Which denomination?

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Hi,
I've been a Christian for about a year and until recently hadn't felt the need to attend a church. I now feel that after restrictions are eased I would like to attend a church, however, there seem to be so many different denominations that I'm unsure which would suit me best.
In my town there are Evangelical, Mormon, Pentecostal, Catholic, Church of Scotland, Presbyterian and Episcopal churches. Would anyone be able to give me an idea of their beliefs etc.? Thanks in advance!

Now it's the perfect opportunity to suss them all out online whilst we are lucked down. Try each one for a couple of weeks to see what the teaching is like and you will get a good idea. Even within a denomination churches can vary so much so if we move to a new area we just visit a few churches and get a feel for what they are like. They may even have some Zoom groups you could join whilst in Lockdown'. My brother has joined a new church during lockdown and meet a whole new group of people via zoom.

How important are the details of doctrine to you?

There may be other factors that are imortant- the people, the activities, the fellowship Try a few and see if you feel a click.

What do you believe as a Christian?

Start with what you believe and work from there.

Start with what you believe and work from there.

That is not the priority for everyone though.
My mother is a christian, she is not interested in heavy doctrine apart from the jesus/god thing and praying.

Far more imprtant to her is the church community- she has tried a few churches, the one she attends now suits her as has a large older contingent some old neighbours she has known for years and she likes the community. The church has regular coffee mornings for the elderly which she enjoys.She feels that she "fits in".
So for those reasons she attends the church she does.

My MIL is an atheist and attends church regularly because she likes to sing.

That's lovely to hear you have become a Christian. We are made to be with others so I hope you find a good church. Their websites should have some kind of statement of belief or similar. Just remember no church is perfect so there will always be some things which aren't necessarily brilliant. Eg the preaching may be really sound and helpful but the songs are a bit old fashioned. You have to choose what is most important. It is also what you make of it, ie you need to get involved, go along to things, ask questions, it doesn't just 'happen'. Churches should be places full of sinners saved by grace, so we aren't perfect, were a work in progress! There will always be people you find difficult but hopefully there will also be those who can help you grow in your faith. So much harder just now but there should be an email address or phone number you can contact. After you have tried a couple of services, you might want to try a home group where you can discuss things and ask questions, some will have groups particularly for newer Christians. I go to a Baptist Church, which would be counted as an Evangelical church. You don't have to agree on every single belief as everyone else but there will be some core things that make that church. Look at what they believe about who Jesus is, and whether that chimes with what you know from reading your Bible. Some of the differences will be to do with church government eg how decisions are made so potentially less important but can also be frustrating. Eg in a Baptist church, the members vote, in a church of Scotland, the minister decides after discussion with the elders, but the presbytery decides some decisions ( I think, I'm not church of Scotland). It can take time to feel settled so be patient.

Thank you all for your kind and helpful responses. I am interested in the theology of Christianity as well as the more spiritual, emotional side of it. I'll definitely take the advice to attend a few services virtually. Can you just turn up to a service or would I have to contact someone first about joining (after lockdown when services are in person)?

My mother attends weekly zoom services- she has the ID and password emailed to her every week by the church.
You may be best to contact the church(es) you are interested in on Facebook or their own website to see if they do online services and ask to join.

Can you just turn up to a service or would I have to contact someone first about joining

Depends on the denomination, I don't think you can just turn up to a Mormon temple. RC mass is word for word the same except the readings/bidding prayers and sermon. There are a few changes if it is for a wedding / funeral.

I believe C of E have different services but some are virtually RC just with the long version of the Lord's prayer.

Evangelical and Pentecostal are some times referred to as 'happy clappy', more lively services and for pentecostal healings and speaking in tongues.

Be warned, most if not all will say they are the only ones who are 'right'. There are different versions of the bible used in different denominations.

Have you heard of 'the alpha course'? It's 10/11 weeks on different topics common to most Christianity, different denominations then add their own teaching.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_course

@sashh I don't think I'm really into healings or speaking in tongues, so I'll have a look at C of S and RC. I'll also take a look at the Alpha course, it does sound familiar so I may have done it at school but I don't think it would hurt to have a refresher.

Hi

What an exciting time for you. I'd have a look at the websites for your local churches as they will help to give you an idea of what to expect. For example, a church that has a lot of children's activities will probably have a more family based congregation whereas one which doesn't mention any may have an older membership.

I am not an expert, but some years ago went round quite a few of the churches which were local to me (also in Scotland). I have never been in a Mormon temple, but am aware that many people would not regard them as a mainstream Christian church. I also don't have a Mormon temple particularly near where I live.

My experience was that the churches were welcoming and you could just walk in. I tended to turn up a minute or two before a service started and leave very promptly afterwards. There will usually be people on the door to welcome you and give you a hymn book / service sheet if required.

So, my experience was as follows:-

Episcopalian - friendly, similar to the Church of England in style. In particular the service seemed to follow a set format and there were some spoken prayers which everyone else knew by heart. I pretended to mumble the words to the prayers. Other than that, the service was similar to CofS. Too far from where I lived so I ruled it out.

CofS - they can vary quite a bit between different churches. Some are very traditional and will have an organ but others will have a band and sing more praise songs. Less spoken responses than Episcopalian. Friendly.

