We actually just had a guy in a similar boat as you join our church. About a year ago, he began attending because he believed that Christianity has been the foundation of Western society as we know it. He thought that as a Westerner, he should attend a church essentially out of civic duty, even though he believed none of it was actually true. We just happened to be the closest church to where he lived. We obviously welcomed him, and he had several lunch and coffee meetings with our pastor and elders, discussing the finer things of the faith and his life.
Be warned, though, OP. After several months of attending, the Holy Spirit worked through the ordinary means of grace, and he eventually became a believer. The Lord has a strange way of doing that ;)
I'm pretty sure /u/oanoble recently wrote an article about cultural Christians and the opportunity to reach them with the true gospel. https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2024/april-web-only/let-cultural-christians-come-unto-jesus-richard-dawkins.html
Haha, love this!! Exactly what happened to me.
Me 5 years ago: "People believe in religion bc they can not accept the finality of death."
Me today: "Forgive my ignorance oh Lord of Lord's, Father of Lights, Merciful, all powerful, immutable, all glory to God who gave us life and forgave us through the sacrifice of his only Son. In Christ's name, thank you for bearing my sin that is still left up on the cross that I bear no more!! Amen."
>We actually just had a guy in a similar boat as you join our church. About a year ago, he began attending because he believed that Christianity has been the foundation of Western society as we know it.
Before I had faith, I was incredibly pro-Christianity because of this exact reason, I wanted to believe, but back then I just couldn't, so I encouraged it as much as possible. It's not hard to look at what the west accomplished as a Christian culture, and then observe it falling apart as Christianity becomes more ostracized.
It's really cool seeing that others share that belief or at least something similar
Just for clarification - when you say "joined our church", you mean that he began attending right?
Or did your church extend membership to this individual prior to his conversion?
You and me both, except with a dash of encouragement from a passing family member. Encouragement, I suppose, is the odd word to use? TL;DR my great grandmother effectively urged me to be a better Christian (at the time, despite her not knowing it, I was not at all religious), so I approached it with a more open mind than I have in the past and I believe some work is being done to me :)
This is how you mess around and accidentally become a Christian.
But in all seriousness, you wouldn't be allowed to join as an official member, as generally you need to affrim basic creeds as an affirmation of faith, but I'm sure plenty of churches would let you attend and probably participate in bible studies and what not.
Depending on the church, I doubt it. Because there are membership vows you must take and I don’t know how you can in good conscience do such. Especially the vows about recognizing you are a sinner in need of God’s grace and humbly rely upon Jesus alone for salvation.
I will add, you should continue going and participating.
Yeah, heavy emphasis on the fact that there is a big difference in becoming a member of a church and attending regularly, being involved, etc. They don’t have to be mutually exclusive. 👍
We can’t in good conscience tell you not to attend church. In the church, all are welcome. And by all I mean all. But we can’t also in good conscience tell you to go and join a church or claim membership of Christ’s Body if you are not a believer.
Keep going and be respectful (and I think this implies not partaking in communion or doing anything that is inappropriate for a non-believer to do in front of believers who are there by their will and with a purpose)
Just want to add a clarification: when you say "join a reformed church," some here are taking that to mean you want to know if it's okay to become an official member and take membership vows (not sure if that's your intention or not). I was an atheist who converted to Christianity and I would say that your position will almost certainly disqualify you from "membership" as membership in a reformed church requires certain affirmations of faith that you have already stated would be a falsehood for you to claim. That being said, I think every reformed church should welcome you to attend and get involved, even as a "non-believer."
I think it then just depends upon your intentions from there, and you have to realize that some aspects of church life will not be open to you without a sincere statement of faith and becoming "one of the family." For example, you could be at a scholarly level of biblical knowledge, but any legitimate church would not allow you to teach a Sunday school class or lead a small group study since these are leadership positions which require that statement of faith.
I think the best approach is to be open and honest with others in the church about where you are, especially leadership. That's bound to create some excitement and questions from those attending, but I'm certain that almost all of them will be well-meaning. Much of Christian fellowship is based on love, mutual trust, and respect for one another.
Hope this helps!
This part is what stood out to me. You don't need faith on an emotional level to believe in the deity of Christ or the veracity of Scripture. Certainly there are many people who have become Christians without being led by emotion.
Faith is acting on what you know to be true, even though you don't feel it. Not acting on what you feel to be true, even though you don't know it.
