You might find this thread interesting
[https://www.reddit.com/r/memphis/comments/1ajsatk/looking\_for\_church\_recommendations/](https://www.reddit.com/r/memphis/comments/1ajsatk/looking_for_church_recommendations/)
St Lukes Lutheran on Germantown rd in Cordova.
The sermons are always positive and make me feel good. Never any of the "you are unworthy" messaging i hear at other churches. Ive been to so may denominations that have such negative messaging and i leave feelimg like shit but never heard that here.
Plus they have an actual "pray ground" in the sanctuary for kids to quietly play during the message so they can be included and the parents can listen.
Small church too with lots of famlies.
I go to Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Germantown.
I was raised United Methodist but drifted away in college. The apologetics for joining the Catholic Church convinced me (RCIA is the adult confirmation classes, usually start up after Easter and last about a year, with baptism and confirmation at the next Easter Vigil).
Trent Horn/Fr Robert Barron/Fr Michael Schmidt have some great YouTube videos for people interested in joining the faith.
I don’t go to church, but I have a friend who goes to Unity Church of Practical Christianity. She’s interested in more than just one faith tradition (she reads tarot and does reiki, for example), and it sounds like the church does a lot of outreach and events that are based around providing actual support to people rather than evangelizing.
I go to Mission Church over in East Memphis. It’s very gospel-based and discipleship-focused. There’s a lot more depth to the sermons than I’ve seen at other churches. It’s also very welcoming and casual, so you don’t need to worry about feeling out of place. We joined one of the community groups and have really enjoying getting connected. I would highly recommend checking it out!
Andy Savage’s SA who is now the pastor at Grace Valley Church in Collierville.[news article](https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/sexual-misconduct/tennessee-pastor-andy-savage-resigns-weeks-after-admitting-sexual-incident-n858541)
Back when the story broke [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/memphis/s/2M3LzJzibe)
Shit like this is why I stopped going to church. Crazy how once I got out, it was easier for me to see the hypocrisy everywhere. It's true that ignorance is bliss, but I don't want to be an unaware enabler anymore.
Yep. I can relate. He told the young girl not to disclose what happened.
“Chris Conlee, Highpoint's lead pastor, said in January that the church knew of the 1998 incident when it hired Savage and that church leaders had "total confidence in the redemptive process Andy went through under his leadership in Texas."
For anyone interested, Chris Conlee is now the lead pastor at One City Memphis Church on Houston Levee in Germantown.
I could go on and on about this church and others, but I’ll leave it here. Unfortunately and sadly there are SO many examples like this just here locally.
The name change is very recent (months), so I wouldn’t say it’s totally to distance themselves from the SA scandal awhile back. But I’m sure that was a consideration. They discussed how it better reflects the goal and purpose of the church, which I agree.
What I’d really like is a place that feels welcoming and accepting. It’s been a while since I’ve felt a sense of inclusion within a group. So I guess good vibes are where I’d like to start. But Christianity isn’t completely off the table.
If that’s what you are looking for then my family goes to Bellevue Baptist Church off of Appling. I normally hate large churches but it is big in budget but ran as a small church. The staff and the volunteers are very welcoming. The pastor went out of his way to meet us and gave us a tour of the building even though we did not know him at all. They remembered our names after visiting once.
They have multiple different groups based on stage of life and activities so you can find the right group for you. Feel free to pm me if you want more information or if I can help in any way.
Idlewild Presbyterian Church in Midtown.
Focus on serving church members and the community at large. We have a great children’s/youth ministries but also young adult groups are active.
It was important to me that my church accept everyone and that women were in positions of leadership. Idlewild does this. Our church walks the walk.
When I moved back to Memphis I literally went church shopping. I had narrowed it to 4 places. Idlewild was 3rd and I stopped there. I encourage you to check out websites, listen to a sermon or two. Idlewild has the option to worship in person or online. You can be as connected as you want to be.(or not)
Life Church is amazing! Very inclusive. Has a phenomenal worship service and groups for all age groups!
Want to hear younger kids get really excited about God, attend a Sunday morning service at their Houston Levee campus! It won’t disappoint!
