Ads in Church Bulletins

[Romanova]

The commercial would interfere with liturgical practices and be directly opposed to the GIRM which would be disobedience to the Magisterium. The ads in the bulletin do no such thing unless you are reading the bulletin during Mass which at our parish we don’t pass out the bulletins until after mass for that very reason.

But weren’t the money-changers interfering with liturgical practices as well? Jesus says in the version recorded in Mark 11:17, “Is it not written: ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples’? But you have made it a den of thieves.” That suggests that there are two problems: 1) it is no longer a house of prayer, and 2) it has become a den of thieves, which may include usury and the like. The version recorded in John 2:16 has Jesus saying to the dove-sellers, “Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.” No mention of usury in St. John’s Gospel, only an insistence that God’s house should not be a marketplace.

I’m not trying to belabor the point (honest! ). It’s just that I think there were other problems with the money-changers and merchants besides them charging usurious rates.

I do agree with you that selling ads in a church bulletin is of a different level than, say, commercials during Mass… but still makes me vaguely uncomfortable.

 

[joandarc2008]

But weren’t the money-changers interfering with liturgical practices as well? Jesus says in the version recorded in Mark 11:17, “Is it not written: ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples’? But you have made it a den of thieves.” That suggests that there are two problems: 1) it is no longer a house of prayer, and 2) it has become a den of thieves, which may include usury and the like. The version recorded in John 2:16 has Jesus saying to the dove-sellers, “Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.” No mention of usury in St. John’s Gospel, only an insistence that God’s house should not be a marketplace.

I’m not trying to belabor the point (honest! ). It’s just that I think there were other problems with the money-changers and merchants besides them charging usurious rates.

I do agree with you that selling ads in a church bulletin is of a different level than, say, commercials during Mass… but still makes me vaguely uncomfortable.

You have to understand the difference between a Jewish temple and a Catholic Church in order to fully understand the full context. Worshippers were not allowed in to the inner area of the Jewish temple - it was more like a three tier system - so basically some of these areas where money was being changed was the worship area. It would be as if you and I went and started playing cards on the altar - extremely inappropriate. There is still a lesson there but the lesson is not a fundamentalist one but a contextual one.

 

[Romanova]

You have to understand the difference between a Jewish temple and a Catholic Church in order to fully understand the full context. Worshippers were not allowed in to the inner area of the Jewish temple - it was more like a three tier system - so basically some of these areas where money was being changed was the worship area. It would be as if you and I went and started playing cards on the altar - extremely inappropriate. There is still a lesson there but the lesson is not a fundamentalist one but a contextual one.

I understand what the Jewish temple looked like. (I once had to build a model of it for Sunday School in fact…lots of popsicle sticks!) My point is – weren’t the money-changers also interfering with liturgical practices? In your first post to LCMSNoMore, you suggested that the only problem with the money-changers was that they charged usurious rates.

Regardless, I think we’re basically on the same page about the ads – they make me uncomfortable, but I don’t think they’re nearly on the same level as the money-changers or commercials before or after Mass.

 

[joandarc2008]

I understand what the Jewish temple looked like. (I once had to build a model of it for Sunday School in fact…lots of popsicle sticks!) My point is – weren’t the money-changers also interfering with liturgical practices? In your first post to LCMSNoMore, you suggested that the only problem with the money-changers was that they charged usurious rates.

Regardless, I think we’re basically on the same page about the ads – they make me uncomfortable, but I don’t think they’re nearly on the same level as the money-changers or commercials before or after Mass.

I apologize if you implied the word “only” - personally there is a big difference between a “Sunday School” which by the way is called CCD interpretation of the Bible and adult one done with correct interpretation techniques. If it makes you uncomfortable - buy extra space and leave the page blank or don’t pick up the bulletin and read it during mass and guarantee that your bulletin will not interfere with your liturgical practice.

