What do Protestant denominations do well that Catholics could learn from?

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powerofk said:
Here in Albuquerque, the big thing that I’ve seen Protestants do better than Catholics is spreading the news about their events. They go door to door advertising their worship services and their “special events” (e.g., Haunted House trek through Hell for Halloween, food pantry truck dispersal of food, etc.). Others post billboards about their “Son-rise services” for Easter, Other Protestant congregations even give people without transportation a ride to their services, or give free breakfast to any children who come to their services. Most, if not all, advertising for events at Catholic parishes is found in the parish bulletins and over the Catholic Radio station. Otherwise, the only way to find out is by word of mouth. It just always seems like most Catholic parishes are more worried about not losing their current parishioners than actively encouraging outsiders to Church events (including, but not limited to, Mass). Now, I know the Catholic faith is centered on the Mass, but we need to do a much better job of inviting people to come. And it can’t be just individual effort - it has to be a concerted, organized effort at the parish level.
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We also need to consider that if we just get people in the door, but they are not converted, more harm will be done to souls than good. We need to not compromise and get real conversions.

I agree with one thing. The last sentence. Every parish should have an official, organized effort, to do 2 things: fight heresy in the parish and gain converts. Real converts who won’t creep in and spread heresy.

I attended the last day of a Bible study at my parish full of old ladies who aren’t far from death. There was a guy sitting at the table, the only other male, about 60 years old, who was spreading the heresy of universalism to all of those old ladies! He had been for 10 weeks or so. What good did it do to get him in the door? All he did was put souls in danger of eternal fire.

We need to keep in mind that eternity is what is at stake. Our first priority should be protecting the flock from the heresies that have already crept in, and keeping the heresies from creeping in even more. Getting converts is secondary to that, and those converts need to be real converts. Not just people browsing, seeing if they “feel this is right for them” while they spread heresy in the Church.
 
I would have to say Bible study and religious education. After all, how many Catholics KNOW their faith? There is so much to know - the whys and the wherefores, etc…
 
They sing all the verses of a hymn. Their congregations tend to have a much stronger sense of community and fellowship with each other, as opposed to many Catholics who put in their one hour a week - if that - and then they’re gone.
 
pianistclare said:
Frankly, their programs for children.
As a DRE I am always saddened that when I seek volunteers for PSR, Faith Formation, youth groups, etc. that people literally RUN the other way. No one wants to work with our youth, but they have something negative to say about them.
😦

Children seem to be a priority in other protestant denoms…and they put their money there.
I’m not talking about in worship…I’m talking about educational programs.
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Very interesting comments.

I’m not saying I disagree by any means, but I am wondering why some Protestants have problems with youth leaving.
 
I agree with the comments so far - music (Anglicans love our hymns!), fellowship, preaching, education and Bible study. I would like to add two things that are somewhat related:

Pastoral care and community building

Most churches know how to care for its members. Clergy and laity join forces to minister to each other. I haven’t seen this so much in RC churches. Do you have anything comparable to Stephen Ministry? Are your laity trained in pastoral care?

This caring for each other - pastorally as well as normally - is dependent on the sense of community within a church family. Perhaps this has to do with the size of a parish - most RC parishes are so huge that it is hard to create community. I don’t know. Mega-churches know how to create small group ministries, so perhaps that can be a model.

But these two things are something I see done well in non-Catholic churches.
 
mjwise said:
Honestly? Music. I’ve been in some large, seemingly well-heeled Catholic churches that barely field an organist and cantor. Then half of the people around you are stone cold silent and it’s all awkward.
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I think it depends. In my parish, we have a fantastic choir. The Sat evening choir and the the Sunday morning choir are both awesome, and the Sunday evening Mass has a young man who is extremely talented and plays the organ and sings.

However recently I visited another Parish and learned that not all Parishes are so blessed to have that level of participation or talent. But at the same token, at least people were stepping up to help.
 
I would say Protestant churches do tend to be much more welcoming than most Catholic churches I have visited. From my experience, Protestant churches seem to be more inclusive. I didn’t grow up in a Christian household and after being asked my religious background on separate occasions by 2 different parishioners assisting with RCIA I was repeatedly told how they were surprised that “someone like me” was going through with joining the Church and made rather awkward conversation about how “this process just wasn’t meant for everyone.” Luckily for me I’m a college student and many of the other students that I would see at events outside of the church were more welcoming but I am afraid that others would be turned away by this behavior and seek out the friendlier Protestant churches. Obviously this will depend on the parish so it could just be my experience. Every church will have its flaws but only one will have the Real Presence of Christ. 🙂
 
MiserableSinner said:
We also need to consider that if we just get people in the door, but they are not converted, more harm will be done to souls than good. We need to not compromise and get real conversions.

I agree with one thing. The last sentence. Every parish should have an official, organized effort, to do 2 things: fight heresy in the parish and gain converts. Real converts who won’t creep in and spread heresy.

I attended the last day of a Bible study at my parish full of old ladies who aren’t far from death. There was a guy sitting at the table, the only other male, about 60 years old, who was spreading the heresy of universalism to all of those old ladies! He had been for 10 weeks or so. What good did it do to get him in the door? All he did was put souls in danger of eternal fire.

