Finding a church in Upstate (Columbia, Greenville: fit in, to buy, high school)

[BoundtoRetire]

It will be a while before we move, but I was wondering if there are any larger progressive and liberal churches in the greater Greenville-Spartanburg area?

By liberal, I mean liberal theology and socially liberal. The type of church I am looking for is pro-women pastors, ecumenical, and culturally and age diverse.

Most often, the following Protestant churches fit in this category, but perhaps that won't be the case Upstate: Presbyterian, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, United Church of Christ, Disciples of Christ, Quaker, Episcopal, liberal Methodists.

Thank you in advance for your kind responses.

[Art123]

<crickets>

[grannynancy]

There is actually an ELCA church with a woman pastor and I just have not been able to get there as Sunday is a day when I care for my mother..............

But I believe it is not a large church. I would rather go to a small church than a large one because many of the large churches seem to have more of an interest in money to buy things for the church and not to spend on serving the community. JMO

Have you looked up churches of the above denominations and tried visiting to talk with the pastor and then check out the services and the people.

[BoundtoRetire]

Thanks Nancy... at the moment we still reside in the mid-Hudson Valley. I just thought it put this topic out there to get a feel for whether I would have difficulty finding a church when we finally are able to move. I realize that there are a lot of Presbyterian churches and other mainline Protestant denominations, but I'm wondering if they are more conservative than those found in the NE or West Coast.

I guess I'll have to wait until I move to find out.

[revrandy]

Originally Posted by grannynancy

There is actually an ELCA church with a woman pastor and I just have not been able to get there as Sunday is a day when I care for my mother..............

But I believe it is not a large church.

The ELCA church you are referring to is Christ the King on Pelham Rd. The Pastor is Rev. Marilyn Crosby - they are not large though, average attendance would be 40 - 50. The congregation is liberal as is Rev. Crosby. You might like it.

There are other churches that fit into the liberal view of things but they are NOT large. Unfortunately liberal theology is not well received in the Upstate.

Any chance you could reconsider your move here? Despite what some of the pro Greenville folks with tell you, this is not a welcoming city to those who have a more liberal view of the world.

I finally got my church to agree to get me out of here; only 2 more months {does happy dance all the way down I-85}

[sleepypossum]

I can tell you from experience that it will be challenging to find a liberal Christian congregation in Greenville. I know of some UCC congregations within a hour's drive, but that may be a bit of a slog on a Sunday morning. I disagree with Revrandy about Greenville not being welcoming to those of the liberal persuasion...well, maybe I don't exactly DISAGREE, but I think Revrandy overstates the case a bit. I guess it depends on how one defines "welcoming". I never feel uncomfortable being a liberal (gasp) in Greenville, though I confess I don't often make a big show of it. I try to be respectful of others' beliefs, and I assume that others are respectful of mine. I'm happy to live in a city where mine isn't the dominant point of view, because I know that Greenville, despite being a predominantly conservative town, has a fairly diverse population, and thus a pretty broad spectrum of lifestyles and viewpoints. I'm just not sure where these folks with the aforementioned broad spectrum of yada yada are going to church.

[pchw01]

i agree with sleepypossum! I went to a UCC before moving here last year, and haven't found a church like that here. I also haven't tried very hard, as i have enjoyed going up to hike in the mountains in the northern part of the county on Sundays instead. I tried 5-6 churches but none of them really inspired me. There are UCCs in Tryon, Hendersonville, and Clemson, which are each 45 minutes away in different directions. I haven't gone to any of them. There is the Unitarian Universalists, they are very liberal, but it's very different from traditional church. There is a Disciples of Christ church, it's very small.

I will be very happy to hear if others have any input on this subject, and thanks for bringing it up!

[Emma_Laya]

Try a Unitarian Universalist Church... They tend to me more liberal... Although I don't know much about their practices or anything, so they might not be what you're looking for at all.

Out of These: Presbyterian, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, United Church of Christ, Disciples of Christ, Quaker, Episcopal, liberal Methodists

I know of these actually existing around there: Presbyterian, Episcopal, Methodists.

Methodists tend to be along the same line as the Baptists... And are generally more conservative...

Really... around there... if you're not conservative... then you're [very generally speaking] not very religious. Or else the churches have chased you away.

[Greenville]

Originally Posted by Emma_Laya

Methodists tend to be along the same line as the Baptists... And are generally more conservative...

I have generally found Baptists to be much more conservative than Methodists. Both tend to be on the conservative side of things, but Baptists to a greater degree. Disclaimer: I realize this can vary from church to church.

[BoundtoRetire]

Thanks for all of recent answers to my question. I probably should have dropped the "large" out of the description; small would be fine.

After spending nine years in Texas, I think I can handle being in a more conservative area, as long as I can connect with some theologically like-minded folks. Guess I'm pretty much like you are, Sleepypossum & Pchw01.

RevRandy, I sympathize with your situation and celebrate your relief that your denomination is allowing you to move on. There is nothing worse than discovering that you are in the wrong job, where your talents won't be appreciated because of a disconnect between you and the congregation. I appreciate your advice and will consider it.

Our move is tied to my husband's and my plans to retire. Greenville and the Columbia area are the two of the three areas that we are considering for our move. I am pretty certain we'll end up in SC. I posed this question because I wondered what my chances of finding a church would be.

I was raised a Presbyterian, although there were several years where I attended a Baptist church when my Mom decided I should go where my cousins did after we moved. We returned to the Presbyterian church when I reached high school. After a later move, I changed my membership to the UCC, where I was a very active in many aspects of church life. While in Texas, I reverted back to the PCUSA as the only UCC church was not convenient to our location.

If I had my druthers, I'd return to UCC since PCUSA is still slightly more conservative, especially on the question of gays. However, I know the UCC is not prevalent in SC -- and suspect that I will continue with PCUSA. Westminister Presbyterian in Greenville has been recommended to me by a friend who resides in Seneca. However, I may visit the ECLA church mentioned earlier too -- if and when we make our move.

Again, I appreciate your thoughtful insights. It really helps in our decision making process. Greenville is a lovely place and I am sure we could be very happy there with folks such as yourselves.