Why are Protestant Churches more friendly, helpful, and community oriented?

[theguidedheart]

One of my complaints about the Catholic Church is that it’s unfriendly and not a very good community. I read posts here that say that Protestants are phoney and have just as many problems, and that you don’t go to church to feel good. But I think that Protestants have a lot on the ball. They offer more youth activities and church socials. We should be socializing within the Church. That feeling of community is an important thing, more important to some than others obviously. It’s also a big reason why people like myself are tempted to leave the church, because it’s not the greatest social support system.

I see my fellow Catholics getting involved in all sorts of other activities outside of church, but nothing’s happening in the church. Small Baptist churches will have a church van or bus and everyone takes field trips together. They have vibrant youth groups where kids can have wholesome fun and give the parents a break too. I wish the Catholic Church provided things like that more.

Thanks for your concern, and its a very valid one - although I think the generalization is far too broad. Your experiences may be relative to your parish, as I have attended a handful of Catholic parishes in my area in which each one is a bit different, but for the most part they are quite friendly.

Anothing thing to consider is, if your parish is lacking in any form, maybe thats God’s call to YOU to start something within your own parish that appeals to people with the same frustrations as you. You know the problem of anti-social Catholics is only a problem if you let it continue. For example, I am a very quiet person by nature, and would probably be too anxious to go out of my way to go and talk to other Catholics - but i would still be courteous to others, which allows more outgoing Catholics to reach out and talk to me - that started something in me that made it MUCH more comfortable to talk to other Catholics after the Masses - it only takes one person to really make a difference, and I have seen this in action. Next time Mass ends, why don’t YOU go out of the way to start a conversation with fellow Catholics, or find some who may be your age and offer to get together at an after Mass breakfast or something, anything… its not hard to pull people together, but nobody everyone has been given the same talent to do it.

Know what I mean?

Peace

 

[reneeville]

I know that we all are not “outgoing” type personalities; however, I do believe that if we choose to see a negative…then we are responsible for correcting it or attempting to do so. For example, if one was to say their Parish is not “welcoming”, then that person is responsible to helping correct it by arriving early and greeting people in the narthex or engaging in conversation outside afterwards.
Having been raised in the protestant faith I had NO idea as to what worship was… until I came home to the Catholic Church…worship is reverent, not entertainment.
Shalom~

I have moved a fair bit in my adult life. I check out several churches in my new community. I was raised Catholic, so I check out Catholic as well as Protestand churches, and overall… The Protestant churches make a point of welcoming people. People notice I am “new” say hello, ask me about myself, tell me of some church activities that might suit me of my family, ask me to get on the mailing list and introduce me to the minister.
In Catholic churches. Someone shakes my hand at the sign of peace, and then I am ignored. I have even gone as far as asking the priest to share more information about the “returning to the church” classes, but the sister who ran them wasn’t around, so he told me I’d have to try some other time. Didn’t bother to take my name or number or anything.

The idea seems that you should have the backbone to fight your way in and prove you’re worthy and that you have what it takes to be a real Catholic. None of that warm fuzzy stuff, it’s tuff luv all the way.

I’ve had some rough experiences in some Protestant churches as well, and have left some congregations over some issues, but as far as being welcoming, open and integrating newcomers into the life of the church, Protestants have Catholics beat handsdown.

cheddar

 

[ALLFORHIM]

But you reject the Body of Christ, and the Mass, so by comparsion, it is a service base man-made attractions.

Some you guys have services that are close to the mass, but some of them “services” are really for entertainment purposes only.

I am not sure with you attend, so don’t take it too personally.

peace of the Lord be with you

Hi Garg,
Ill try not to take it personally. I do not feel I reject the Body of Christ because I have Christ in me 24/7 till I meet with Him in person. Having the Holy Spirit in me is having Christ with me all the time. Which of course is no fun when I am being convicted of a sin My minister just said in His service on Sunday that all that we do should be to glorify God. This past Sunday we finally got to move into our new building. We were all excited, but our minister promptly reminded us that it is not about this building or even about us but it is all for the Glory of God to worship God. Our service is all about worshipping God. In the bible it says to rejoice and be glad and to sing unto the Lord. So we sing and clap sometimes to the music because we are singing to God and telling Him how wonderful He is. Actually I dont think our services are that entertaining, come to think of it. Now, we are having a Christian comedian come on sat. and she is entertaining. I have 3 people coming with me and they are all catholics.

 

[theguidedheart]

Thanks for your concern, and its a very valid one - although I think the generalization is far too broad. Your experiences may be relative to your parish, as I have attended a handful of Catholic parishes in my area in which each one is a bit different, but for the most part they are quite friendly.

