Questoin about Southern Baptists...

[jason197754]

I was born and raised here in San Diego, Calfiornia, and from my research, I think that the Catholic churches were the first churches to be planted and established here in San Diego.

But, why did so many baptist churches get planted and established here too in San Diego??? Especially in the decade of the 1950’s. Why then???

And have any of you ever heard of Calvay Chapel befor? It’s a church denomonation that started in the 1970’s in Oarnge County California. It’s a hippie/baby boomer church that a lot of catholics started going to back then. Why did so many Catholics go to those calvary chapel churches???

And why did so many of those Southern Baptist churches become so big starting back in the 1990’s??? They became those- MEGA churches. Why is that???

Thanks…

Jason

 

[SnakeMauler]

I was born and raised here in San Diego, Calfiornia, and from my research, I think that the Catholic churches were the first churches to be planted and established here in San Diego.

But, why did so many baptist churches get planted and established here too in San Diego??? Especially in the decade of the 1950’s. Why then???

And have any of you ever heard of Calvay Chapel befor? It’s a church denomonation that started in the 1970’s in Oarnge County California. It’s a hippie/baby boomer church that a lot of catholics started going to back then. Why did so many Catholics go to those calvary chapel churches???

And why did so many of those Southern Baptist churches become so big starting back in the 1990’s??? They became those- MEGA churches. Why is that???

Thanks…

Jason

I live in Maine and theres a Cavalry Chapel church here.

 

[AJTheMan]

Yes, I’ve heard of Calvary Chapel. It has concentrated most of it’s churches in California and the greater west. It’s just an association of evangelical churches who like the views of Chuck Smith.

Also, I’m not sure about the Southern Baptists and their correlation to megachurches. I do know that the largest church in my area is a Southern Baptist Mega church. Personally, I think baptist is just the denomination that mega-pastors like to name.

 

[StillWondering]

I was born and raised here in San Diego, Calfiornia, and from my research, I think that the Catholic churches were the first churches to be planted and established here in San Diego.

But, why did so many baptist churches get planted and established here too in San Diego??? Especially in the decade of the 1950’s. Why then???

And have any of you ever heard of Calvay Chapel befor? It’s a church denomonation that started in the 1970’s in Oarnge County California. It’s a hippie/baby boomer church that a lot of catholics started going to back then. Why did so many Catholics go to those calvary chapel churches???

And why did so many of those Southern Baptist churches become so big starting back in the 1990’s??? They became those- MEGA churches. Why is that???

Thanks…

Jason

Here’s a summery of the history.

Catholic missionaries were the first modern European educators in California. The whole state used to be a province of New Spain (now known as Mexico). The United States at the time was 13 colonies that just recently overthrew King Henry. Well, King Henry is the head of the Church of England. And that is a protestant community. Most of the United States was protestant as well. Eventually California was annexed (1849) by the United States and much of the land and influence of the Catholic missionaries were taken away. Some influences remain in the culture such as the names Los Angeles (named after the Queen of Angels), San Diego (named after Saint Didacus) and San Francisco (named after Saint Francis) and some of the people you see today.

Overtime, protestant groups continue to divide and spread. Many found California, the most populace state in the nation to be a good place to be. I would gather it is the weather =P.

 

[ralphinal]

Here in Alabama, we have our share of large Southern Baptist churches, though none are really “mega” in the true sense. One reason is because many towns have one dominant Baptist church and several smaller ones of other denominations (or other baptists). For example, in the town where I went to high school, the First Baptist Church is the largest, followed by the two Methodist. The Catholic Church was one of the smallest when I was in school, but it is now at least 4th (close to passing the older Methodist one).

What happens here is the main baptist church grows until it splits. If it never splits, it keeps growing. Part of it is just basic numbers as the area is mostly baptist. However, another reason is that many people feel left out if they are not part of the main church. A third reason is larger churches can provide more “stuff.”

One of the frustrating things to me is that all of the churches in the town went in together to pool resources to help the poor. Now, as I said, the Catholic Church is no larger than the third largest, yet we donate almost as much as all the other churches together. If it wasn’t for us, it would not survive. It just doesn’t make sense to me.

 

[Teneas]

We got some SB on this forum, wonder if they would like to respond?

 

[AJTheMan]

Here in Alabama, we have our share of large Southern Baptist churches, though none are really “mega” in the true sense. One reason is because many towns have one dominant Baptist church and several smaller ones of other denominations (or other baptists). For example, in the town where I went to high school, the First Baptist Church is the largest, followed by the two Methodist. The Catholic Church was one of the smallest when I was in school, but it is now at least 4th (close to passing the older Methodist one).

What happens here is the main baptist church grows until it splits. If it never splits, it keeps growing. Part of it is just basic numbers as the area is mostly baptist. However, another reason is that many people feel left out if they are not part of the main church. A third reason is larger churches can provide more “stuff.”

One of the frustrating things to me is that all of the churches in the town went in together to pool resources to help the poor. Now, as I said, the Catholic Church is no larger than the third largest, yet we donate almost as much as all the other churches together. If it wasn’t for us, it would not survive. It just doesn’t make sense to me.

It’s similar in my area. The First Baptist Church just got done building a seven million dollar center that can hold up to 4,000 people at any one time. The second and third largest would be the Methodist church, followed by the smaller Catholic church.

The local Catholic church is odd though, as you can tell that they have made it to accommodate to the Protestant ideals down here. (The church has no sculptures of saints, no iconography, no stained glass, just simple brick walls. The Priest walks around when giving the homily as opposed to using a pulpit, no candles, etc)

 

[Teneas]

The local Catholic church is odd though, as you can tell that they have made it to accommodate to the Protestant ideals down here. (The church has no sculptures of saints, no iconography, no stained glass, just simple brick walls. The Priest walks around when giving the homily as opposed to using a pulpit, etc)

I like it when the Priests walk around some. I would miss the statues, stained glass, etc. however.

 

[AJTheMan]

I like it when the Priests walk around some. I would miss the statues, stained glass, etc. however.

I missed those components as well. After visiting a mass, you get a certain idea of what a Catholic church looks like. Candles, pictures of saints, stained glass, elegant cloths, chandeliers, statues, iconography. These components provide a uniquely spiritual setting in the Christian context. The Cathedral (which is farther away) has all of these components so when I went to this smaller parish, seeing only a brick wall to the left and right…it seemed cold or industrial.

I wasn’t really complaining about the Priest walking around. I liked it as well, it’s just uncommon in most Catholic churches, from what I understand.

 

[ralphinal]

It’s similar in my area. The First Baptist Church just got done building a seven million dollar center that can hold up to 4,000 people at any one time. The second and third largest would be the Methodist church, followed by the smaller Catholic church.

The local Catholic church is odd though, as you can tell that they have made it to accommodate to the Protestant ideals down here. (The church has no sculptures of saints, no iconography, no stained glass, just simple brick walls. The Priest walks around when giving the homily as opposed to using a pulpit, no candles, etc)

We built a new church a couple of years ago. We only have one stained glass so far (the one above the alter). We have statues and candles and such, though. We will have more stained glass as we get the money for it.

I have seen “protestant” looking Catholic churches, though. It bothers the stuff out of me. I like the Catholic looking Protestant ones.

 

[Rolltide]

Some influences remain in the culture such as the names Los Angeles (named after the Queen of Angels), San Diego (named after Saint Didacus) and San Francisco (named after Saint Francis) and some of the people you see today.

Actually, San Diego is Spanish for St. James. It can also be contracted to form “Santiago”, such as in Santiago, Chile, or Santiago de Compostela in Spain, the shrine that contains St. James’ relics.