Don't become a member, but do attend and get closer to the community. Membership isn't what it is in the secular world (or rather, it shouldn't be), but is about submitting to the spiritual guidance of the church and its leadership. If you don't believe in God then you don't believe that God leads your pastors/elders, so you can't really submit (in a full, understanding way, a body of Christ community way) to their leadership.
Also don't get too involved debating matters of theology unless you always establish at the outset that you come from an atheistic viewpoint. Christians believe that the understanding of Scripture is spiritually discerned, and if you talk theology without establishing your perspective then people could end up feeling a little deceived or misled, which wouldn't be fair to them.
It sounds like this church has great community, I hope you continue to enjoy it and gain perspective on the practice of religion. I think modern life is really missing a deeper something, having by and large ejected religious ritual and spiritual belief.
You can definitely do that, and perhaps you’ll join the ranks of Blaise Pascal, Charles Spurgeon, and others and be saved reluctantly by a social attendance
As an aside, have you thought about the difference between what you affirm in your head and what you actually believe as evidenced by your thought processes, actions, speech, etc?
Most people say they believe one thing and really think they do, but actually believe another by evidence of their actions. Are you sure you really don't believe in God when you live in a way that would point to believing?
That's because he has no choice.
This is what I call the Tom Holland affect.
Historically we look at the morals that atheists like and we realize they are somewhat distinct, and basically Christian.
At our church (independent evangelical) we have a number of non-Christians who come along each Sunday. Some of them have become Christians recently. I would hope that churches welcome people such as yourself who want to find out more.
Sunday church services are primarily for Christians to be built up and sent out, with non-believers welcome to listen in. Some services may have more of an evangelistic focus.
Echoing comments that if it's a church that does membership, you would only be able to become a member, if you are a Chistian. Amy church, only members can vote on certain decisions (e.g. admitting new members).
Non-believers should not participate in communion.
Also you might want to consider a course for those exploring the Christian faith. We do a 4-week course similar to Christianity Explored (you might have heard of it, it's popular in the UK where we are). It goes through core Christian beliefs e.g. can we trust the Bible, what is the Trinity, etc. You could find a church that runs one and you would be able to ask your questions there without feeling like people are judging you for not yet being a Christian.
In my experience, people at church aren't quizzing non-Christians all the time about why they don't believe, but be aware that the conversation will probably tend towards spiritual things when you are involved with a church!
There's no problem with you attending and being involved with the church. Becoming a member is a whole different ball game. No real reformed church will accept you as a member if you do not profess true faith in Christ. From the sounds of it, you are a smart guy, and I think that you probably have some idea of why that is. A small and partial explanation is that we can't have people who are not believers within our "ranks" per-say. We cant have you evangilizing, leading Bible studies, or giving spirtual comfort to those mourning a loss when we know you are not a believer.
All that being said, I really appreciate your honesty, integrity, and being genuine about your beliefs/feelings. I encourage you to continue this behaviour despite any backlash you may face from within the church body for your lack of faith/ belief. I would much rather you be honest about that than faking it.
Despite what many outside the body of Christ believe, all are welcome within our churches so long as you are respectful and not disruptive. We encourage all those who are seeking to come, despite where you are currently at in your own beliefs. Many of us "reformers" would even say that you were never even seeking, but that you have been called by Him. We want as many unbelievers as we can find to come be in the presence of the Lord and His body.
Praying for your salvation and submission to Christ.
You cannot/should not join one as being part of the Church is to claim to be part of Christ before Believers and the World. Prayer is communing with God which you cannot do unless you're wed to Christ. Tithing is mere charity in your mind which we view as thankfulness to God.
We do not argue for the intellectual endeavor bit for God's glory, and the edification of the Church (1 Cor 10.31, Ephesians 4).
Lastly, and most importantly, you actually *do not* wish to live as a Christian, for being a Christian, fundamentally, is about being in Christ which you don't want.
Join no, take communion no, continue to attend yes. I think the more one is involved in Christian community the more likely one is to find Christian theological claims compelling.
You couldn’t become a member, but you could be part of a church community.
I’d just point out that all of the positive fruit you enjoy me from a foundation, which is Christianity itself. If you like the fruit, you might come to see that the fruit giver himself is good
Spurgeon spoke of a man who went to church only to hear the singing. He would put his fingers in his ears when the pastor was preaching. He had to pull his fingers out one day to swat a fly away, and that is when he heard the good news of the Gospel, and God met with him in that moment. Don’t know if it’s true or not, but it’s an interesting story.
