How to Find a Head Covering Church
When a person is convinced of the necessity of head covering they often desire to be in a church that shares those same convictions. It is a good thing when biblical gender roles and the symbol of head covering are celebrated and encouraged. I personally, as the founder of the Head Covering Movement made the conscience choice to join a non head covering church (and I don’t regret it). However, for those who do desire to be in a church that practices this symbol, I’d like to offer help on how to find those churches and some advice if you’re currently a member of another assembly.
The first thing you need to know about finding a head covering church is that this practice will vary assembly-to-assembly. There are a few denominations where this practice is a part of their faith statement but for most it will still be on a church-by-church basis.
Some denominations where you will find more churches than average that adhere to this symbol are:
Credo Baptist: Brethren churches or non-denominational churches with Brethren roots (their assembly names usually end in “Bible Chapel”), Gospel Hall assemblies, and Conservative Mennonite churches.
Paedo-Baptist: Free Presbyterian Churches (they accept Credo too), Free Reformed Churches of North America, Netherlands Reformed, and Heritage Reformed Churches.
These denominations are diverse and disagree on many more important issues than head covering so make sure you don’t just look for a covering church at the expense of other doctrines. If those particular denominations don’t line up with your beliefs you’ll need to find a different one which can be a challenge. Here are a few ways you can search for one:
- You can find a head covering church by browsing our sermons section. Whichever churches those men pastor you know there will be an advocate for the symbol on a leadership level which is probably reflected in congregational practice too.
- You can just look for churches in your city and browse their sermon archives. If they’ve preached on 1 Corinthians 11 give it a listen to find out where they stand. Of course it may be just quicker to e-mail or call them to ask.
- Try Googling the city you live in + different combinations of words like “head covering church” or a specific denomination. Sometimes it can be difficult to find these churches this way as they must have the words “head covering” (or whichever variation you use) on their website to come up in search. Here are a few sample searches:
Los Angeles headcovering church
Los Angeles “head covering”
Los Angeles Bible Chapel - Find a head covering church in your province or state, and e-mail/call the leadership there. Tell them you’re not close enough to attend their congregation but ask them if they’re aware of any churches that uphold this symbol where you are located. They may be able to recommend a church to you.
Now if you’re already a part of a healthy local church, I don’t recommend leaving to find one that practices head covering. No church is perfect and it’s unreasonable to think you can find 100% agreement on all doctrine and methodology. They will be off on some things and you will be off on some things. That’s life this side of Heaven where we still “see in a mirror dimly.” (1 Cor 13:12) No one understands everything perfectly. I’d like to also remind you that your faithful example could be used to spark a change in your church to where it becomes an assembly that practices head covering in the future. If God has placed you in a body of believers, you can be confident that part of His role for you is to be an impactful example of obedience to Scripture, including 1 Corinthians 11. Having said that, if the issues are much bigger than head covering here are some suggestions on how to leave your old church and how to start at your new church.
DISCUSSION: Do you know of any other methods to find head covering churches? If you sought out a head covering church, how did you find it?
- Is Head Covering Related to Spiritual Gifts? A Response to Barry York - July 5, 2023
- A Husband’s Authority is Limited (He is Not Pastor or King) - November 14, 2022
- Statement from Jeremy Gardiner: Leadership Transition - September 26, 2022
