Pew Study: Choosing a New Church or House of Worship

[JMM1957]

The study is actually a positive one. The questions are: What do you look for when you are seeking a church community? Name the things that are most important to you.

And the study named all the things that are most important to people:

Sermons
Being welcomed
Location of the church
Worship style
Education for children - Christian ed
Knowing others in the congregation
Volunteer opportunities

None of that is surprising to me. It rings true with all my experiences of people church shopping.

How is that negative?

Well, maybe I’m being too sensitive, you tell me, but when I read the last paragraph of your OP, you brought up the Catholic Church as an example of a church where you have heard newcomers say that they don’t feel welcome there. You say you have experienced the same thing yourself when in a Catholic Church, quote: “My experience has been when I go to a Catholic Church…” When I looked at the last sentence of your OP, you said, “I don’t think I was surprised by these results, but it is good to see my experiences confirmed.” I see you are a non-Catholic, so was just wondering if you were deliberately trying to get more responses from disgruntled non-Catholics or what, seeing as how this is a Catholic forum?

 

[JMM1957]

It’s not and Catholics shop for parishes considering all the above as well. ** Many Catholics choose not to participate in the life of their geographical parish for a variety of reasons** but faithfully attend and become part of another parish’s community. I don’t understand all the defensiveness that there has been on this thread.

Do you not think that other non-Catholic churches don’t have the same thing going on? You’re right though, lack of socialization of someone in their particular church community doesn’t necessarily mean that they aren’t happy there, or that they don’t feel welcome, there could be other reasons.

 

[ComplineSanFran]

Well, maybe I’m being too sensitive, you tell me, but when I read the last paragraph of your OP, you brought up the Catholic Church as an example of a church where you have heard newcomers say that they don’t feel welcome there. You say you have experienced the same thing yourself when in a Catholic Church, quote: “My experience has been when I go to a Catholic Church…” When I looked at the last sentence of your OP, you said, “I don’t think I was surprised by these results, but it is good to see my experiences confirmed.” I see you are a non-Catholic, so was just wondering if you were deliberately trying to get more responses from disgruntled non-Catholics or what, seeing as how this is a Catholic forum?

You bring up a valid point. Thank you. I should have written the post differently and used a different example. It DOES sound as if I am putting all blame on Catholic churches for not being welcoming.

That was not my intention.

I am sorry that it came across that way.

 

[JoyToTheWhirled]

I guess the lack of overt welcome in some Catholic parishes might be a persistent issue on CAF as part of the reason the site exists is to evangelize people, who then discover Catholicism can be a bit of a mixed experience, despite it teaching serious and wonderful truth. I don’t think this is meant as something to tear down. In my case, I take it as encouragement to be as friendly as I can to people, not knowing where they are spiritually or even if they have had a smile that week. So I will keep smiling even when people don’t smile back.

 

[Sy_Noe]

That doesn’t make it right. I agree there can be some legitimate reasons, but also lots of unjust reasons that do not come from faithfulness.

It appears from your posts that location is one of the important factors for you in choosing where to worship in your Catholic faith. That’s fair enough.

 

[Sy_Noe]

I guess the lack of overt welcome in some Catholic parishes might be a persistent issue on CAF as part of the reason the site exists is to evangelize people, who then discover Catholicism can be a bit of a mixed experience, despite it teaching serious and wonderful truth. I don’t think this is meant as something to tear down. In my case, I take it as encouragement to be as friendly as I can to people, not knowing where they are spiritually or even if they have had a smile that week. So I will keep smiling even when people don’t smile back.

 

[rcwitness]

It appears from your posts that location is one of the important factors for you in choosing where to worship in your Catholic faith. That’s fair enough.

Yes, if you mean a parish. No, if you mean a denomination. I agree that the question and it’s options are not negative. They are just questions.

Usually when I hear that people are “church shopping” it’s not a matter of one particular denomination. It means searching for whatever church they favor.

So it’s not so much choosing a parish, but that one already exists for me and my family.

 

[Sy_Noe]

Do you not think that other non-Catholic churches don’t have the same thing going on? You’re right though, lack of socialization of someone in their particular church community doesn’t necessarily mean that they aren’t happy there, or that they don’t feel welcome, there could be other reasons.

Yes of course people of all faiths shop. But given that some Catholics on the thread seemed to me to be on the defensive, I was merely suggesting that Catholics shop as well. No harm intended.

 

[Sy_Noe]

Yes, if you mean a parish. No, if you mean a denomination. I agree that the question and it’s options are not negative. They are just questions.

Usually when I hear that people are “church shopping” it’s not a matter of one particular denomination. It means searching for whatever church they favor.

So it’s not so much choosing a parish, but that one already exists for me and my family.

Yes in your case I meant a parish not a denomination. I understand.

 

[rcwitness]

Yes in your case I meant a parish not a denomination. I understand.

To tell you the truth, I attend a Parish which is maybe, technically farther from another one. But it is very close.

I entered the Catholic Church (Sacraments of initiation) where I am right now. But at one point, I lived a block from another parish, so I attended there. I never actually became a member there, and since have moved in this area a couple times. And my last residence was much closer to my current parish, so I went back there. Now I’m a little farther, but neither parish is in my village. So I remain where I call home, unless there is a significant distance at some point.

I’m sure you wanted to hear all that !

 

[Sy_Noe]

To tell you the truth, I attend a Parish which is maybe, technically farther from another one. But it is very close.

