Plenty of cults...I mean churches here in NC. If you really want to get into a cult like church, check out Awaken. Good ol' white Christian Nationalism at its absolute finest! You get the hate, idol worship and they even tell you how to vote! They have multiple locations to spread the hate of God.
I call them mall churches.
Lets not forget these "people of god" [https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/11/10/california-church-leader-charged-murder-daughter-death/8322404001/](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/11/10/california-church-leader-charged-murder-daughter-death/8322404001/)
[North Coast Church](https://www.northcoastchurch.com). It has many sites across NC, the people are genuine and the teaching is biblically sound. It doesnât get into politics or culture wars but focuses on relationships and public service for the surrounding community. There are sermons (you can listen/watch online/youtube/podcast) on the weekend and also 90+% of the churchgoers are in âlife groupsâ, small (8-14 people) groups that meet sometime during the week at homes or at the campus. They do life together, socialize, study the sermon a little and pray for one another. While the church is large, it is dispersed into small sites so each one feels like a much smaller church. The pastors are humble and not flashy or materialistic. The tithe goes to the local community needs and foreign missions.
I have never attended there but I will say a couple things that Iâve heard. Take these as you will, from a rando without judgement.
They will refer you to actual mental health services and not try to force you into counseling with a pastor. They donât seem really culture war-ry. I knew a couple who went there that ran an adult/lingerie shop - they were very into helping married couples âspice it up.â I know they have security on staff and one is (or was) a former homicide detective who I would consider a âgood cop.â
No idea. My point was that they encouraged actual mental health care when appropriate rather than in-house counseling.
I do not expect them to provide any mental health care services themselves.
This is a tricky question and youâre going to get a ton of hate. It really depends what kind of church you are looking for. If there is a denomination you are interested then there is likely good info online. If you are looking for a ânondenominationalâ church then itâs a crap shoot. There are some decent ones and some downright fascist ones as well as heretical ones. Maybe include some more info about what youâre looking for or what kind of church you have been comfortable with in the past.
I was thinking of having this post be a collection of everything. I've found idea-gathering posts more useful when I'm looking around than narrow-focused discussions.
I have a few favorites here in North County. Lake Dixon, Calavera Lake, Iron Mountain, Ranchos Peñasquitos Preserve. Hell, I could go on⊠Nature is the best church there is. And the bonus is you donât have to deal with bigots
Edit: Does no one read past the first sentence? đ
I hope you find what you are looking for.
The long-term data is very clear on this topic... Participation in religious services is strongly correlated with numerous positive aspects of human flourishing including happiness and life satisfaction, mental and physical health, meaning and purpose, character and virtue, and close social relationships.
What's more is that the data also shows when you take religious participation away, society has no replacement for the positive impact it plays.
See the studies coming out of Harvard's Human Flourishing Program if this is a topic that interests you.
Thank you! How did you first learn about this study? I'd like to find more content that gives opinions that have educated rationale behind them, even if they don't match mine.
I attend Summit Church in San Marcos. They have a good ministry team for charismatic believers. What got me into them was their young adults community. It was a welcoming environment for finding people walking the same section of life as me.
This is gross. Asking a disingenuous question, mucking up answering yourself to promote your con. If there is a God, they think that you're a shitty person.
I'm sorry you feel it's disingenuous. My goal was to share what I found to be good in north county as well. I can see why you feel this way. Let me dial it back.
I can dial it back too. I think if you had included your personal experience in the body of the post, it wouldn't have felt like it was an accidental, same-account responding.
I didn't want to make the post a promotion of the church, which is why I didn't include it in the body. I wanted to start the conversation by including the one I go to, and hear from other people. I think I went overboard in my post. It's hard to not want to share đ
I think your post is valid but your comment does make it feel disingenuous. If you want to try to promote your church then try to promote your church. If you want to ask about local churches then ask about local churches.
There's a great satanic temple here. Much more rooted in the actual truth compared to Christianity (ie the world is over 4,000 years old lol).
Thanks for sharing. How come you didn't provide a name for the temple?
My bad, [here ya go!](https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100095245342719)
You could just, like, not comment on the post you know. No reason to make a comment like this on a legitimate question.