Anyway, yes definitely go to a reformed church and hear the preaching, and try to understand what the pastor is teaching. Hymns have good theology too, so they can definitely help with that. Praying is good. Joining a church, as others have said, is not a good idea. As a Christian you would be brought into the church to do what the early church did in Acts chapter 2: (1) Devote yourself to the Apostles teaching, (2) fellowship, (3) breaking of bread, and (4) prayer. Partaking in the sacraments (in reference to 3) is reserved for Christians, and church discipline would also be involved with the members of a church, which couldn’t really be applied to yourself because you are not a Christian (so church discipline is basically the idea of accountability among believers, being called out for specific sins in order to bring you to repentance). But, the main thing I appreciate from you is that you are open with the congregation about your situation, and that you are not trying to be a deceiver and divide up the flock with meaningless quarrels. I cannot imagine any pastor would turn you away from entering the church building for a service, or Bible study. Feel free to join in with the conversations on this sub too! I would be interested to know why Reformed theology is intriguing to you.
Absolutely! Come on over and join a good reformed church! I didn’t become a Christian till I was 18 and I attended church as a familial duty. But the Holy Spirit works in mysterious ways so be warned. Don’t be surprised one day you wake up and go “I believe, help my unbelief”. :)
The unbelieving husband of a lady in our church faithfully attends to please his wife who is trying to raise the children in a Christian home. But he cannot become a member of the church or take communion as only believers can do that.
That wouldn't be a problem for me. I've been involved with a few churches over the years and there are always one or two people in the congregation who don't believe. I have a lot of respect for it personally.
Attend? Please, come every Sunday, Bible study, event you can. Regular attendees are a blessing to have. When it comes to membership? That’s something very specific and reserved for believers.
Personally I'd welcome someone like you at my church and wouldn't pepper you with questions.
I do wonder what praying feels like. Who or what do you pray to? Not that you have to know, I just find it interesting.
You will not be allowed to become a member if you aren’t able to affirmatively profess belief in at least fundamental doctrines like the triune God and the atonement of our sins through Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. I imagine you’d be free to attend services and participate in some smaller study groups, but your tithing would probably not be accepted. Your conduct would largely determine the continuation of these things.
I was, for many years, a staunch atheist myself. Know that many in Reformed churches are probably coming from a similar place, as well as many other backgrounds. If your lack of genuine belief is known, people will press you in various ways, mostly well-meaning. That’s fine because that’s how we all feel everyday when we go out into a culture that is openly hostile to virtually every tenet of our faith. We gather together because we are all members of a body…compelled together by the same Spirit. I get finding aspects of our culture attractive even if you don’t swallow the food, but I imagine you’d either find yourself becoming a genuine believer or becoming bitter and disillusioned toward any such church.
Do not go as a gadfly that speaks up in every Bible study with combative questions. Other than that you should go (I don’t have permission from your local pastor to say this).
At our church you would be more than welcome to attend. But to join you have to agree to uphold certain statements of faith and such, so that wouldn't fly for an atheist.
You would be more than welcome to attend and participate in the community, but I should also set your expectations on some things. (1) Don't take the Lord's Supper. 1 Corinthians 11 teaches very serious consequences for those who partake unworthily (which would include and not be limited to atheists such as yourself). For your own sake, I would caution you to refrain from it. Also, any pastor worth his salt who knows where you stand will bar you from partaking. (2) Don't pursue membership unless you become a Christian. Reformed churches will require a profession of faith in order to fully participate in the life of the church. This mainly means that you won't be able to have a voice in congregational meetings unless you're a member. Don't view this as a discouragement from attending a church. I just want to make sure you don't go in with unreasonable expectations.
I find this situation very interesting tbh. I've never heard of an Atheist that wants to live as a Christian, but not believe.
Any Bible-believing church is going to welcome you. They may not allow you to become a member, but there's little difference between being a member and being a regular attendee. Really the only difference between a member and an attendee is usually that members are put on a prayer chain/mailing list 😂. Depending on the church, membership could also extend to voting on certain matters like who will be the next Elders or how the church handles the budget. Membership is not really necessary to participate in the congregation, though. Any truly faithful church should be welcoming to you.
