High church / low church

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Sometimes I’ll hear a protest denomination or liturgy described as a “high church” or a “low church.”

What exactly does that mean?

Thanks!
 
Generally “high church” is used to describe Protestant parishes (or individuals) whose faith and practice is more similar to Roman Catholicism than to typical Protestantism.
 
bpbasilphx said:
Generally “high church” is used to describe Protestant parishes (or individuals) whose faith and practice is more similar to Roman Catholicism than to typical Protestantism.
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I have heard the terms “high Mass” and “low Mass” used, within Roman Catholicism itself. What is the difference there?
 
RebeccaJ said:
I have heard the terms “high Mass” and “low Mass” used, within Roman Catholicism itself. What is the difference there?
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High Mass is sung and has lots of incense. Low Mass has no singing. There are other differences too, such as the use of a subdeacon and deacon in High Mass, more candles on the altar, etc. They are TLM’s.
 
Jabronie said:
Sometimes I’ll hear a protest denomination or liturgy described as a “high church” or a “low church.”

What exactly does that mean?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Using the Episcopal church for example. High church is referred to as “smells and bells”. Thus meaning very Catholic-like (incense, vestments etc.) Low church is more centered around sermons and Scripture readings.
 
“high church” also refers to those who take a more conservative and traditional approach to their particular protestant tradition.
 
“High church” refers to Protestants who have a more liturgical type of service. For instance, I have family members and friends who are High schurch Lutherans and Methodists. They believe in the Real Presence of Christ in Communion and have Communion as a part of their services every Sunday. They also have the same lectionary that is used by Catholics.
 
In my understanding this applies to the Anglican communion. The Anglican church as it stands is a mix of people who gravitate towards a ‘Catholic’ and sacramental understanding of theology and the church, which emphasizes things Roman Catholics emphasize (such as the seven sacraments, the tradition of the church as well as scripture, sacramental theology, eucharist and real prescence, saints, etc) while low church Anglicans lean much more towards the Reformed forms of Christianity, especially Calvinism, which places far more emphasis on the infallibility and authority of scripture, the sacraments of symbols, justification by faith alone, and the proclamation and preaching of the Word of God (the Bible).
 
“High Church” = Tridentine Mass.

“Low Church” = Novus Ordo.
 
Jabronie said:
Sometimes I’ll hear a protest denomination or liturgy described as a “high church” or a “low church.”

What exactly does that mean?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Now I can comment on this one. Before converting to the Roman Catholic Church, I was an Anglican and a member of ECUSA (the Episcopal Church USA). I was brought up in a Low Church diocese. What this means is, the worship is simple with very little ritual. The atmosphere is clearly Protestant, but the liturgy is there. When I was a teenager, I was introduced to elements of High Church that included Marian devotion, confession, etc. As an adult, I discovered a small mission church beginning to embrace High Church. This church became a parish and embraced everything that is catholic: bells, incense, holy water, votive candles, the traditional six candles on the altar, tabernacle on the altar, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, stations of the cross, veneration of icons, Mass parts sung in Latin and of course Marian devotion. The daily and Sunday mass from the Anglican Missal was used and the consecration was the Gregorian (Roman) Canon. The traditional preparatory prayers were used and mass concluded with the Last Gospel. This parish actually became an Anglo-Papist parish. Another words, the parish accepted everything catholic, including the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The only thing missing was the Bishop of Rome.

With the fall and decline of ECUSA in recent years, key members and ALL of the clergy have left for Roman (converted to the Roman Catholic Church). I would gladly respond to any questions you may have.

