Seeking an Open-minded Church

Hi A.,

I have attended House of Mercy in lowertown St. Paul for many years. It is small, so you can get to know people easily, and preaches mercy not judgment. I hear good things about the kids' program, but since mine is only 5 months I haven't taken advantage of it. Here's a link below:

http://www.houseofmercy.org/

I am not sure where you live but I have found Epiphany Lutheran in south Minneapolis to be a great church home. It is small and welcoming. Epiphany is located at 48th and 15th Avenue. Sunday school is at 9 and service at 10. We are a pretty non-traditional family in many respects and I have always felt that we have never had any eyebrows raised or judegments levied at me, my son, or his father.

Hi A.!

We go the the Church of the Open Door, and they it is absolety awesome! They would never judge or discrimate any family, they are very open and accepting. I think you would feel very welcome and at peace there. You can find out more info. at their website www.thedoor.org They also have a great kids program as well. They are located in Maple Grove, MN. God bless and good luck finding a good fit! Isn't sad that a church can be a place where one feels out of place...that is not how Jesus would want His churches to be.
M.

We started to go to Zion Lutheran in Anoka when I was pregnant, and absolutely love it. They openly welcomed my husband, who is Catholic. It is a large church, with the friendliness of a small one. They seem very open minded to me, and embrace everyone. They are ELCA, which seems to help with those issues.

A.,

We go to St. John's Lutheran Church in S. Minneapolis. It is very open-minded. We have not chosen to take on any of the available church labels like "open & affirming" or anything like that, b/c the pastor and church body believe that any label is restrictive.

Things you should know:

-The services are very traditional
-The congregation is pretty small - we are just increasing our membership - primarily families with kids in your age ranges.
-Service is at 10am with coffee/Sunday school for kids ages 3 and up until 12:00
-we serve Starbuck's coffee!
-It is located at 49th and Nicollet

If you have any questions, feel free to send me an e-mail. ____@____.com.

A.-

I don't know where you live, but I would highly recommend my church in Brooklyn Park, Family of God Lutheran. It is an ELCA church, which is a "liberal" lutheran synod. I really don't believe anyone would look twice at you for your lifestyle decisions there, nor do I believe it is anyone's business to do that to begin with. I agree, children need a sense of God in their lives - good for you for seeing that. Best of luck to you!

Evergreen Community Church is a non-denominational Christian church with locations currently in Bloomingtonb & Lakeville as well as in Plymouth and one other location. Very welcoming, lots of groups to get involved with, great kid programs, great useful messages, etc. We were introduced to it my a girlfriend of mine and then found out a neighbor/family member also attended a location. We wanted a church we both enjoyed that was welcoming, active, with young families. We also wanted something that was God filled but not tied down to old strong religious issues. Their website is www.evergreencc.com.

I see this is an old request, so maybe you've found something! But I have to tell you about Westbridge Community church!!
This is a brand new church, meeting in the new I-MAX theatre off the freeway in St. Michael. We attended with our 6, 3 1/2, and 1 1/2 year old this Sunday at 10AM. I was SO impressed. This is a safe, fun place for my children to learn about God. The programming was so good--crafts, snack, playtime and teaching (via extraodinary video curriculum!). My kids even brought home materials for me to ask questions and reinforce what they learned.
This church is specially designed for people who have never been to church or have been away for a long time. It is a great place for young families that those who want to "try out church."
Check out:
www.westbridgechurch.com

Hey A. -
My family is just in the process of joining Bethlehem Lutheran, located at 41st/Lyndale in S.Mpls. I love it there! Everyone has been so welcoming and kind! They also have daycare available during a couple of the morning services. It's a pretty big congregation, but so many people have gone out of the way to welcome us that I felt at home right away. Good luck with your search! It took us over a year to find a church that we loved!

I don't know if you are only interested in finding a Lutheran church, but one of the most open-minded religions you could find is Unitarian Universalist, and there are several in the area.

This link is to the Unitarian Univseralist Association's search page. From this page you can find churches and you can read more about what UU's believe.

http://www.uua.org/aboutus/findcongregation/index.php

Good luck in your search! I remember how relieved I was when I finally found a church where I felt comfortable, and I hope you find one soon.

There are so many wonderful churches around. I attend Living Word Christian Center. They have amazing kid programs, and are very serious about security. This is a wonderful church all around, very excepying and there is always someone willing to help or answer questions you may have. Everything they teach linds up with the Bible, nothing is based on someone's opinion. So if your looking for a good faith based church that teaches the bible, this is it.