We need to keep in mind that eternity is what is at stake. Our first priority should be protecting the flock from the heresies that have already crept in, and keeping the heresies from creeping in even more. Getting converts is secondary to that, and those converts need to be real converts. Not just people browsing, seeing if they “feel this is right for them” while they spread heresy in the Church.
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Fighting heresy is pretty much done by good, orthodox teaching from the ambo. But if people aren’t at Mass, then they’re not getting it. Outreach isn’t just going after Protestants and non-Christians, it’s going after our own lost sheep. It’s stated that “fallen-away Catholics” are the second-largest Christian group. Yet how many Catholics have left the faith not because of being offended by some Catholic teaching that they didn’t understand or because of being abused by a priest or layperson in position of trust, but simply because they kind of just “dropped out” (went to Mass less and less and then just simply stopped going) and no one seemed to notice? Or left because they committed a sin that they believed was unforgivable? Or because they were invited to a Protestant service and were influenced to stay? Of course heresies have to be fought. But unless we get people in the door, then they will never be exposed to the Truth.
 
In my location, the biggest thing that I see them doing well that we do not is quickly and actively responding to local events and issues.

If there is a shooting, a fire, a major illness, a tragedy - within a day or two, they are there - holding a prayer service, collecting items, offering assistance. They seem to be able to do it directly, quickly, and noticeably (flyers, FB posts, etc) - while there is little or no action done by the Catholic parish(es). I know Catholic charities and individual Catholics respond to help as well - but not in the active, immediate, group way the other denominations respond.
 
MiserableSinner said:
They are the product of a heretical rebellion against God’s Church. We should not learn anything from them.

We should only be trying to convert them. We don’t want them to lose their souls. Ecumenism gets dangerous when people start compromising and letting Satan have ground in the Church for the sake of not offending people who have been lied to.

We already have a big problem with heresy in the Church. Souls are in danger, and it does appear that many will be lost, although I try not to despair because God’s Love is Infinite.

I know you said theologically, but think about it - we don’t want to blur the line at all. We want a distinction, a clear distinction, between Christ’s Church and the products of the rebellion against it. If you start blurring the line, heresy is going to come in more and more.

2 aspects of eternity are at stake here. If someone believes a heresy unintentionally and falls into sin, they will lose some of their glory in Heaven at the least. It will effect their eternity even if they are not damned. That’s if they are not damned. But if they believe a heresy and spread it, it can lead to their damnation and the damnation of others. With stakes like that - do you want to blur the line AT ALL? Forever and ever is at stake.
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May I suggest that you read Ut Unum Sint…the encyclical of Saint John Paul II on ecumenism.

w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_25051995_ut-unum-sint.html
 
Although not Protestant, I wish Catholic youth had even a fraction of the zeal and commitment of Mormon youth for devoting two years of their lives to evanglisation.

I agree with the previous posters on issues they raise…especially such as homiletics, fellowship and music.
 
Tommy999 said:
For an evangelical like me who has only been to a couple of Catholic masses in my life, my guess is that one area where Catholics could learn from Protestants might be in the area of reaching out to visitors and giving them a warm welcome. In general, Protestant churches tend to do that pretty well.
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^^^ So true. I think the one exception tends to be the Catholic ministries of secular universities. The welcoming spirit tends to be quite strong because the worshipping community changes so often based on graduations and incoming freshmen. If only all Catholic parishes behaved like Catholic student centers!
 
pianistclare said:
Frankly, their programs for children.
As a DRE I am always saddened that when I seek volunteers for PSR, Faith Formation, youth groups, etc. that people literally RUN the other way. No one wants to work with our youth, but they have something negative to say about them.
😦

Children seem to be a priority in other protestant denoms…and they put their money there.
I’m not talking about in worship…I’m talking about educational programs.
Click to expand...
In my Parish, I’m more concerned about the elderly who speak very loudly and inappropriately. The youth (and there is a school attached) all seem to be more respectful of not only the sanctuary, but also of the sacraments… I guess our city has been blessed???
 
MiserableSinner said:
They are the product of a heretical rebellion against God’s Church. We should not learn anything from them.

We should only be trying to convert them. We don’t want them to lose their souls. Ecumenism gets dangerous when people start compromising and letting Satan have ground in the Church for the sake of not offending people who have been lied to.

We already have a big problem with heresy in the Church. Souls are in danger, and it does appear that many will be lost, although I try not to despair because God’s Love is Infinite.

I know you said theologically, but think about it - we don’t want to blur the line at all. We want a distinction, a clear distinction, between Christ’s Church and the products of the rebellion against it. If you start blurring the line, heresy is going to come in more and more.

2 aspects of eternity are at stake here. If someone believes a heresy unintentionally and falls into sin, they will lose some of their glory in Heaven at the least. It will effect their eternity even if they are not damned. That’s if they are not damned. But if they believe a heresy and spread it, it can lead to their damnation and the damnation of others. With stakes like that - do you want to blur the line AT ALL? Forever and ever is at stake.
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MiserableSinner has not made any friends yet
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:cool:

BTW, did you happen to read the mods stickies at the top of the forum about inter-religious dialogue?
 
Tommy999 said:
For an evangelical like me who has only been to a couple of Catholic masses in my life, my guess is that one area where Catholics could learn from Protestants might be in the area of reaching out to visitors and giving them a warm welcome. In general, Protestant churches tend to do that pretty well.
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What would your suggestions be Tommy? What would that look like?
When I was a Baptist we had church greeters and Tuesday night visitation. Do you mean something like that? Or something beyond that?
 
Study the Bible. Seriously, in all my years of PSR we cracked open the Bible once! I would also counter those who say we should change our hymns. They’re fine!
 
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