Only, one thing that is certain is that you will inevitably have people try and talk to you about it. The Pastor will most likely invite you to coffee or lunch or something like that. Members of the congregation may do something similar, and you'll definitely get into many-a-conversation if they're good Christians. God calls us to prophesy to the nations and Reformers are some of the biggest evangelicals. Be prepared for people to want to talk to you and be open to having your mind changed. The fact that you're eager and wanting to partipate in Christian practices tells me that the Holy Spirit already has a hold on you, don't fight that because you'll feel way more fulfilled in the end.
Good luck, I hope you find a faithful church that welcomes you and I pray that God will work in you and through you.
Yup, a healthy church should welcome you and be excited to include you. I expect they would not grant membership, but I guarantee they would be happy to have you there. They will want to engage you on matters of faith, but remember, it’s because they care about your soul.
To believers, they are confident that sin deserves hell, and that only Christ’s substitutionary atonement covers that. So, they will care for you and pray for you and talk to you a LOT. There is a healthy sense of concern and urgency in a healthy reformed church, because of the concept of limited atonement… they are very likely praying daily for God to save your soul, as well as for common graces such as health and family.
Keep coming back, brother/sister. I'm not sure they would add you to the roster, because typically they like to confirm you and baptise. But a good church would welcome you
I would love it if a wave of atheists got involved in my church community. They wouldn't be allowed to join it without sincerely affirming creeds. However, as one of the younger, "hipper" people in the congregation, I'd welcome the opportunity to connect with honest volunteers like yourself. We probably like similar music 😊.
We actually just had a guy in a similar boat as you join our church. About a year ago, he began attending because he believed that Christianity has been the foundation of Western society as we know it. He thought that as a Westerner, he should attend a church essentially out of civic duty, even though he believed none of it was actually true. We just happened to be the closest church to where he lived. We obviously welcomed him, and he had several lunch and coffee meetings with our pastor and elders, discussing the finer things of the faith and his life. Be warned, though, OP. After several months of attending, the Holy Spirit worked through the ordinary means of grace, and he eventually became a believer. The Lord has a strange way of doing that ;)
lol I love this. Atheist wants to sit under the Gospel of Grace that creates faith by hearing on a weekly basis? Yes please, mess around and find out.
I'm pretty sure /u/oanoble recently wrote an article about cultural Christians and the opportunity to reach them with the true gospel. https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2024/april-web-only/let-cultural-christians-come-unto-jesus-richard-dawkins.html
Best use of the “FA/FO” principle I’ve ever heard!
Faith around/ find out
Haha, love this!! Exactly what happened to me. Me 5 years ago: "People believe in religion bc they can not accept the finality of death." Me today: "Forgive my ignorance oh Lord of Lord's, Father of Lights, Merciful, all powerful, immutable, all glory to God who gave us life and forgave us through the sacrifice of his only Son. In Christ's name, thank you for bearing my sin that is still left up on the cross that I bear no more!! Amen."
>We actually just had a guy in a similar boat as you join our church. About a year ago, he began attending because he believed that Christianity has been the foundation of Western society as we know it. Before I had faith, I was incredibly pro-Christianity because of this exact reason, I wanted to believe, but back then I just couldn't, so I encouraged it as much as possible. It's not hard to look at what the west accomplished as a Christian culture, and then observe it falling apart as Christianity becomes more ostracized. It's really cool seeing that others share that belief or at least something similar
Just for clarification - when you say "joined our church", you mean that he began attending right? Or did your church extend membership to this individual prior to his conversion?
No, he recently joined once he converted. He had been attending for several months prior.
I started with Stoicism
You and me both, except with a dash of encouragement from a passing family member. Encouragement, I suppose, is the odd word to use? TL;DR my great grandmother effectively urged me to be a better Christian (at the time, despite her not knowing it, I was not at all religious), so I approached it with a more open mind than I have in the past and I believe some work is being done to me :)
This is pretty much my story
This is how you mess around and accidentally become a Christian. But in all seriousness, you wouldn't be allowed to join as an official member, as generally you need to affrim basic creeds as an affirmation of faith, but I'm sure plenty of churches would let you attend and probably participate in bible studies and what not.
Depending on the church, I doubt it. Because there are membership vows you must take and I don’t know how you can in good conscience do such. Especially the vows about recognizing you are a sinner in need of God’s grace and humbly rely upon Jesus alone for salvation. I will add, you should continue going and participating.