Anothing thing to consider is, if your parish is lacking in any form, maybe thats God’s call to YOU to start something within your own parish that appeals to people with the same frustrations as you. You know the problem of anti-social Catholics is only a problem if you let it continue. For example, I am a very quiet person by nature, and would probably be too anxious to go out of my way to go and talk to other Catholics - but i would still be courteous to others, which allows more outgoing Catholics to reach out and talk to me - that started something in me that made it MUCH more comfortable to talk to other Catholics after the Masses - it only takes one person to really make a difference, and I have seen this in action. Next time Mass ends, why don’t YOU go out of the way to start a conversation with fellow Catholics, or find some who may be your age and offer to get together at an after Mass breakfast or something, anything… its not hard to pull people together, but nobody everyone has been given the same talent to do it.

Know what I mean?

Peace

By the way, one VERY important clarification to make - leaving the Church based on the attitudes or social climate of your parish or parishoners is probably the WORST choice you could make - never let those sitting in the pews cause you to walk away from Christ on the altar, if there is something lacking in your Church experience, you are as capable as any to find ways to connect people - we are a spiritual family, and just like a physical family, you would never turn and leave them because they may be disfunctional in some aspect, you try to bring them together - this may be your call from Christ as a lay person…

 

[jmcrae]

Having been raised in the protestant faith I had NO idea as to what worship was… until I came home to the Catholic Church…worship is reverent, not entertainment.
Shalom~

I know that we cannot have ever met, but you remind me so much of someone who is very dear to me.

 

[theguidedheart]

Here’s my take:

Protestant Churches have plenty to offer and they do worship the Lord, through singing and reading Bible passages, and they are quite often vibrant places of worship. No Christian should blast Protestants for their love of the Lord, for everyone who truly loves Christ is our brethren.

With that said…

Catholics who are serious about their faith know and believe that they are walking into the very Presence of our Risen Lord, the actual Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity is present with us as we enter a Catholic Church. For those Catholics (include me here) that truly believe those articles of faith, it is often a heart wrenching experience to know that Jesus Christ (the actual Christ who died on the cross for us) is with us in Church and that we will be receiving Him into our bodies during Holy Communion. The entire focus of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is significantly differrent then a Protestant worship service, there is really no way to compare the two–imo.

I feel enormous joy when I receive the Lord, yet I also feel utterly humbled with the knowledge that I just had a real encounter with Christ that is close to heaven as it gets this side of heaven. It is awe inspiring and humbling, leading many Catholics to be quiet.

Well said! And I have to say in response to the thread topic, that not all Catholics are tight-lipped and cold, infact many Catholics in my parish are so much the opposite, that they make it hard to really see the truth in what you just said - before and after Mass is like social hour, and especially during evening masses - I think in general Catholics could afford to be a little more quiet if anything so we can keep our mind in the context of where we are.

Peace

 

[reneeville]

How very kind of you to say…thank you!
Renee

I know that we cannot have ever met, but you remind me so much of someone who is very dear to me.

 

[rr1213]

One reason that Catholic Churches may not be as “friendly” (big generalization there of course) is that they often are very much larger than Protestant Churches. There are exceptions, but many Protestant Churches will only have two services on Sunday, leaving plenty of time between services or after services for Sunday School and for Christian fellowship. Some of the Catholic Churches I’ve attended have five or six masses on Sunday, so you are “herding them in and herding them out”. That can be less conducive for fellowship. I suppose those Churches need to make an extra effort in finding the appropriate time and place to do that.

 

[TheGarg]

I have heard from many people, Catholics and non-Catholics, that the Mass is like a funeral (meaning it’s depressing).** I know we’re not supposed to come to church to feel good **but I don’t think it’d hurt to be a more friendly, welcoming environment.
I think the same way, Disheartened.

where on earth would you ever get this idea??

 

[lak611]

I am a member of the Evangelization committee at my parish. I can relate to people who are redisovering their Catholic faith because I had been a lapsed Catholic myself. The Bible is what brought me back (and it was actually a Protestant Bible, KJV, that lead me back to the Catholic faith.). I work with and pray for people who are thinking of returning to the Catholic faith. Last year, there was a gentleman who returned after being away for over 40 years. :clapping: He has since become a volunteer, helping people return to the Catholic faith. God the Father, Jesus the Saviour, and God the Holy Spirit definitely know what They are doing, to get people to understand and believe the Truth!

 

[RCCDefender]

I have heard from many people, Catholics and non-Catholics, that the Mass is like a funeral…

Isn’t it a funeral of sorts???

I know we’re not supposed to come to church to feel good but I don’t think it’d hurt to be a more friendly, welcoming environment.
I think the same way, Disheartened.