 

[Dale_M]

I had a twinge of that same feeling when I converted (I’m a former United Methodist)…it just didn’t feel ‘right’ at first blush to be advertising in a Church document.

Yes, I felt the same way the first time I received a bulletin after Mass. I was surprised and a bit appalled. Even after discussing the matter with others, I felt uncomfortable with the practice. It took a few weeks to get comfortable.

I think my problem was that I wasn’t used to separating out what parts of church attendance were worship and what parts were not. I had kind of a hazy notion that anything that happened around the Sunday church service was somehow sacred. And, of course, a church bulletin isn’t sacred. Its not Holy Scripture, its just a flyer with news items in it related to the church community.

 

[Romanova]

I apologize if you implied the word “only” - personally there is a big difference between a “Sunday School” which by the way is called CCD interpretation of the Bible and adult one done with correct interpretation techniques. If it makes you uncomfortable - buy extra space and leave the page blank or don’t pick up the bulletin and read it during mass and guarantee that your bulletin will not interfere with your liturgical practice.

Um, why the hostility?

You were the one who insisted to LCMSNoMore that the problem with the money-changers was that they charged usurious rates. I disagreed that was the only problem. Apparently, you actually agree that wasn’t the only problem. But rather than saying, yes, that’s true, there are several problems with the money-changers, you start accusing me of not understanding the GIRM. Then, you insinuated that I didn’t know what the Jewish temple looked like, and I told you that yes, I even built a model of the Jewish temple once so I do know what it looked like. Then you accuse me of having a child’s interpretation of the Bible?

Gee. How very charitable of you.

(For the record, in Protestant churches Sunday School and Bible study are something for all ages, as opposed to Catholic parishes where formal formation stops after confirmation. Sunday School doesn’t always equal CCD. Just so you know. I also never said that my Bible study stopped with Sunday School as a child – you were the one who assumed that and accused me of only child-level understanding.)

I’m done with this thread. And, quite frankly, I’m done with this forum. I’ve had enough with the “Catholic” posters who can’t manage to be charitable.

All the best to you, Joanofarc, and to anyone else in this thread. To the OP, sorry your thread became such an uncharitable argument. I hope you got some answers to your original post.

 

[joandarc2008]

Um, why the hostility?

You were the one who insisted to LCMSNoMore that the problem with the money-changers was that they charged usurious rates. I disagreed that was the only problem. Apparently, you actually agree that wasn’t the only problem. But rather than saying, yes, that’s true, there are several problems with the money-changers, you start accusing me of not understanding the GIRM. Then, you insinuated that I didn’t know what the Jewish temple looked like, and I told you that yes, I even built a model of the Jewish temple once so I do know what it looked like. Then you accuse me of having a child’s interpretation of the Bible?

Gee. How very charitable of you.

(For the record, in Protestant churches Sunday School and Bible study are something for all ages, as opposed to Catholic parishes where formal formation stops after confirmation. Sunday School doesn’t always equal CCD. Just so you know. I also never said that my Bible study stopped with Sunday School as a child – you were the one who assumed that and accused me of only child-level understanding.)

I’m done with this thread. And, quite frankly, I’m done with this forum. I’ve had enough with the “Catholic” posters who can’t manage to be charitable.

All the best to you, Joanofarc, and to anyone else in this thread. To the OP, sorry your thread became such an uncharitable argument. I hope you got some answers to your original post.

I’m sorry you felt I was uncharitable but you are the one who said that you knew what a Jewish temple looked like from building a temple out of popsicle sticks at Sunday school. If you are not open minded why come to a forum - but again I apologize if you feel I was uncharitable.

 

[HumblePilgrim]

Yeah, that’s pretty much how I feel. I know that these businesses support the parish etc., and that the ads defray the cost of printing the bulletins, and that it’s good to know what businesses support the parish so that if you have a choice, you could patronize them… but having ads on the bulletin just bothers me. Not quite the same as money-changers in the temple, or commercials during Mass, but it still just bothers me.

