N
nat_c1990
Guest
I talked a little bit about this in a different thread but for anyone that didn’t see it, I will explain my situation. My husband and I have both grown up going to Baptist churches most of our lives. A few years ago we moved and had to switch churches, which is when he started going to a non denominational church. The main reason that he really started going there is because they were looking for a bass guitar player. He was apart of the worship team at his previous church and he really enjoys playing music so of course, he took advantage of the opportunity.
Just from what he had told me about the church, it didn’t really seem like my style but I decided to go and give it a try anyway. Most of the people there were very welcoming and friendly. The pastor and his wife in particular have always been very welcoming and loving toward us. The first time I went to the church, everything was fine. I liked the music, everyone was really nice. It was different than what I was used to but I honestly thought that I could possibly see myself going there. But the more that I went there, the more I started to question if it was really the right church for me, and the more uncomfortable I became.
There are a lot of things this church does that I do not agree with. For one, there is no structure whatsoever. If at any time during the service, a member of the church wants to come up in front of everyone and speak, they are allowed to do so. The pastor’s reasoning is that if the Holy Spirit is calling someone to say something, he doesn’t want to interfere with that. Although I think the church has good intentions, I think this is something you have to be really careful with. When you allow anyone and everyone to come up and speak, you really don’t know what is going to come out of their mouth. It could be something that really touches and inspires people, on the other hand, it could be something that really offends people and turns them off. I feel like they should be more careful with who they choose to let represent their church.
One day that I attended the church, a woman decided to get up and speak right in the middle of the worship service. She walked up to the front, grabbed the microphone and proceeded to tell us that there were some people in the room who were worshiping halfheartedly, and that we all need to be on fire for God because this is our time to worship him. On this particular day, I had brought my mom with me as a guest. My mom and I are both very quiet, reserved people. We were in the minority because most of the people there are very outspoken. During this woman’s message, my mom and I both felt very uncomfortable because we couldn’t help but to feel like her comments were somewhat directed toward us. A lot of people at the church will clap and dance during worship, but thats just not my personality or my mom’s either.
I actually have pretty bad social anxiety and a lot of times its a struggle for me to even go to church at all because it makes me really anxious to be around large groups of people. Usually I don’t even sing out loud at church because I’m self conscious. I usually just stand there and try to really think about and reflect on the lyrics of the song. I feel like people are going to be looking at me or judging me if I sing or do anything else. And it kind of confirmed my fears when that lady got up and started making judgmental statements about the way people were worshiping. I felt like she was judging me and looking at me even when I was trying my best to just blend in with everyone, I was still getting judged. Personally I think people like her should be less concerned with looking around the room, worried about what everyone else is doing and more focused on God.
Ill admit it would make me a little uncomfortable when people would start dancing and things like that, but I wasn’t judging them. If thats the way they feel comfortable worshiping, who am I to say something about it? I just tried to not focus on people like that and to concentrate on the reason that I was supposed to be there. I just thought it was really wrong for the lady to insinuate that just because she doesnt see someone outwardly worship at church, that means they don’t worship God. Personally, I’m more comfortable singing to God when I’m at home by myself. That way I don’t have to worry about being judged or having social anxiety. I can just give all my attention to God and not worry about anything else.
My husband and I went to a Catholic church last Sunday and I was pleasantly surprised at how calm and relaxed the environment was. It seemed much more suited for me and my personality, and for my husband’s personality too, to be honest. I didn’t sing along during the hymns but that was mostly because I didnt know any of them. But as far as not wanting to sing because I felt like the people there were judging me, I didn’t feel like that at all. Overall, everyone made me feel very comfortable. I guess I’m just looking for a Catholic perspective on the subject.
Just from what he had told me about the church, it didn’t really seem like my style but I decided to go and give it a try anyway. Most of the people there were very welcoming and friendly. The pastor and his wife in particular have always been very welcoming and loving toward us. The first time I went to the church, everything was fine. I liked the music, everyone was really nice. It was different than what I was used to but I honestly thought that I could possibly see myself going there. But the more that I went there, the more I started to question if it was really the right church for me, and the more uncomfortable I became.
There are a lot of things this church does that I do not agree with. For one, there is no structure whatsoever. If at any time during the service, a member of the church wants to come up in front of everyone and speak, they are allowed to do so. The pastor’s reasoning is that if the Holy Spirit is calling someone to say something, he doesn’t want to interfere with that. Although I think the church has good intentions, I think this is something you have to be really careful with. When you allow anyone and everyone to come up and speak, you really don’t know what is going to come out of their mouth. It could be something that really touches and inspires people, on the other hand, it could be something that really offends people and turns them off. I feel like they should be more careful with who they choose to let represent their church.
One day that I attended the church, a woman decided to get up and speak right in the middle of the worship service. She walked up to the front, grabbed the microphone and proceeded to tell us that there were some people in the room who were worshiping halfheartedly, and that we all need to be on fire for God because this is our time to worship him. On this particular day, I had brought my mom with me as a guest. My mom and I are both very quiet, reserved people. We were in the minority because most of the people there are very outspoken. During this woman’s message, my mom and I both felt very uncomfortable because we couldn’t help but to feel like her comments were somewhat directed toward us. A lot of people at the church will clap and dance during worship, but thats just not my personality or my mom’s either.
I actually have pretty bad social anxiety and a lot of times its a struggle for me to even go to church at all because it makes me really anxious to be around large groups of people. Usually I don’t even sing out loud at church because I’m self conscious. I usually just stand there and try to really think about and reflect on the lyrics of the song. I feel like people are going to be looking at me or judging me if I sing or do anything else. And it kind of confirmed my fears when that lady got up and started making judgmental statements about the way people were worshiping. I felt like she was judging me and looking at me even when I was trying my best to just blend in with everyone, I was still getting judged. Personally I think people like her should be less concerned with looking around the room, worried about what everyone else is doing and more focused on God.
Ill admit it would make me a little uncomfortable when people would start dancing and things like that, but I wasn’t judging them. If thats the way they feel comfortable worshiping, who am I to say something about it? I just tried to not focus on people like that and to concentrate on the reason that I was supposed to be there. I just thought it was really wrong for the lady to insinuate that just because she doesnt see someone outwardly worship at church, that means they don’t worship God. Personally, I’m more comfortable singing to God when I’m at home by myself. That way I don’t have to worry about being judged or having social anxiety. I can just give all my attention to God and not worry about anything else.
My husband and I went to a Catholic church last Sunday and I was pleasantly surprised at how calm and relaxed the environment was. It seemed much more suited for me and my personality, and for my husband’s personality too, to be honest. I didn’t sing along during the hymns but that was mostly because I didnt know any of them. But as far as not wanting to sing because I felt like the people there were judging me, I didn’t feel like that at all. Overall, everyone made me feel very comfortable. I guess I’m just looking for a Catholic perspective on the subject.