I go to Mass to receive Christ: Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. What could feel better than that??? I don’t care (I mean, I do care, but it’s not the reason I’m at Mass - it’s not my focus during Mass) if the people around me are chit-chatting, wrestling with their kids, have cell phones going off, announcing birthdays, anniversaries and the like. They are not the primary reason I am there. Yes, we are to come together as a community to worship, but the main focus should be the worship, the reverence, the humbling of ourselves before Jesus Christ our God - not “let’s all join hands and sing Kumbaya to show how in tune we are to one another.” I know I probably sound harsh. Please forgive me. I’m not saying that everyone sould go to Mass with frowns on their faces and icy hearts for their fellow parishioners. The light and radiance of Christ should be flowing through us so that people can just look at us and see it without our even having to open our mouths. You can be friendly and welcoming without having a jam session and a 15 minute meet and greet during the Mass.
I’m probably not making very much sense .

Anyway, I don’t even think this is what Disheartened is referring to. I think she is referring to what is happening outside of Mass, which at her parish must not be very much. Either that or none of what they are offering fits in with her schedule. Disheartened, does your parish offer anything outside of Mass. Everything our parish offers is listed in the bulletin (even though most of what I would want to attend is during the day and during the week - actually the only things that aren’t are for school age kids, RCIA, and Men’s Legion of Mary; I guess they expect all the women to be homemakers ). What about daily Mass? Do they ever have breakfast after Sunday Mass? How close is the next parish?

God bless you.

 

[sterryfamily]

The Church ain’t here to sell anything, folks. We’re here to worship our Creator and Savior. As soon as people come to Church because of the “feel goods” we have lost. When it is externals that are driving them (their emotions and special effects) we are irrelevant.

 

[kage_ar]

One reason that Catholic Churches may not be as “friendly” (big generalization there of course) is that they often are very much larger than Protestant Churches. There are exceptions, but many Protestant Churches will only have two services on Sunday, leaving plenty of time between services or after services for Sunday School and for Christian fellowship. Some of the Catholic Churches I’ve attended have five or six masses on Sunday, so you are “herding them in and herding them out”. That can be less conducive for fellowship. I suppose those Churches need to make an extra effort in finding the appropriate time and place to do that.

We have visited big Parishes and little Parishes all over this country - I’ve been to exactly one that did not have coffee and donuts (or some kind of gathering) after Sunday Mass in the Parish Hall.

Every Parish has CCD, and that is a great time to get to know the other families -

 

[rr1213]

The Church ain’t here to sell anything, folks. We’re here to worship our Creator and Savior. As soon as people come to Church because of the “feel goods” we have lost. When it is externals that are driving them (their emotions and special effects) we are irrelevant.

Doesn’t mean that people should be unfriendly or anti-social. While on earth, Jesus Christ was a social person, he came “eating and drinking” and regularly attended feasts with some unsavory fellows. It’s not asking too much that the Church also be a place of Christian fellowship. I’m sure that it is in most places.

 

[rr1213]

We have visited big Parishes and little Parishes all over this country - I’ve been to exactly one that did not have coffee and donuts (or some kind of gathering) after Sunday Mass in the Parish Hall.

Every Parish has CCD, and that is a great time to get to know the other families -

That’s good. Want to translate “Catholic” for me? What’s CCD?

 

[RCCDefender]

That’s good. Want to translate “Catholic” for me? What’s CCD?

CCD stands for Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. It’s what protestants would refer to as Sunday school.

 

[rr1213]

CCD stands for Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. It’s what protestants would refer to as Sunday school.

Wow. Thanks. I think I’ll stick to using “Sunday School”.

 

[RCCDefender]

Wow. Thanks. I think I’ll stick to using “Sunday School”.

I don’t blame ya !

 

[Lillith]

I don’t mean to sound condescending, this is the truth as I see it:

Protestants are in competition - Catholics are focused on worship (liturgy & sacraments). Outside of this the Church really doesn’t belong (except, of course if it is trying to woo members, as with entertainment and special effects).

The truth for me also. I went to my SIL baptist service as a new face and was bombarded with welcomes, official types, A deacon and a retired minister Immediately after service. It was nice but I also could see the agenda. These type of Protestants are evangelical in nature, and they are constantly, never ceasingly looking for souls in need of salvation. Not bad in itself, certainly, but I did feel uneasy when conversation abruptly stopped after I told them I was Catholic…

Evangelism is not a bad thing, Heavens No! it is not the nature of Catholicism. Our Evangelism is left outside the Church…inside is “Liturgical only”

We are not *supposed *to fellowship inside Church. Especially after receiving the Eucharist…we are supposed to be meditating. NOW…that being said…after Church come down to the basement and eat donuts and drink coffee…and you’ll be lucky if you are able to break free one hour latter

 

[jmcrae]

CCD stands for Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. It’s what protestants would refer to as Sunday school.

Of course, there are some who seem to think it stands for “cut, colour, and draw.”