I wasn't raised in a church environment my dad was raised in The Protestant Reformed Church (Herman Hokesma was his pastor) he became an atheist my mom was raised in The Disciples of Christ but she was never really trully converted.

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Aaron
Independent Baptist
Holland MI
Blog: earthdwell22.blogspot.com

Nominal here also. My stepfather was raised in a Christian home, my mother wasn't. My mother mixed a bit from here and there together. My stepfather made certain that I was in church every Lord's Day and taking my siblings and cousin/foster brother with me...by general means of a church bus (there were only three years my parents attended church consistently with us and that included all three services throughout the week). As a teen I started attending church with my future husband and brought the children I was a nanny for with me (yeah, lots of "are those your kids", uhm no, we are not married, I babysit). As soon as I was out of the house, my brothers were no longer required to attend. Church has always been important to me though and I was certain of my salvation by the time I was 6yrs. I know I even stated some Calvinistic things when I was 3-4 (I remember because my Arminian stepfather about blew a gasket) and honestly I have no clue where I got such ideas, they just came out of my mouth...I had grandmothers and greatgrandmothers that always shared the gospel with me at every opportunity and prayed for me. I think they tried harder with me because of the belief of "generational cursing" and I wasn't a blood grandchild...funny thing is, I'm the ONLY grandchild that is a believing Christian today and not "nominal" or "christian by culture". Don't ever underestimate your influence.

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JC
URCNA
PA, but homesick for SC

"Who says you can't go back, been all around the world and as a matter of fact. There's only one place left I want to go, who says you can't go home" Bon Jovi

I was raised a papist until the Lord removed the scales from my eyes, and I started to see not only the error of Romanism, but the truth of the glorious gospel of free grace. The Lord even slammed the door for me to enter the priest craft. I had already applied to a Roman seminary when the Lord graciously converted my heart. What a wonderful God He is.

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Stephen Welch
PCA Teaching Elder
Nova Scotia :cheers:

I grew up in the UCC . . would that be considered pagan or apostate Christian?

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Casey Bessette
Westminster OPC • West Suburbs of Chicago • My Blog: Paradise Regained

"It is part of the calling of the ekklesia to learn to know the love of Christ that surpasses all knowledge and also to make known within the world of science 'the manifold wisdom of God' in order that the final end of theology, as of all things, may be that the name of the Lord is glorified. Theology and dogmatics, too, exist for the Lord's sake." — Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, vol. 1, p. 46

If it was UUC I would say Pagan...UCC would be apostate Christian I believe.

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JC
URCNA
PA, but homesick for SC

"Who says you can't go back, been all around the world and as a matter of fact. There's only one place left I want to go, who says you can't go home" Bon Jovi

I was born into the ISKCON movement. That's me on the bottom left of the attached photo. It was a humble upbringing surrounded with superstition, austerity, idol worship, and a never ending attempt to reach transcendental bliss through petty works. I remained in the cult until college, where I discovered (apparently along with everyone else) that my life was a lie and drifted into agnosticism. By God's grace I came to Christ in my mid 20's.

I've only belonged to one church in my life and it is Reformed. My blessings cannot be numbered.

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Michael Turner, husband to Krystal and father of Jack
Brookwood Presbyterian Church, North Georgia

If you're into Wordpress: http://chayah.wordpress.com

My background is a mixed bag of sorts. My parents are not religious or spiritual in anyway. I believe my father was baptized in the old German Evangelical and Reformed Church (now the Unitied Church of Christ), but I don't think he ever darken the door of the church again. He's been to a few weddings and funerals in churches but that's about it. He's never heard me preach.

My mother 'walked the aisle' in the church that I later joined. She has been an infrequent attender since. She has heard me preach a couple of times.

I don't know of anyone other than an uncle who attends church either on my Dad's or Mom's side of the family, with the exception of my uncle who attends a Missouri Synod church and is very active. It is a bit of a stretch to say that he is a believer.

There is only one explanation for my being a Christian...God's grace! Thankfully I was introduced to the doctrines of grace by Roger Ellsworth, who was my pastor when I was in undergraduate school. Of course, God's Hand was in that too.

I was a little bit of a trouble-maker in my early days as a believer in the little Arminian church (SBC). I was asking a lot of questions that a Calvinist would ask. Do you know what I read to cause me to ask those questions???....well, the Bible, of course!

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Ivan Schoen, Pastor * Maranatha Baptist Church * Poplar Grove, Illinois USA www.maranatha-sbc.org/
“One of the most important discoveries I have ever made is this truth: God is most glorified in me when I am most satisfied in him. This is the motor that drives my ministry as a pastor. It affects everything I do.” --- Dr. John Piper

Raised a nominal Roman Catholic.
Saved while on LSD at the age of 19 while in college.
The Lord is good.

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Travis Graham | Member | Christ The King (PCA) | Houston, TX

"The world will bow,
and knees will be broken,
for those who don't know how"
- Woven Hand