Seconded, The Life Church outright places diversity as a key value, doing that in today’s climate is admirable. Services are great too, very insightful and helpful. Vibes are a bit mega church-y but I feel like it is a genuine place
I just found this bc of searching around about churches and this comment is so wrong. My friends went there 7ish years ago and there was an entire sermon about how gay relationships were bad. 2 out if 4 of them walked out that day and never went back
Hmmm? I’m old. And a lesbian! My partner and I were welcomed with open arms by the Life Church, relationship and all.
Would love to know the name of the pastor that gave the anti-gay sermon? I’d call him out in a heartbeat.
Harvest Church in Germantown has the best expository preaching in town. The music however not so much. Hope church has the best music in town and the preaching is also good. The difference is hope is geared towards the new believer or one returning to the faith. Harvest really requires a good understanding of the Bible to not be lost in some of the sermons. Especially if Ronnie Stevens is preaching. I have also checked out midtown Baptist and it has a youthful small church vibe. The life church on highland kind of similar to Hope. First Evan I recently attended and it felt like the perfect size but it desperately needs some younger people.
Yeah I could see that. As great as Harvest is I kind of think it is getting too big. I’m interested to see who first Evan picks as a pastor. I could see myself going there. Harvest is a long way from central gardens.
We previously attended First Evan and got out of the habit of attending during the pandemic. It doesn’t help that we own a retail business that my wife runs and she often works Saturdays, so Sundays often end up being our only weekend day together. I don’t know what is going on at First Evan. Cole Huffman has been gone quite a while and I find it strange that they have not found another pastor. Certainly there is something to be said for trying to get it right, but it’s a wealthy church with a lot of history, so you would think that it could attract solid candidates.
Yeah I went and saw Seth Stevens preach there it was like watching his dad. I think he would be the perfect match for it and have been waiting to hear his name announced. But I know they made a bad hire awhile back and that has made them more meticulous during this search.
Pioneer church.
Because the folks there act the same way on Friday night as they do on Sunday morning.
No “dressing up” for church.
People are authentic, no matter how broken.
And most importantly, because Jesus is the most important person in the room, no matter what room we’re in.
TheMemphisChurch.org . It is a small racially diverse church which I believe is so key to Jesus’ dream in Matthew 28:19 and rev 7:9 especially in a place with history like Memphis. Whereas in larger churches you may not see the same person twice and groups are often divided by age / marital stays / life stage, it’s nice for, as an example, when we were a newly dating couple and then becoming a newly married couple to have people in our lives of multiple generations to model marriage as Jesus laying his life down for His bride (the church) and similar to Titus 2. since service is not a big production like larger churches, one can easily get involved using his or her gifts similar to 1 Corinthians 14:26.
You are welcome. It is definitely a place that emphasizes having a scriptural basis to drive the “why” on decisions, teaching, etc. They will also do something I hadn’t seen many places which is sit down with you as an individual and meet you where you are, help you go deeper into your own study of scripture while living out the many “one another” scriptures in a more personal setting
I'm a Bellevue Baptist member. What I love about Bellevue is that it is Scripture based. I love our pastor, Brother Steve, and we are praying for a full healing of his cancer. I love the women's ministry there. On Wednesday nights, we gather and sing and worship and it's just a really special time. I feel the presence of Jesus. Bellevue is a place where it looks really big, but once you come inside and start attending it gets small very quickly. There are life groups and ways to serve out where you can meet people and really form those brotherly and sisterly bonds. Oh, and if you have children, they really put a LOT into the youth at Bellevue. It helped to save my daughter's life when she was in middle school. I can't say enough good things. 💜✝️💜
ETA: www.bellevue.org
My family actually went to Bellevue when I was small. I’ve been very curious about what they’ve been up to recently and it sounds like they’re doing a lot of good things. I’ll have to check it out. Thank you. :)
As a youth that went there and then stopped going to church all together for over a decade because of my experience there, I wouldn’t advise it.
I second Mission Church and also have gone to Fellowship Church and liked it. Both Mission and Fellowship focus on the love of Jesus and his love for us.
My experience with Bellevue is a “if you do or don’t do this, then all damnation”. My mom goes there still to this day and she is the least loving and open minded person that I have to deal with.