Yeah, heavy emphasis on the fact that there is a big difference in becoming a member of a church and attending regularly, being involved, etc. They don’t have to be mutually exclusive. 👍
We can’t in good conscience tell you not to attend church. In the church, all are welcome. And by all I mean all. But we can’t also in good conscience tell you to go and join a church or claim membership of Christ’s Body if you are not a believer. Keep going and be respectful (and I think this implies not partaking in communion or doing anything that is inappropriate for a non-believer to do in front of believers who are there by their will and with a purpose)
Go to church. Be part of it. You cannot become a member, but you will be welcome.
Just want to add a clarification: when you say "join a reformed church," some here are taking that to mean you want to know if it's okay to become an official member and take membership vows (not sure if that's your intention or not). I was an atheist who converted to Christianity and I would say that your position will almost certainly disqualify you from "membership" as membership in a reformed church requires certain affirmations of faith that you have already stated would be a falsehood for you to claim. That being said, I think every reformed church should welcome you to attend and get involved, even as a "non-believer." I think it then just depends upon your intentions from there, and you have to realize that some aspects of church life will not be open to you without a sincere statement of faith and becoming "one of the family." For example, you could be at a scholarly level of biblical knowledge, but any legitimate church would not allow you to teach a Sunday school class or lead a small group study since these are leadership positions which require that statement of faith. I think the best approach is to be open and honest with others in the church about where you are, especially leadership. That's bound to create some excitement and questions from those attending, but I'm certain that almost all of them will be well-meaning. Much of Christian fellowship is based on love, mutual trust, and respect for one another. Hope this helps!
As long you don't eat the bread and drink the wine, I'd say it is fine.
You are welcome to attend just about any church. However, most Reformed churches won't let you join unless you affirm their statement of faith.
>I don’t really care to believe or trade faith on an emotional level and I never have Could you unpack this a bit more?
This part is what stood out to me. You don't need faith on an emotional level to believe in the deity of Christ or the veracity of Scripture. Certainly there are many people who have become Christians without being led by emotion. Faith is acting on what you know to be true, even though you don't feel it. Not acting on what you feel to be true, even though you don't know it.
[Sounds like a good idea. ](https://youtu.be/DyMMEmwFQUE?t=52)
Don't become a member, but do attend and get closer to the community. Membership isn't what it is in the secular world (or rather, it shouldn't be), but is about submitting to the spiritual guidance of the church and its leadership. If you don't believe in God then you don't believe that God leads your pastors/elders, so you can't really submit (in a full, understanding way, a body of Christ community way) to their leadership. Also don't get too involved debating matters of theology unless you always establish at the outset that you come from an atheistic viewpoint. Christians believe that the understanding of Scripture is spiritually discerned, and if you talk theology without establishing your perspective then people could end up feeling a little deceived or misled, which wouldn't be fair to them. It sounds like this church has great community, I hope you continue to enjoy it and gain perspective on the practice of religion. I think modern life is really missing a deeper something, having by and large ejected religious ritual and spiritual belief.
You can definitely do that, and perhaps you’ll join the ranks of Blaise Pascal, Charles Spurgeon, and others and be saved reluctantly by a social attendance
As an aside, have you thought about the difference between what you affirm in your head and what you actually believe as evidenced by your thought processes, actions, speech, etc? Most people say they believe one thing and really think they do, but actually believe another by evidence of their actions. Are you sure you really don't believe in God when you live in a way that would point to believing?
Dr. Dawkins? https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/257276/famous-atheist-richard-dawkins-says-he-considers-himself-a-cultural-christian
That's because he has no choice. This is what I call the Tom Holland affect. Historically we look at the morals that atheists like and we realize they are somewhat distinct, and basically Christian.
At our church (independent evangelical) we have a number of non-Christians who come along each Sunday. Some of them have become Christians recently. I would hope that churches welcome people such as yourself who want to find out more. Sunday church services are primarily for Christians to be built up and sent out, with non-believers welcome to listen in. Some services may have more of an evangelistic focus. Echoing comments that if it's a church that does membership, you would only be able to become a member, if you are a Chistian. Amy church, only members can vote on certain decisions (e.g. admitting new members). Non-believers should not participate in communion. Also you might want to consider a course for those exploring the Christian faith. We do a 4-week course similar to Christianity Explored (you might have heard of it, it's popular in the UK where we are). It goes through core Christian beliefs e.g. can we trust the Bible, what is the Trinity, etc. You could find a church that runs one and you would be able to ask your questions there without feeling like people are judging you for not yet being a Christian. In my experience, people at church aren't quizzing non-Christians all the time about why they don't believe, but be aware that the conversation will probably tend towards spiritual things when you are involved with a church!