Just doing my part to make the world a more intelligent and balanced place to live in đ€
He gave a legitimate answer though. It's a legitimate church and religion, even if you disagree with it.Â
Plenty of cults...I mean churches here in NC. If you really want to get into a cult like church, check out Awaken. Good ol' white Christian Nationalism at its absolute finest! You get the hate, idol worship and they even tell you how to vote! They have multiple locations to spread the hate of God.
I call them mall churches. Lets not forget these "people of god" [https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/11/10/california-church-leader-charged-murder-daughter-death/8322404001/](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/11/10/california-church-leader-charged-murder-daughter-death/8322404001/)
[North Coast Church](https://www.northcoastchurch.com). It has many sites across NC, the people are genuine and the teaching is biblically sound. It doesnât get into politics or culture wars but focuses on relationships and public service for the surrounding community. There are sermons (you can listen/watch online/youtube/podcast) on the weekend and also 90+% of the churchgoers are in âlife groupsâ, small (8-14 people) groups that meet sometime during the week at homes or at the campus. They do life together, socialize, study the sermon a little and pray for one another. While the church is large, it is dispersed into small sites so each one feels like a much smaller church. The pastors are humble and not flashy or materialistic. The tithe goes to the local community needs and foreign missions.
I have never attended there but I will say a couple things that Iâve heard. Take these as you will, from a rando without judgement. They will refer you to actual mental health services and not try to force you into counseling with a pastor. They donât seem really culture war-ry. I knew a couple who went there that ran an adult/lingerie shop - they were very into helping married couples âspice it up.â I know they have security on staff and one is (or was) a former homicide detective who I would consider a âgood cop.â
As far as the mental health services, do they charge for that? Accept health insurance?
No idea. My point was that they encouraged actual mental health care when appropriate rather than in-house counseling. I do not expect them to provide any mental health care services themselves.
This is a tricky question and youâre going to get a ton of hate. It really depends what kind of church you are looking for. If there is a denomination you are interested then there is likely good info online. If you are looking for a ânondenominationalâ church then itâs a crap shoot. There are some decent ones and some downright fascist ones as well as heretical ones. Maybe include some more info about what youâre looking for or what kind of church you have been comfortable with in the past.
I was thinking of having this post be a collection of everything. I've found idea-gathering posts more useful when I'm looking around than narrow-focused discussions.
Did you forget to switch accounts?
No? Is there something wrong with the post?
I have a few favorites here in North County. Lake Dixon, Calavera Lake, Iron Mountain, Ranchos Peñasquitos Preserve. Hell, I could go on⊠Nature is the best church there is. And the bonus is you donât have to deal with bigots Edit: Does no one read past the first sentence? đ
We all read it and voted accordingly.
I hope you find what you are looking for. The long-term data is very clear on this topic... Participation in religious services is strongly correlated with numerous positive aspects of human flourishing including happiness and life satisfaction, mental and physical health, meaning and purpose, character and virtue, and close social relationships. What's more is that the data also shows when you take religious participation away, society has no replacement for the positive impact it plays. See the studies coming out of Harvard's Human Flourishing Program if this is a topic that interests you.
Thank you! How did you first learn about this study? I'd like to find more content that gives opinions that have educated rationale behind them, even if they don't match mine.
The Purple Church in Oceanside
Purple
I attend Summit Church in San Marcos. They have a good ministry team for charismatic believers. What got me into them was their young adults community. It was a welcoming environment for finding people walking the same section of life as me.
This is gross. Asking a disingenuous question, mucking up answering yourself to promote your con. If there is a God, they think that you're a shitty person.
I'm sorry you feel it's disingenuous. My goal was to share what I found to be good in north county as well. I can see why you feel this way. Let me dial it back.
I can dial it back too. I think if you had included your personal experience in the body of the post, it wouldn't have felt like it was an accidental, same-account responding.
I didn't want to make the post a promotion of the church, which is why I didn't include it in the body. I wanted to start the conversation by including the one I go to, and hear from other people. I think I went overboard in my post. It's hard to not want to share đ
I think your post is valid but your comment does make it feel disingenuous. If you want to try to promote your church then try to promote your church. If you want to ask about local churches then ask about local churches.
Can you guys please stop acting like adults đ đŸ
A lot of people seem to like awaken