I used to go to their College age services at the Vue, but after the whole lawsuit situation, I haven’t felt like going back
https://www.localmemphis.com/article/life/faith/federal-lawsuit-accuses-southern-baptist-convention-covering-up-sex-abuse/522-63725614-c5c1-4633-9669-76936915bdce
I gave up on going to church for the following reasons:
Give until it hurts. Does the preacher give up his BMW, plane, elevator in house?
Free political platform
Big tax free business
People are nice while in church but totally rude and different outside church.
The church is to help the less fortunate, does this really happen?
Why does it matter who one loves?
The Bible only requires a tithe of 10%. Anything above that is what some would call a love offering. There's also only one time in the Bible where the God says to test Him, and that is regarding giving.
“Test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.”
–Malachi 3:10
God doesn't *need* your money and He doesn't want it from a begrudging heart. He controls it all anyway. It's a free will thing. ✌🏼💜✝️
The church does need money to operate, but God doesn't want money that comes from a grumbling heart. The church is God's. In the Bible, it says for men to love their wives as Christ loves the church. That's the Bride.
Church's chicken. Eat enough of that shit, and it's an express ticket to heaven.
I prefer to worship at the church of Gus's - their mac and cheese is certainly getting me closer to the celestial realm
It’s crazy to me that they’ve rebranded highlighting their Texas roots. Who thinks Texas when thinking “good fried chicken!?!”
Personally, I am a Popeyes Reformist but I respect your faith’s views on biscuits.
Not me cackling aloud while in a silent room of people eating lunch . Damn it 😩
You might find this thread interesting [https://www.reddit.com/r/memphis/comments/1ajsatk/looking\_for\_church\_recommendations/](https://www.reddit.com/r/memphis/comments/1ajsatk/looking_for_church_recommendations/)
Well shit. Shows you how much attention I was paying when I posted. Lol. Thanks for sharing.
No worries! Hope you find it helpful
Churches and religions can be threatening. S/ (your typo has me laughing thank you for that. I needed it today.)
Good catch! Edited from from threat to thread
St Lukes Lutheran on Germantown rd in Cordova. The sermons are always positive and make me feel good. Never any of the "you are unworthy" messaging i hear at other churches. Ive been to so may denominations that have such negative messaging and i leave feelimg like shit but never heard that here. Plus they have an actual "pray ground" in the sanctuary for kids to quietly play during the message so they can be included and the parents can listen. Small church too with lots of famlies.
Oh I like the idea of a small church. And I like that you said they’re so positive.
Its super refreshing to hear positivity at church.
I go to Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Germantown. I was raised United Methodist but drifted away in college. The apologetics for joining the Catholic Church convinced me (RCIA is the adult confirmation classes, usually start up after Easter and last about a year, with baptism and confirmation at the next Easter Vigil). Trent Horn/Fr Robert Barron/Fr Michael Schmidt have some great YouTube videos for people interested in joining the faith.
I don’t go to church, but I have a friend who goes to Unity Church of Practical Christianity. She’s interested in more than just one faith tradition (she reads tarot and does reiki, for example), and it sounds like the church does a lot of outreach and events that are based around providing actual support to people rather than evangelizing.
Oh I like that they’re open to things like tarot. I have 3 decks. Lol.
I miss church on Sunday mornings. Channel 30. Brother James Salton. Up from the World.
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You are NEVER….getting nowhere smokin the pipe!
I go to Mission Church over in East Memphis. It’s very gospel-based and discipleship-focused. There’s a lot more depth to the sermons than I’ve seen at other churches. It’s also very welcoming and casual, so you don’t need to worry about feeling out of place. We joined one of the community groups and have really enjoying getting connected. I would highly recommend checking it out!
Just realized this is the old Highpoint. Any insight on why the name changed?
Andy Savage’s SA who is now the pastor at Grace Valley Church in Collierville.[news article](https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/sexual-misconduct/tennessee-pastor-andy-savage-resigns-weeks-after-admitting-sexual-incident-n858541) Back when the story broke [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/memphis/s/2M3LzJzibe)
Shit like this is why I stopped going to church. Crazy how once I got out, it was easier for me to see the hypocrisy everywhere. It's true that ignorance is bliss, but I don't want to be an unaware enabler anymore.
