# Looking for church recommendations??? (Merced, CA) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 20, 2013, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-church-recommendations-merced-ca/671697 "2013-10-20T01:13:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![holamerced](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/bb73d2/32.png) [@holamerced](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/holamerced)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-church-recommendations-merced-ca/671697/1 "2013-10-20T01:13:41Z")
Hello Merced, CA! I’m considering relocating to the Merced area, can anyone (religious or not) recommend a good church in Merced? Here is how I define “good”:: - teaches the Bible not about the Bible - has a good reputation in the Merced (known for welcoming the unchurched) - is making a difference in Merced (If they were to close their absence would be noticed) - knows who they are, what they are doing, and why they exist reply to: [hellomercedca@gmail.com](mailto:hellomercedca@gmail.com) ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-church-recommendations-merced-ca/671697/2 "2013-10-20T01:35:03Z")
What is your current church? ---
**Author:** ![holamerced](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/bb73d2/32.png) [@holamerced](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/holamerced)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-church-recommendations-merced-ca/671697/3 "2013-10-20T01:45:09Z")
Don’t attend one yet. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-church-recommendations-merced-ca/671697/4 "2013-10-20T01:55:28Z")
> [@holamerced](#): > > Don’t attend one yet. Might I suggest attending a few different ones in your area to see what might be more to your liking? ---
**Author:** ![holamerced](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/bb73d2/32.png) [@holamerced](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/holamerced)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-church-recommendations-merced-ca/671697/5 "2013-10-20T02:00:16Z")
That is the plan. Just trying to compile a list by asking opinions before going in blind. Know what I mean??? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-church-recommendations-merced-ca/671697/6 "2013-10-20T02:06:13Z")
> [@holamerced](#): > > That is the plan. Just trying to compile a list by asking opinions before going in blind. Know what I mean??? Unfortunately, you picked a part of the country where very few Dopers reside. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-church-recommendations-merced-ca/671697/7 "2013-10-20T02:08:57Z")
What do you mean by this: “- teaches the Bible not about the Bible”? ---
**Author:** ![holamerced](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/bb73d2/32.png) [@holamerced](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/holamerced)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-church-recommendations-merced-ca/671697/8 "2013-10-20T02:09:45Z")
Oh. I thought this forum was for folks that live in Merced, CA. I did a Google search…and this forum came up. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-church-recommendations-merced-ca/671697/9 "2013-10-20T02:11:14Z")
A lot of Google searches point here, as we talk about lots of things. ---
**Author:** ![holamerced](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/bb73d2/32.png) [@holamerced](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/holamerced)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-church-recommendations-merced-ca/671697/10 "2013-10-20T02:23:47Z")
In my mind the distinction between teaching the Bible vs. about the Bible is this. The Bible is compromised of 66 different books with about 40 different authors. Although the overall theme of the Bible is the gospel. Each individual book was written by an author who had a specific reason for writing it. He intended that his readers understand something specific. So I believe that when the Bible is read/studied the first goal is to understand it FIRST within the context for which it was intended & then extrapolate the lessons or implications for us today. That is what I mean by teaching the Bible. What I mean by teaching about the Bible is when the original context is ignored and the Bible is twisted to say and mean things that was never the original intent. Very dangerous approach. Results in some weird, strange, off the wall beliefs and practices. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-church-recommendations-merced-ca/671697/11 "2013-10-20T02:26:46Z")
If you want a specific forum about Merced you could try city-data. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-church-recommendations-merced-ca/671697/12 "2013-10-20T02:30:16Z")
I second the city-data rec. Also, Merced is not so big that, with a little narrowing down of what you are seeking, you couldn’t visit most of what is on offer fairly quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-church-recommendations-merced-ca/671697/13 "2013-10-20T02:36:12Z")
And you also might give Beliefnet’s Belief-O-Matic a whirl. It’s a serious questionnaire that evaluates what organized belief systems are closest to your own. Told me I was closest to a Quaker (pretty accurate even though I’m Catholic). It might help you narrow down your candidates. ---
**Author:** ![svd678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@svd678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/svd678)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-church-recommendations-merced-ca/671697/14 "2013-10-20T04:48:02Z")
holamerced: I read your “teach the Bible, not about the Bible” as meaning the exact opposite of your definition further on. If you mean a non-fundamentalist understanding, there doesn’t seem to be a UCC near. A mainline church is more likely - Presbyterian, Episcopal, Methodist - than an independant non-denominational or “Bible” church. But you won’t know until you visit them.