And as far as the Protestant reference, I only mentioned that to give context. I grew up in an evangelical Protestant church that printed weekly bulletins far more substantial than my current parish’s bulletins, and they did it without ads. So I had never even fathomed that a church would put ads on a bulletin, until I started going to Mass and getting Catholic parish bulletins. Cultural difference, I guess.

I feel exactly the same too. In my old Anglican church we printed our bulletins without ads as well.

 

[happymommy]

read it during mass and guarantee that your bulletin will not interfere with your liturgical practice.

We pass out our bulletins after Mass, so we don’t have this problem!

 

[Em_in_FL]

We pass out our bulletins after Mass, so we don’t have this problem!

Same with ours…

I, personally, prefer to support fellow parishioners compared to just randomly finding services in the phone book. Every single ad on our bulletin mentions they’re parishioners.
You don’t HAVE to buy from them, but for those who would like to support families who make a living on goods and services provided to the community - I don’t see that as a problem.

 

[jmcrae]

Definitely have to be boundaries though…I’ve been in a well-known Catholic Cathedral that had a gift store in the back corner of the nave. That definitely didn’t feel right to me. Even though the money was going to a good cause, it just seems like it ought to be outside of the worship space!

God bless.

I agree with that.

But even Protestant churches are getting into fundraising on site - for example, the church I used to go to puts on concerts on weeknight evenings - lots of famous names, and they charge for that. They even sell refreshments. The money goes towards building upkeep. As long as they don’t do it on Sundays, they feel like it’s okay.

They also have a pop machine in the Education building, and they rent rooms in the Education building for a variety of non-Church activities - sports, fitness clubs, French classes, etc. That money goes towards salaries. It means that they can keep going, even though the congregation is less than a hundred people attending regularly on Sundays.

 

[joandarc2008]

I agree with that.

But even Protestant churches are getting into fundraising on site - for example, the church I used to go to puts on concerts on weeknight evenings - lots of famous names, and they charge for that. They even sell refreshments. The money goes towards building upkeep. As long as they don’t do it on Sundays, they feel like it’s okay.

They also have a pop machine in the Education building, and they rent rooms in the Education building for a variety of non-Church activities - sports, fitness clubs, French classes, etc. That money goes towards salaries. It means that they can keep going, even though the congregation is less than a hundred people attending regularly on Sundays.

I saw one Protestant Church in the Keys that rented out a room for Yoga!!

 

[baltobetsy]

I saw one Protestant Church in the Keys that rented out a room for Yoga!!

The Episcopal church where I work rents rooms to Weight Watchers, Overeaters Anonymous, AA, NA, a dancing class for society children, a scrapbooking group, a group of artists, the annual daffodil festival, the executive board of one of the neighborhood associations, boy scouts, and you can rent the parish hall for weddings and parties. Those are the ones I know about - there may be more. Oh, yeah, folk dancing and yoga, too.

 

[beamerdogz]

I don’t know if it is just my gut, but something feels wrong about advertising in church bulletins. There are a number of issues that make it inherently wrong. One being that by having advertisements in a church bulletin gives the appearance that the church is recommending the goods and services of the advertisers. Is the church willing to guarantee the quality, honesty, and efficacy of goods and services just because someone helps pay for a few bulletins. Most churches could probably afford to pay for printing with no financial burden? Second, is the church responsible to toot a horn for advertisers? After all, doesn’t God tell us that we should give privately? Shouldn’t the church set precedence for our materialistic, advertisement filled world? I could go on but I think you understand my point. Let me know what you think.[BIBLEDRB][/BIBLEDRB]

 

[jmcrae]

