I have been to many different denominations of Christian churches. Here is what I have observed:
Catholic: Before the mass, it is
very quiet in most Catholic churches. Like so quiet you can hear a pen drop. I remember I went to Sunday mass this week and for some reason, there was a large group of people who walked in, all talking very loudly and laughing. Many people in the pews turned around, bewildered at the commotion, because it is so rare to hear much noise before the service begins. I remember when I was going through RCIA, we had a function in the Cathedral where all of the RCIA candidates and their sponsors attended. It was not quiet in the cathedral that day. The priest calmly reminded the candidates and their sponsors that this was a space of prayer, not conversation. The strength of a church having a “quiet time” before Mass is that it puts you in a certain mindset, where its just you and God…and you can just focus on that. I will say, however, after the Mass has ended, people tend walk down the center aisle, conversing with one another. Some in my parish have expressed displeasure at this fact, wishing that there was more time to pray in silence after the mass had ended. I have never attended a Charismatic Catholic service so I cannot speak to their atmosphere.
Anglican: I was baptized in the Episcopal Church in the United States and attended Holy Eucharist there for about two years. I would say that in an Anglican church, it is very similar to a Catholic church in terms of atmosphere. It is very quiet before the service, though there may be some lightly spoken conversation among good friends. One big difference between the Catholic atmosphere and Anglican atmosphere is that there is a greater diversity of traditions within the Anglican faith. For instance, I have attended an Episcopal church where the priest was very Evangelical-leaning, meaning that services had more of a rock-and-roll feel with dramatic plays and other kinds of devices mixed in with traditional liturgy. On the other hand, the Episcopal cathedral where I live is very “high church.” Most Anglican churches vary somewhere on the spectrum of high church and low church, with some being more Anglo-Catholic and others being more Evangelical.
Methodist: My dad is a life long Methodist and I have been to his church many times. Unlike Catholics and Anglicans, Methodists have no qualms sparking up a conversation with you before or after the service. But it is still pretty low key, with most conversing in a normal tone. A Methodist service is more like a bible study with singing interspersed. I did attend one Methodist church that had both a contemporary service and a traditional service. The traditional service was very “high church,” with there being candles, and ministerial vestments, and other touches that are more akin to an Anglican service.
Baptist: I was an attendee at a Baptist church for six months. Baptist churches are kind of a whole different animal when it comes to atmosphere. Conversation before the service is raucous at times, with attendees talking over each other while conversing. There are no images in the building, only a single cross (not a crucifix!
) where the baptismal font is. The strength of having this kind of service is that you can make friends with other parishioners more easily, as talking with them is encouraged. No incense is used.
), the altar and altar rails are still perfectly suited for the celebration of an Extraordinary Form as well (