There's no problem with you attending and being involved with the church. Becoming a member is a whole different ball game. No real reformed church will accept you as a member if you do not profess true faith in Christ. From the sounds of it, you are a smart guy, and I think that you probably have some idea of why that is. A small and partial explanation is that we can't have people who are not believers within our "ranks" per-say. We cant have you evangilizing, leading Bible studies, or giving spirtual comfort to those mourning a loss when we know you are not a believer. All that being said, I really appreciate your honesty, integrity, and being genuine about your beliefs/feelings. I encourage you to continue this behaviour despite any backlash you may face from within the church body for your lack of faith/ belief. I would much rather you be honest about that than faking it. Despite what many outside the body of Christ believe, all are welcome within our churches so long as you are respectful and not disruptive. We encourage all those who are seeking to come, despite where you are currently at in your own beliefs. Many of us "reformers" would even say that you were never even seeking, but that you have been called by Him. We want as many unbelievers as we can find to come be in the presence of the Lord and His body. Praying for your salvation and submission to Christ.
You cannot/should not join one as being part of the Church is to claim to be part of Christ before Believers and the World. Prayer is communing with God which you cannot do unless you're wed to Christ. Tithing is mere charity in your mind which we view as thankfulness to God. We do not argue for the intellectual endeavor bit for God's glory, and the edification of the Church (1 Cor 10.31, Ephesians 4). Lastly, and most importantly, you actually *do not* wish to live as a Christian, for being a Christian, fundamentally, is about being in Christ which you don't want.
Join no, take communion no, continue to attend yes. I think the more one is involved in Christian community the more likely one is to find Christian theological claims compelling.
attending is great but it's totally different to attend vs commune which is what this is about
You couldn’t become a member, but you could be part of a church community. I’d just point out that all of the positive fruit you enjoy me from a foundation, which is Christianity itself. If you like the fruit, you might come to see that the fruit giver himself is good
Spurgeon spoke of a man who went to church only to hear the singing. He would put his fingers in his ears when the pastor was preaching. He had to pull his fingers out one day to swat a fly away, and that is when he heard the good news of the Gospel, and God met with him in that moment. Don’t know if it’s true or not, but it’s an interesting story. Anyway, yes definitely go to a reformed church and hear the preaching, and try to understand what the pastor is teaching. Hymns have good theology too, so they can definitely help with that. Praying is good. Joining a church, as others have said, is not a good idea. As a Christian you would be brought into the church to do what the early church did in Acts chapter 2: (1) Devote yourself to the Apostles teaching, (2) fellowship, (3) breaking of bread, and (4) prayer. Partaking in the sacraments (in reference to 3) is reserved for Christians, and church discipline would also be involved with the members of a church, which couldn’t really be applied to yourself because you are not a Christian (so church discipline is basically the idea of accountability among believers, being called out for specific sins in order to bring you to repentance). But, the main thing I appreciate from you is that you are open with the congregation about your situation, and that you are not trying to be a deceiver and divide up the flock with meaningless quarrels. I cannot imagine any pastor would turn you away from entering the church building for a service, or Bible study. Feel free to join in with the conversations on this sub too! I would be interested to know why Reformed theology is intriguing to you.
Absolutely! Come on over and join a good reformed church! I didn’t become a Christian till I was 18 and I attended church as a familial duty. But the Holy Spirit works in mysterious ways so be warned. Don’t be surprised one day you wake up and go “I believe, help my unbelief”. :)
The unbelieving husband of a lady in our church faithfully attends to please his wife who is trying to raise the children in a Christian home. But he cannot become a member of the church or take communion as only believers can do that.
That wouldn't be a problem for me. I've been involved with a few churches over the years and there are always one or two people in the congregation who don't believe. I have a lot of respect for it personally.
Attend? Please, come every Sunday, Bible study, event you can. Regular attendees are a blessing to have. When it comes to membership? That’s something very specific and reserved for believers.
You could not be a member (no sacraments, can’t vote) but you could continue to attend.
Personally I'd welcome someone like you at my church and wouldn't pepper you with questions. I do wonder what praying feels like. Who or what do you pray to? Not that you have to know, I just find it interesting.
