should be”.
Say what you want about the papacy, and some of the abuses over the centuries, at least a Catholic knows where his/her church stands, no matter what parish they walk into. With the alphabet soup of Lutheranism - ELCA, LCMS, WELS, ELS, etc. - sadly we can’t make that claim. 😦
 
JonNC said:
I’m surprised that our Catholic brothers and sisters here haven’t pointed this out, but this whole discussion points to an issue that Lutherans have to come to grips with; that without a strong tradition and hierarchy, we seem to be fracturing even more as different people and groups within the Lutheran faith decide to re-interpret scripture to meet their own view of “should be”.
Say what you want about the papacy, and some of the abuses over the centuries, at least a Catholic knows where his/her church stands, no matter what parish they walk into. With the alphabet soup of Lutheranism - ELCA, LCMS, WELS, ELS, etc. - sadly we can’t make that claim. 😦
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Jon, the trend in Lutheranism over the last hundred years or so hasn’t been toward division but union;

i.e. A hundred years ago there were three times as many Lutheran churches as there are now.
 
I think it might be profitable to point out that the Catholic Church of today contains, for the most part, none of the major issues that prompted Luther to post his 95 theses in the first place. Yes, there were problems with certain people in the Church and the Church was taking measures to correct those things, just not fast enough for Luther, apparently. In the CA Library there is an article, Reform Came Before the Reformation, that the OP might find informative. The only thing the Church would not and could not do was change those teachings which had been handed down from the apostles. One cannot read the epistle of James with any intellectual honesty and still adhere to Sola Fide, IMO. We can see what Sola Scriptura is a historical impossibility, as the Scriptures themselves were not canonized until more than 350 years after Christ ascended into Heaven, and literacy rates were not what they are now.

The only real difference between Catholics and LCMS Lutherans today are the Solas, which are an invention of the 16th Century anyway. The one that the Catholic Church can agree with is Sola Gratia. 😃
 
JonNC said:
I’m surprised that our Catholic brothers and sisters here haven’t pointed this out, but this whole discussion points to an issue that Lutherans have to come to grips with; that without a strong tradition and hierarchy, we seem to be fracturing even more as different people and groups within the Lutheran faith decide to re-interpret scripture to meet their own view of “should be”.
Say what you want about the papacy, and some of the abuses over the centuries, at least a Catholic knows where his/her church stands, no matter what parish they walk into. With the alphabet soup of Lutheranism - ELCA, LCMS, WELS, ELS, etc. - sadly we can’t make that claim. 😦
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You sure make an excellent point! As a Catholic, I will never have to worry about things like “homosexuality is now ok”, “abortion is no longer murder”, etc. Even tho there may be some priests who are not teaching correctly, the faith itself doesn’t waver…
 
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