We're looking for a good church

[carolyn_schultz]

Many times when I meet someone new to town they will ask if I know of a good church. Obviously this tells me they are not Catholic. I’m not sure what the best response is. The passionate Catholic in me wants to gush about our faith without scaring them off the other part says to stay calm and “meet them where they’re at” like Fr. Corappi says and just ask “Well what are you looking for?” How do you think this question should be addressed?

 

[carolyn_schultz]

Well, one good way would be to ask what they want out of the church service.

 

[Ak_Fossil]

Yes–Paramount–would be to seek what is it that one wants in a CHURCH. If they think that a Catholic church might be a possbility. They could visit one–probably more visible would be Roman, however, even Roman’s are unaware of the other churches of the east that are within the Catholic Church. I belong to a Byzantine Catholic Church–check them out by going to www.byzcath.org . This is a beginning and could prove beneficial results.

 

[1ke]

Actually, asking them “what they want” in a church improperly frames them as consumers and the church as a product.

Rather, why not say, “You are welcome to come to church with me this Sunday.”

 

[cecilia97]

You could just say “Yeah, I know of a good church, why don’t you come with me on Sunday to St. Something’s”. Their response will give you a direction to go in for sure!

I’ve always been amazed at how some folks hop churches. A good friend of mine who grew up Methodist tried all sorts of denominations when she moved. She did end up at a Methodist church, but she was basically looking for the church that “felt” best, I gathered.

 

[surfinpure]

I agree with Cecilia – invite them to come along to Mass. “Meeting them where they are” in this case means being gracious and loving, and not trying to push them into learning about the Catholic faith. I somehow doubt that it entails recommending a Protestant church. We have to be careful not to appear indifferent (as in the sin of “indifferentism”) with regard to Christian faiths. One is not as good as another, and while we should never be snobby in our behavior, we also should not give the impression that we think anyone’s personal preference in a church is what matters most.

Am I making any sense? It’s late!

 

[CarrieH]

I would ask them what they mean by a “good” church and take it from there. “Good” could mean anything to them, from entertaining to very liberal/conservative to whatever. If anyone were to ask me that question, I would invite them to TLM. That’s “good church” to me! And some folks would come just out of curiosity. Usually if they have strong ties to a particular denomination, they will add that to the question and not leave it so open: “We’re looking for a good Baptist church.” So I would refer them to someone who might know the Baptist churches around town, but I would also invite them to come to Mass with me some time.

 

[pippin]

This actually happened to DH and I. I said “We’re Catholic and go to St. N.” Then we invited them. They did come for a while and even signed up for RCIA, but never finished the course. I haven’t seen them for a while. Our DRE’s son did this with his friend’s family and the whole family entered the Catholic Church the following Easter.

 

[EasterJoy]

I had a friend who grew up Catholic who said they were looking for a Bible Church. I said, “The Catholic Church teaches the Bible! The Mass is full of Scriptures, from beginning to end!”

They didn’t end up going to a Catholic Church, but they did admit that a person would definitely hear the Gospel in a Catholic Church.

 

[EasterJoy]

Many times when I meet someone new to town they will ask if I know of a good church. Obviously this tells me they are not Catholic. I’m not sure what the best response is. The passionate Catholic in me wants to gush about our faith without scaring them off the other part says to stay calm and “meet them where they’re at” like Fr. Corappi says and just ask “Well what are you looking for?” How do you think this question should be addressed?

You know, I don’t think it hurts to say what parish you go to, to reel off all the reasons you love it, and to tell them you’d be happy to have them visit. I don’t think that is scary.