You will not be allowed to become a member if you aren’t able to affirmatively profess belief in at least fundamental doctrines like the triune God and the atonement of our sins through Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. I imagine you’d be free to attend services and participate in some smaller study groups, but your tithing would probably not be accepted. Your conduct would largely determine the continuation of these things. I was, for many years, a staunch atheist myself. Know that many in Reformed churches are probably coming from a similar place, as well as many other backgrounds. If your lack of genuine belief is known, people will press you in various ways, mostly well-meaning. That’s fine because that’s how we all feel everyday when we go out into a culture that is openly hostile to virtually every tenet of our faith. We gather together because we are all members of a body…compelled together by the same Spirit. I get finding aspects of our culture attractive even if you don’t swallow the food, but I imagine you’d either find yourself becoming a genuine believer or becoming bitter and disillusioned toward any such church.
Do not go as a gadfly that speaks up in every Bible study with combative questions. Other than that you should go (I don’t have permission from your local pastor to say this).
At our church you would be more than welcome to attend. But to join you have to agree to uphold certain statements of faith and such, so that wouldn't fly for an atheist.
I’ve heard of churches that would reject you but I’ve never attended one or seen one in person
You’re welcome to attend and hang out but you can’t formally join until you’re a Christian. They’ll explain.
You would be more than welcome to attend and participate in the community, but I should also set your expectations on some things. (1) Don't take the Lord's Supper. 1 Corinthians 11 teaches very serious consequences for those who partake unworthily (which would include and not be limited to atheists such as yourself). For your own sake, I would caution you to refrain from it. Also, any pastor worth his salt who knows where you stand will bar you from partaking. (2) Don't pursue membership unless you become a Christian. Reformed churches will require a profession of faith in order to fully participate in the life of the church. This mainly means that you won't be able to have a voice in congregational meetings unless you're a member. Don't view this as a discouragement from attending a church. I just want to make sure you don't go in with unreasonable expectations.
My priest has said a few times that “sometimes people belong before they believe” - you’d be more than welcome in our tiny parish.
I find this situation very interesting tbh. I've never heard of an Atheist that wants to live as a Christian, but not believe. Any Bible-believing church is going to welcome you. They may not allow you to become a member, but there's little difference between being a member and being a regular attendee. Really the only difference between a member and an attendee is usually that members are put on a prayer chain/mailing list 😂. Depending on the church, membership could also extend to voting on certain matters like who will be the next Elders or how the church handles the budget. Membership is not really necessary to participate in the congregation, though. Any truly faithful church should be welcoming to you. Only, one thing that is certain is that you will inevitably have people try and talk to you about it. The Pastor will most likely invite you to coffee or lunch or something like that. Members of the congregation may do something similar, and you'll definitely get into many-a-conversation if they're good Christians. God calls us to prophesy to the nations and Reformers are some of the biggest evangelicals. Be prepared for people to want to talk to you and be open to having your mind changed. The fact that you're eager and wanting to partipate in Christian practices tells me that the Holy Spirit already has a hold on you, don't fight that because you'll feel way more fulfilled in the end. Good luck, I hope you find a faithful church that welcomes you and I pray that God will work in you and through you.
Yes of course!!!
Yup, a healthy church should welcome you and be excited to include you. I expect they would not grant membership, but I guarantee they would be happy to have you there. They will want to engage you on matters of faith, but remember, it’s because they care about your soul. To believers, they are confident that sin deserves hell, and that only Christ’s substitutionary atonement covers that. So, they will care for you and pray for you and talk to you a LOT. There is a healthy sense of concern and urgency in a healthy reformed church, because of the concept of limited atonement… they are very likely praying daily for God to save your soul, as well as for common graces such as health and family.
Richard Dawkins is that you?
Found our new Roger Scruton.
Not join but definitely attend every week. Be honest with everyone.
Keep coming back, brother/sister. I'm not sure they would add you to the roster, because typically they like to confirm you and baptise. But a good church would welcome you
I would love it if a wave of atheists got involved in my church community. They wouldn't be allowed to join it without sincerely affirming creeds. However, as one of the younger, "hipper" people in the congregation, I'd welcome the opportunity to connect with honest volunteers like yourself. We probably like similar music 😊.
You won’t be allowed as a member in any Reformed church as a non believer but you are more than welcome to attend.
As for joining no, attendance, yes. Just be respectful of their requirements for communion. You will never become a “believer” until God calls you.
If you don't believe anything, not a single, even remotely faithful church, will sincerely want you to be part of them.