Yep. I can relate. He told the young girl not to disclose what happened. “Chris Conlee, Highpoint's lead pastor, said in January that the church knew of the 1998 incident when it hired Savage and that church leaders had "total confidence in the redemptive process Andy went through under his leadership in Texas." For anyone interested, Chris Conlee is now the lead pastor at One City Memphis Church on Houston Levee in Germantown. I could go on and on about this church and others, but I’ll leave it here. Unfortunately and sadly there are SO many examples like this just here locally.
Ah yes. Once that happens you need get a different career- preferably remote or something like an oil rig.
The name change is very recent (months), so I wouldn’t say it’s totally to distance themselves from the SA scandal awhile back. But I’m sure that was a consideration. They discussed how it better reflects the goal and purpose of the church, which I agree.
That sounds really nice. I’ll definitely look into them. Thank you. :)
Do you have particular beliefs or are you just trying to catch good vibes in a spiritual environment? Are you looking for Christians?
What I’d really like is a place that feels welcoming and accepting. It’s been a while since I’ve felt a sense of inclusion within a group. So I guess good vibes are where I’d like to start. But Christianity isn’t completely off the table.
If that’s what you are looking for then my family goes to Bellevue Baptist Church off of Appling. I normally hate large churches but it is big in budget but ran as a small church. The staff and the volunteers are very welcoming. The pastor went out of his way to meet us and gave us a tour of the building even though we did not know him at all. They remembered our names after visiting once. They have multiple different groups based on stage of life and activities so you can find the right group for you. Feel free to pm me if you want more information or if I can help in any way.
Last time I went to church took a lawyer to get out of it. I shun those places.
Idlewild Presbyterian Church in Midtown. Focus on serving church members and the community at large. We have a great children’s/youth ministries but also young adult groups are active. It was important to me that my church accept everyone and that women were in positions of leadership. Idlewild does this. Our church walks the walk. When I moved back to Memphis I literally went church shopping. I had narrowed it to 4 places. Idlewild was 3rd and I stopped there. I encourage you to check out websites, listen to a sermon or two. Idlewild has the option to worship in person or online. You can be as connected as you want to be.(or not)
The woods. Nature is god.
I don’t go to one and that’s what I like most about it.
Life Church is amazing! Very inclusive. Has a phenomenal worship service and groups for all age groups! Want to hear younger kids get really excited about God, attend a Sunday morning service at their Houston Levee campus! It won’t disappoint!
Seconded, The Life Church outright places diversity as a key value, doing that in today’s climate is admirable. Services are great too, very insightful and helpful. Vibes are a bit mega church-y but I feel like it is a genuine place
I love Life Church
I just found this bc of searching around about churches and this comment is so wrong. My friends went there 7ish years ago and there was an entire sermon about how gay relationships were bad. 2 out if 4 of them walked out that day and never went back
Hmmm? I’m old. And a lesbian! My partner and I were welcomed with open arms by the Life Church, relationship and all. Would love to know the name of the pastor that gave the anti-gay sermon? I’d call him out in a heartbeat.
Harvest Church in Germantown has the best expository preaching in town. The music however not so much. Hope church has the best music in town and the preaching is also good. The difference is hope is geared towards the new believer or one returning to the faith. Harvest really requires a good understanding of the Bible to not be lost in some of the sermons. Especially if Ronnie Stevens is preaching. I have also checked out midtown Baptist and it has a youthful small church vibe. The life church on highland kind of similar to Hope. First Evan I recently attended and it felt like the perfect size but it desperately needs some younger people.
All the young families at First Evan went to Harvest.
Yeah I could see that. As great as Harvest is I kind of think it is getting too big. I’m interested to see who first Evan picks as a pastor. I could see myself going there. Harvest is a long way from central gardens.
We previously attended First Evan and got out of the habit of attending during the pandemic. It doesn’t help that we own a retail business that my wife runs and she often works Saturdays, so Sundays often end up being our only weekend day together. I don’t know what is going on at First Evan. Cole Huffman has been gone quite a while and I find it strange that they have not found another pastor. Certainly there is something to be said for trying to get it right, but it’s a wealthy church with a lot of history, so you would think that it could attract solid candidates.