(Mr.) Robin Cooper
LordHORSEY@comcast.net
Sacred Heart Church – Fleming Island
Diocese of St. Augustine
 
LordHORSEY said:
Now I can comment on this one. Before converting to the Roman Catholic Church, I was an Anglican and a member of ECUSA (the Episcopal Church USA). I was brought up in a Low Church diocese. What this means is, the worship is simple with very little ritual. The atmosphere is clearly Protestant, but the liturgy is there. When I was a teenager, I was introduced to elements of High Church that included Marian devotion, confession, etc. As an adult, I discovered a small mission church beginning to embrace High Church. This church became a parish and embraced everything that is catholic: bells, incense, holy water, votive candles, the traditional six candles on the altar, tabernacle on the altar, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, stations of the cross, veneration of icons, Mass parts sung in Latin and of course Marian devotion. The daily and Sunday mass from the Anglican Missal was used and the consecration was the Gregorian (Roman) Canon. The traditional preparatory prayers were used and mass concluded with the Last Gospel. This parish actually became an Anglo-Papist parish. Another words, the parish accepted everything catholic, including the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The only thing missing was the Bishop of Rome.

With the fall and decline of ECUSA in recent years, key members and ALL of the clergy have left for Roman (converted to the Roman Catholic Church). I would gladly respond to any questions you may have.

(Mr.) Robin Cooper
LordHORSEY@comcast.net
Sacred Heart Church – Fleming Island
Diocese of St. Augustine
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Interesting story! Just one question about their embrace of “high” church. Are you sure that they accepted the belief of the Assumption and Immaculate Conception?
 
BrewMax said:
Interesting story! Just one question about their embrace of “high” church. Are you sure that they accepted the belief of the Assumption and Immaculate Conception?
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LordHORSEY’s account is pretty accurate. I hesitated to intrude a slight distinction that I have often found useful but that is a little difficult to get across. High/low church is primarily a function of “churchmanship”; how the mechanics of the service is done. Another dimension relates to doctrine, and can be expressed along the “reformed/Anglo-Catholic” spectrum, including the ultimate position of "Anglo-Papal (sort of Anglo-Catholicism on steroids).

The overlap between low church and reformed Anglican is pretty close. And, mostly, the same is true for the Anglo-Catholic and high church. But it is possible to find high church Anglicans who don’t quite accept enough Catholic particulars to qualify as Anglo-Catholic. The sticking points can, indeed, include Marian doctrine.

Me, I’m Anglo-Catholic, and I have no trouble at all with the IC and the Assumption, considered as pious opinion.

GKC

Anglicanus Catholicus
 
GKC said:
LordHORSEY’s account is pretty accurate. I hesitated to intrude a slight distinction that I have often found useful but that is a little difficult to get across. High/low church is primarily a function of “churchmanship”; how the mechanics of the service is done. Another dimension relates to doctrine, and can be expressed along the “reformed/Anglo-Catholic” spectrum, including the ultimate position of "Anglo-Papal (sort of Anglo-Catholicism on steroids).

The overlap between low church and reformed Anglican is pretty close. And, mostly, the same is true for the Anglo-Catholic and high church. But it is possible to find high church Anglicans who don’t quite accept enough Catholic particulars to qualify as Anglo-Catholic. The sticking points can, indeed, include Marian doctrine.

Me, I’m Anglo-Catholic, and I have no trouble at all with the IC and the Assumption, considered as pious opinion.

GKC

Anglicanus Catholicus
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Can I ask you why you won’t take one more step and accept Papal authority?
 
Jabronie said:
Sometimes I’ll hear a protest denomination or liturgy described as a “high church” or a “low church.”

What exactly does that mean?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
I tend to think of the difference as that of emphasis between liturgy of Word and Eucharist.

Generally ‘High’ Church is ‘lots of smells and bells’, whereas ‘Low’ Church there is less emphasis on Eucharist and more on Word.

The Catholic Mass is of course BOTH! 😉
 
Without denying the “smells and bells” aspect of High Churchmanship, technically, “High Church” refers to a “high” doctrine OF the Church: her Apostolic authority, sacramental effectiveness, and such.

Of course, that goes WITH smells and bells . . .

When I came into the Catholic Church, the RCIA director talked to me for a while and then asked me: Is the Catholic Church “catholic” enough for YOU?

I had a problem answering that diplomatically.
 
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