Choosing A Denomination

Church FinderHow to Choose a Christian Denomination

Editors Note: this article was from our old site prior to the launch of Church Finder and the new FindMyChurch.com.

If you want to find out more about specific denominations please see our List of Christian Denominations – many with profiles and links to the official denomination website for more detailed research.

Using Church Finder to Find Local Churches By Denomination

Each City Church Directory on Church Finder also has specific denomination category pages. For example, you can see all churches in Dallas TX or look only at baptist churches in Dallas.

 

Keep reading for the original article…

Christianity is a very diverse religion and there are numerous denominations that you can choose. While they all have similarities there are also numerous distinct differences between each of the denominations. In today’s guide we shall help you in choosing a denomination by looking at some of the most popular Christian denominations and their main ideologies.

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With so many different Christian denominations it can be hard to know where to start. The best way to choose the right one for you is to research them and find out what their ideologies and values. It should be quite easy to choose one once you know this as one will just ‘fit’ with you.

Below we shall try and help you in your search for the right Christian denomination by outlining what their beliefs are. However, this list is not exhaustive and if you don’t find one that fits you quite right then carry on researching as there are plenty of others that may be better for you.

One thing they all have in common though is a belief in God and their sacred text is the Holy Bible (they may put more emphasis on different parts of the Bible however).

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Orthodox Christianity Denomination

Orthodox Christians have the belief that the ultimate goal of every Christian is to continually draw closer to God through a process called theosis. Every Orthodox Christian strives to be more holy and more like Christ within Jesus Christ. They aim to be closer to God than existed in the Garden of Eden.

The Orthodox church is the second largest denomination with over 225 million members around the world, and is considered to have been established by Jesus Christ almost 2,000 years ago.

Orthodox Christians believe in the Trinity. The Holy Trinity are three distinct beings with no overlap between them.

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Lutheran Christian Denomination

Lutheranism is another major denomination of Christianity that originated from the 16th century teachings of the German reformer – Martin Luther. Through Luthers attempts to reform theology the Protestant Reformation began.

The main reason that Lutheranism split from the traditional Roman Catholic Church was over a disagreement on the doctrine of Justification. Luther had the belief that the doctrine of justification “by grace alone through faith alone because of Christ alone.”

Lutheran theology is very different to reformed Christianity in terms of the purpose of God’s law, the divine grace and predestination. Unlike the reformed Churches, Lutherans have retained much of the liturgical practices and sacramental teachings from the early Church.

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Protestant Christian Denominations

Protestantism is one of the four main denominations of Christianity. There are indeed various denominations within Protestantism itself however most are very closely tied to the Roman Catholic Church.

The doctrines of Protestant denominations vary however there are some similarities, including Sola Scriptura and Sola fide. Sola scriptura is the belief that the Bible is the final source of authority for all Christians; and Sola fide refers to the belief that salvation comes from faith alone in Jesus Christ rather than through good work.

The three fundamental principles behind traditional Protestantism are: supremacy of the Bible, justification by faith alone and the universal priesthood of believers.

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Roman Catholic Christian Denomination

Roman Catholicism is the most widely spread of the Christian denominations with over a billion members accounting for approximately half of all Christians worldwide and one sixth of the world’s population.

The Roman Catholic church has the mission of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity. They believe that there is one eternal God who exists as three separate beings – God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit.

All of the beliefs of Roman Catholics are summarized within the Nicene Creed as well as in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

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Anglican Christianity Denomination

Anglican Christianity refers largely to Christian churches that are historically connected to the Church of England or have similar beliefs and worship structures.

Anglicanism is a very traditional form of Christianity. Essentially they believe that the Bible is true and that it contains everything necessary for salvation – with nothing else required. They also heavily believe in the importance of the tradition and history of the church and put a heavy emphasis on the Nicene Creed, the Apostles Creed and the Athinasian creed.

 

More information about specific denominations is available on the List of Christian Denominations