Presbyterian - is this Free Church? There may not be any music other than psalms which are sung without accompaniment. I went to a Sunday service a number of years ago and all the women and girls were wearing skirts. This may have loosened up a bit though because when I went to a funeral in one more recently there were a number of women wearing trousers. It was hard to tell if they were members or people who had known the deceased in other ways. When I went to the Sunday service I found it welcoming.

Pentecostal - opposite end of the scale to the Free Church. Lots of music, probably a band, possibly people talking in tongues. People were very exuberant and full of joy. Very friendly.

Evangelical - a slightly toned down version of Pentecostal.

Baptist - a slightly more toned down version of Evangelical. I found the style could vary a bit between churches with some having more of a focus on modern praise music while others preferred more hymns.

All of the above are regarded as Protestant churches. I didn't go to a Catholic church because my childhood was Protestant. I should have probably given one a go.

I'd try out a few and see where you feel closest to God. You may be surprised.

PS Sorry, should have said I'd try out a few once services have resumed. In the meantime, many have gone online

@applesandpears33 Thanks for your very helpful reply, I guess I'll just have to get out of my comfort zone and actually try out different places. I'm also more familiar with Protestantism but will probably try a Catholic church as well. You're right, it is an exciting time for me - my family and friends aren't religious so I really feel the need to find people I can talk about and share my faith with without it bothering them!

I don't think you can just turn up to a Mormon temple.

A Mormon temple would make you very welcome.

This is exciting! I can't give you a rundown of most of those churches, as I don't live in Scotland, but I can try and help from the point of view of someone who found their own church relatively recently. I'd say have a think about what you want from a church. Do you want a friendly community of a particular age range? A particular music style? A particular type of sermon? An LGBTQ+ affirming church? One that allows female ministers/ vicars etc? The latter two often vary according to the church, and not necessarily directly in line with the general teachings of the denomination.

Now is a good time to try out churches as you can just tune into a different Zoom every week. As a caution, I'd say be careful giving your details to anyone until you've decided whether it's the place for you - some churches, especially Evangelical ones, can be very persistent in trying to keep you. And don't be afraid to try a few different ones, even a few services at each, until you find something that "clicks" and feels comfortable. I knew I found my church because, cliché as it sounds, it felt like coming home, and there was no pressure to be someone I'm not. Maybe harder to gauge without being there physically though.

Yes, I think it will be difficult as I won't be able to meet any of the congregation for a while, although I suppose seeing the minister/priest etc. speak will be a start. My only Christian friend goes to a church where women aren't allowed to speak in the church or in bible study meetings so I definitely don't want a very conservative place like that (I believe that this is relatively uncommon nowadays in any case), but am otherwise relatively open.

Some congregations have "church coffee" or similar over zoom where you can chat with the other members. Wow that is extreme! There's lots of shades of female roles in church, from what you describe to women being welcome to take on ministerial roles but not on equal footing with men/ not allowed to progress to female ministers/ church leaders, and it's not always obvious straight away

@Bakedpotatoandgin Oh, I didn't know about that, I'll try to find out if any churches near me have that sort of thing. The biblical view of women has sometimes been a bit of an issue for me, although hearing about the context it was written in has helped a bit. I'd definitely like a church where I'm as free to contribute as anyone else, although as you say I'm not sure how quickly you'd be able to pick up on their beliefs.

I agree with @Bakedpotatoandgin - it can often be difficult to find out where a church stands on issues such as women and LGBT issues as there can be quite a difference between individual churches, even within a denomination. For example, you could google the issues the CofS have had re LGBT issues in recent years. Some congregations are quite liberal whereas others are more traditional. It doesn't always follow that younger congregations are more liberal and older ones more traditional, or that a praise band and worship songs rather than an organ indicate more liberal attitudes. I think I'd try out the churches on zoom and use that as a way to filter out what you think would be best.

Sorry, more coffee required! I meant filter out the ones that you DIDN'T think would suit you best.

Church websites may help to give an idea about how many women are involved in leadership roles. What they will not necessarily tell you is whether women are regarded as equal to men and if an individual congregation would welcome a female minister. If possible, I'd have a look back at the church calendar to see if any women had ever preached when the minister was on holiday/away for other reasons.

@applesandpears33 has great advice. I'd also recommend looking on the wikipedia pages of bigger churches, if there is one, as it can sometimes help to get a more balanced picture compared to the church's own website. (If I sound overly cautious it's because I got stung by an Evangelical church that sounded all friendly and light but turned out to be very homophobic - all "love the sinner, hate the sin" - and anti-feminist, and had I thought to look on wiki I would have realised this)

I've just remembered the Ship of Fools website too. They have a Mystery Worshiper section which has reviews of churches. Not many in Scotland are included but you may hit lucky.

I would suggest investigating their philosophies and teachings as their vary a lot. C of England is ridiculously varied so I'm guessing c of s is too - from very liberal to evangelical.

Hi op, there is also the Methodist Church, another Christian denominational church. Don't think it's been mentioned here yet. There's over a quarter of a million of us in the UK! Check out methodist.org.uk for more info.

You might find you also have a Baptist church (See Baptist union of Scotland), they tend to be middle of the road inclusive churches with informal services and supportive of women in leadership.

Also there are charismatic evangelical type churches that often don't have a regular church building but may meet in a community centre or primary school, they are often linked into denominational networks such as New Frontiers or Vineyard. They are generally consistent in core beliefs but can vary on role of women, community engagement, diversity, worth researching.

Generally churches that embrace the 21st century have a Facebook page or website that gives a flavour of their style.