I don’t know if it is just my gut, but something feels wrong about advertising in church bulletins. There are a number of issues that make it inherently wrong. One being that by having advertisements in a church bulletin gives the appearance that the church is recommending the goods and services of the advertisers. Is the church willing to guarantee the quality, honesty, and efficacy of goods and services just because someone helps pay for a few bulletins. Most churches could probably afford to pay for printing with no financial burden? Second, is the church responsible to toot a horn for advertisers? After all, doesn’t God tell us that we should give privately? Shouldn’t the church set precedence for our materialistic, advertisement filled world? I could go on but I think you understand my point. Let me know what you think.[BIBLEDRB][/BIBLEDRB]

No more so than your local newspaper or news flyer. I mean, they take reasonable care that it’s a real business and that the ad is honest about the product, but the Church has no way to guarantee the services of the business - the business itself has to do that.

What are you going to do, demand that the Church refund your money if you receive inferior service? No - you have to demand that from the people who actually took your money - the business itself.

 

[Richard320]

Hi.

I’m a practicing cradle Catholic and know that I will very much enjoy the spiritual richness of the site.

However, I discovered it during an Internet search for a much more practical question. I was asked to find out if parishioners ever read and respond to ads in church bulletins and, if so, what types of advertisers arre contacted. I’d be interested in the opinions of site members.

I’m not selling or promoting anything.

Thanks so much. Your help is greatly appreciated!

Back to the original question…

My wife and I knew the area we liked. So we went to the local parish just to get a bulletin to look for a realtor who’d know the local area.

Funeral homes and cemeteries are another category that comes to mind. I don’t recall who exactly has an ad in our bulletin, but I know I’ve seen them, and if I suddenly needed one I’d know where to start looking.

I see a lot of ads for lawyers, private schools, insurance agents, and nail salons. I have no need for any of them, so I don’t study them nor use them.

There’s a fish-n-chips place that opened near us. We found them by googling. We go there often, have talked to the owner a lot. I suggested several months ago that she buy ads in the Catholic bulletins nearby, especially as Lent wasn’t far away. “We got that covered already!”

 

[Elisabeth51]

I am a former Protestant and at first thought it very weird, “we” don’t do that, they just get printed!!! Ok, paid for by? US, the congregation. The paper (expensive esp if you want pretty pictures), ink/toner, electricity, salary or time.

It would be a huge financial burden to my parish to put out the fund for all of that, added on to the electric for rectory and church, priest expenses, candles, flowers, hosts, wine, Diocese Assessment, wages to the priest and part time secretary and organist and bookkeeper, the repairs, water bill for rectory and church…etc…for some parishes the additional cost of a bulletin printing would just be too much. With the system of advertising, the parish (esp helpful if it’s a poor one) does not have to put out money for these expenses, the money can go to another bill and the bulletin gets printed and delivered at no cost to us. We should use the businesses advertised when we can, that helps the local economy and supports the business that is supporting you by paying for your bulletin.

And, yes, I read the advertisers and if I need something from one, I go there.

 

[Dale_M]

When I was spending the weekend out of town and my car developed trouble, I chose a mechanic based upon the ad in the parish bulletin. Of course, I asked others about him before going, but I got positive feedback.

 

[Nec5]

I think this is one of those issues that is okay in moderation, but you have to be careful with slippery slope. You wouldn’t want to end up with a bulletin reading:

“3:00 pm discussion group. Exploring the the linkage between the Eucharistic celebration and Christ’s sufferings on the cross. Please bring a Bible with you. Sponsored by Doritos.”

 

[Dale_M]

I
“3:00 pm discussion group. Exploring the the linkage between the Eucharistic celebration and Christ’s sufferings on the cross. Please bring a Bible with you. Sponsored by Doritos.”:

I suppose not, but how about::
*
“3:00 pm discussion group. Exploring the the linkage between the Eucharistic celebration and Christ’s sufferings on the cross. Please bring a Bible with you. Free Doritos!”*



Seriously though, every parish bulletin I have seen clearly identify the ads and usually have them quarantined to a specific section…typically, on the back page.