I entered the Catholic Church (Sacraments of initiation) where I am right now. But at one point, I lived a block from another parish, so I attended there. I never actually became a member there, and since have moved in this area a couple times. And my last residence was much closer to my current parish, so I went back there. Now I’m a little farther, but neither parish is in my village. So I remain where I call home, unless there is a significant distance at some point.

I’m sure you wanted to hear all that !

I didn’t mind hearing all that. Just out of curiosity is either of the 2 parishes your canonical territorial one? I’m assuming one might be since they are both nearby. The one considered my territorial is my closest only half a mi from where I live. I’ve attended there but I’ve also attended 3 other Catholic parishes in my county. Two of those 5 miles from me in different directions and another 7 mi. I live in an area though where there are many other Catholic parishes. Those 4 would be the ones closest to my house. They have different “feels” or comfort levels to me though. Ranging from seating, to attire worn, to music, to homilies, to variances on the formal to casual atmosphere scale. But yes everyone… I know they have the same Eucharist of faith.

Anyway now we’re even on hearing. Have a great rest of the day.

 

[JMM1957]

You bring up a valid point. Thank you. I should have written the post differently and used a different example. It DOES sound as if I am putting all blame on Catholic churches for not being welcoming.

That was not my intention.

I am sorry that it came across that way.

 

[JMM1957]

Yes of course people of all faiths shop. But given that some Catholics on the thread seemed to me to be on the defensive, I was merely suggesting that Catholics shop as well. No harm intended.

 

[Padres1969]

I don’t know who you have been talking to.My home parish has greeters every Sunday.On any trip I have taken throughout the USA,this has been my experience in each and every parish.

Hasn’t been my experience at most of the Catholic parishes I’ve visited for what it’s worth. That’s not to say I haven’t been to some churches that have greeters, but most I’ve been to have not had them. Typically it was the larger Catholic churches I visited that had greeters.

 

[rcwitness]

I didn’t mind hearing all that. Just out of curiosity is either of the 2 parishes your canonical territorial one?

What is “canonical territory”?

 

[Phemie]

What is “canonical territory”?

Canon Law defines parishes as geographical entities. You belong to the parish within whose physical borders you live. Canonically, the Pastor of that parish is the only one responsible for you. He is the one who is mandated to baptize and marry you. You may be able to be baptized or married elsewhere but you need his permission to do so.

Of course there are also personal parishes, those established for linguistic or cultural reasons. Say you’re Polish. Although you may live within the physical borders of Parish A, Parish B has been established to serve all the Polish people within a given diocese. Since you are Polish you can be a member of the Personal Parish or of the Geographical Parish. One of those Pastors is responsible for you.

Some dioceses enforce the “canonical territory” strictly, others, not so much. In a town where there are two parishes, you may come to realize that living on Grey Street means you belong to parish C and living on Green Street means you belong to parish D and neither Pastor will confer Baptism or witness the Marriage of someone living within the other Pastor’s borders.

 

[rcwitness]

Canon Law defines parishes as geographical entities. You belong to the parish within whose physical borders you live. Canonically, the Pastor of that parish is the only one responsible for you. He is the one who is mandated to baptize and marry you. You may be able to be baptized or married elsewhere but you need his permission to do so.

Of course there are also personal parishes, those established for linguistic or cultural reasons. Say you’re Polish. Although you may live within the physical borders of Parish A, Parish B has been established to serve all the Polish people within a given diocese. Since you are Polish you can be a member of the Personal Parish or of the Geographical Parish. One of those Pastors is responsible for you.

Some dioceses enforce the “canonical territory” strictly, others, not so much. In a town where there are two parishes, you may come to realize that living on Grey Street means you belong to parish C and living on Green Street means you belong to parish D and neither Pastor will confer Baptism or witness the Marriage of someone living within the other Pastor’s borders.

Thanks… learn something all the time. I guess this is the formal practice of what I was expressing.

 

[Padres1969]

Canon Law defines parishes as geographical entities. You belong to the parish within whose physical borders you live. Canonically, the Pastor of that parish is the only one responsible for you. He is the one who is mandated to baptize and marry you. You may be able to be baptized or married elsewhere but you need his permission to do so.

Of course there are also personal parishes, those established for linguistic or cultural reasons. Say you’re Polish. Although you may live within the physical borders of Parish A, Parish B has been established to serve all the Polish people within a given diocese. Since you are Polish you can be a member of the Personal Parish or of the Geographical Parish. One of those Pastors is responsible for you.

Some dioceses enforce the “canonical territory” strictly, others, not so much. In a town where there are two parishes, you may come to realize that living on Grey Street means you belong to parish C and living on Green Street means you belong to parish D and neither Pastor will confer Baptism or witness the Marriage of someone living within the other Pastor’s borders.

Interesting, but does the RCC make it easy to search which parish a person is “supposed” to belong to geographically?

 

[rcwitness]

Interesting, but does the RCC make it easy to search which parish a person is “supposed” to belong to geographically?

Wouldn’t it be easy to go to the nearest parish and ask?

 

[Padres1969]

Wouldn’t it be easy to go to the nearest parish and ask?

But is it really your nearest parish? And I’m not asking to be glib, my house growing up was more or less equidistant between two parishes. We went to one because it had the school we were attending, but we very well may have been attending the wrong one, at least geographically speaking.