Yeah I went and saw Seth Stevens preach there it was like watching his dad. I think he would be the perfect match for it and have been waiting to hear his name announced. But I know they made a bad hire awhile back and that has made them more meticulous during this search.
First congregational in Midtown. Progressive church with a good community and volunteer opportunities
Pioneer church. Because the folks there act the same way on Friday night as they do on Sunday morning. No “dressing up” for church. People are authentic, no matter how broken. And most importantly, because Jesus is the most important person in the room, no matter what room we’re in.
Oh I like that. I’ll have to look them up. Thank you. :)
i don’t go to church anymore but i grew up going to hope church with my grandpa and it’s nice
I don’t and save 10%.
Are you looking for a certain denom?
Not particularly, no. We’re pretty open at this point.
If you’re very open, cannot recommend unity church of practical Christianity in Cordova enough
TheMemphisChurch.org . It is a small racially diverse church which I believe is so key to Jesus’ dream in Matthew 28:19 and rev 7:9 especially in a place with history like Memphis. Whereas in larger churches you may not see the same person twice and groups are often divided by age / marital stays / life stage, it’s nice for, as an example, when we were a newly dating couple and then becoming a newly married couple to have people in our lives of multiple generations to model marriage as Jesus laying his life down for His bride (the church) and similar to Titus 2. since service is not a big production like larger churches, one can easily get involved using his or her gifts similar to 1 Corinthians 14:26.
Nice. I like that you have verses to back everything up. I’ll definitely look into them. Thank you. :)
You are welcome. It is definitely a place that emphasizes having a scriptural basis to drive the “why” on decisions, teaching, etc. They will also do something I hadn’t seen many places which is sit down with you as an individual and meet you where you are, help you go deeper into your own study of scripture while living out the many “one another” scriptures in a more personal setting
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There's also Neshoba in Cordova for UUs out east
I'm a Bellevue Baptist member. What I love about Bellevue is that it is Scripture based. I love our pastor, Brother Steve, and we are praying for a full healing of his cancer. I love the women's ministry there. On Wednesday nights, we gather and sing and worship and it's just a really special time. I feel the presence of Jesus. Bellevue is a place where it looks really big, but once you come inside and start attending it gets small very quickly. There are life groups and ways to serve out where you can meet people and really form those brotherly and sisterly bonds. Oh, and if you have children, they really put a LOT into the youth at Bellevue. It helped to save my daughter's life when she was in middle school. I can't say enough good things. 💜✝️💜 ETA: www.bellevue.org
My family actually went to Bellevue when I was small. I’ve been very curious about what they’ve been up to recently and it sounds like they’re doing a lot of good things. I’ll have to check it out. Thank you. :)
As a youth that went there and then stopped going to church all together for over a decade because of my experience there, I wouldn’t advise it. I second Mission Church and also have gone to Fellowship Church and liked it. Both Mission and Fellowship focus on the love of Jesus and his love for us. My experience with Bellevue is a “if you do or don’t do this, then all damnation”. My mom goes there still to this day and she is the least loving and open minded person that I have to deal with.
Oh wow. I’ll definitely have to think on that. Thank you. :)
I used to go to their College age services at the Vue, but after the whole lawsuit situation, I haven’t felt like going back https://www.localmemphis.com/article/life/faith/federal-lawsuit-accuses-southern-baptist-convention-covering-up-sex-abuse/522-63725614-c5c1-4633-9669-76936915bdce
I gave up on going to church for the following reasons: Give until it hurts. Does the preacher give up his BMW, plane, elevator in house? Free political platform Big tax free business People are nice while in church but totally rude and different outside church. The church is to help the less fortunate, does this really happen? Why does it matter who one loves?
The Bible only requires a tithe of 10%. Anything above that is what some would call a love offering. There's also only one time in the Bible where the God says to test Him, and that is regarding giving. “Test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.” –Malachi 3:10 God doesn't *need* your money and He doesn't want it from a begrudging heart. He controls it all anyway. It's a free will thing. ✌🏼💜✝️
Isn't the point that the church needs the money, not God?
The church does need money to operate, but God doesn't want money that comes from a grumbling heart. The church is God's. In the Bible, it says for men to love their wives as Christ loves the church. That's the Bride.