by Sandy » Sun Oct 14, 2012 9:54 pm
Well, I wasn't actually anticipating a change of denomination when we moved to Pennsylvania, but we had determined we needed to find a church fairly close to home, in order to be actively involved and avoid driving in winter weather, and there was only one SBC church close enough to warrant a serious visit, and it wasn't a fit. Non-denominational, conservative, Evangelical churches these days are all cookie cutter in worship and programming, and are largely focused on "sit and listen" experiences. Small groups in two of the three local churches we went to watched a video of the Sunday sermon, and were based on questions sent by the pastor over the interned. I actually found the church we now attend on the internet through a google search. Other than church governance, which is slightly different than the SBC churches we've attended, I haven't found anything doctrinal that is a problem, or wouldn't be found in SBC churches somewhere. Membership was different, there's no invitation at the end of the service, and there's only one "business meeting" a year. Other than that, the most substantial difference I found is that no one brings fried chicken to the carry-in dinners.
My last Sunday school class at the church I attended in Texas before we moved, which was a couples class from age 70 up, including three centegenerians, surprisingly had a lot of members, perhaps 15 out of 40, who had come from other denominations after age 70. We had some members who came from a nearby secured retirement center, and they came with some of our regular members who attended there. I actually baptized two ladies in their 70's who had been sprinkled when they were confirmed.
Last edited by Sandy on Sun Oct 14, 2012 10:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.