For those of you that go to church, I have a question

[punkncat]

I want to start by saying that I realize this subject could easily go taboo, IF it doesn't just get deleted right away. Please try not to take this anywhere that would force it to be done. If you are offended by a religious thread, pls just go elsewhere. I am not trying to start a theological debate.

I just started going to church again, after being away for a long time. When I last went, I remember churh being very conservative and classic. I really don't know how to word it, but it was generally a calm and "quiet" affair, where even the music tended to be just a small choir singing from the hymnal, and a service consisting of a study in a specific part of the scripture being the "meat and potatoes" of the time.
Today I went to one of the large contemporary churches that happen to be close to the house....I mean hey, I am in Ga. You can't walk out and throw a nickel w/o hitting a church, and its not a bad thing....The service was very flashy and modern. There was a band and lights, soundstage, large flat screen monitors. It was rather overwhelming. I was not sure what to think.

I plan on checking a few others in the area out, and even going back there another time or two to see if I acclimate to it. The key is I have to find and nuture my spirituality. I am not sure all the glitz and glam was for me. Not to say I think it was over the top or anything, just nothing like my grandpa's church, if you know what I mean.

Have all churches gotten like this?

[flyboy]

No not all have. A lot of it depends on the denomination and such. Some churches will have a contemporary service early and a more traditional one was a second service. Some, like mine, have a blended service of both traditional and contemporary themes.

[rawbutter]

Yeah.... it depends a lot on the style of that particular church. Even within denominations, you'll get variation in the type of worship. The contemporary style is becoming more popular, but there are still plenty of churches that offer the more traditional services. Just look around and find something you like.

Personally, I always found that the churches I like best are those that offer small groups to join. Going to a Sunday service with hundreds of other people is cool, but it's not going to offer that personal connection that makes it really worth it. When you can join a Wednesday night Bible study, though, you can make that deeper connection.

[maxama10]

I was raised Catholic, became agnostic, and had a friend that dragged me to her Bapatist church in GA before I moved.


Catholic churches, in my experience, are always like how you say, quiet, calm etc...

The Bapatist chruch I went to was also like what you say, modern with lights and stage and band and xbox's and ps2's and flatscreens and.... food court, basketball court. It was all to much, I felt like church shouldn't be a game, if you're gonna go, go to honor god or don't go at all.

I still don't go to church, but if I decided to go back, It would be the catholic church.


Just my 2 cents.

[turbo chicken]

as stated they aren't all like that ...

i'd encourage to try a church a handfull of times before looking at another ... that way you can get a good feel of the service. Also handing around for a month or so will also let you find out about different groups (if there are any) you can meet with. Big churches often have different way for you to get involved...

again ... go a few times ... church hopping will only confuse you and you tend to compare rather than forming an opnion without outside influences.

[MoeMag]

I was raised Catholic, became agnostic, and had a friend that dragged me to her Bapatist church in GA before I moved.


Catholic churches, in my experience, are always like how you say, quiet, calm etc...

The Bapatist chruch I went to was also like what you say, modern with lights and stage and band and xbox's and ps2's and flatscreens and.... food court, basketball court. It was all to much, I felt like church shouldn't be a game, if you're gonna go, go to honor god or don't go at all.

I still don't go to church, but if I decided to go back, It would be the catholic church.


Just my 2 cents.

I second that almost to the word.
except I grew up in the Episcopal church. It's not quite as traditional as a cathloc mass... but its nothing close to being modern.

[txaggie08]

If your looking for something a bit quieter than the contemporary baptist groups, look into church of christ(and no thats not the mormons).


Some of them are way to far out in right field, but often they tend to be fairly moderate, small, and conservative institutions. I grew up in Church of christ, still attend services occasionally, though my personal religious focus is more on good works for others than worrying about my own destiny...

[wetwrks]

The Bapatist chruch I went to was also like what you say, modern with lights and stage and band and xbox's and ps2's and flatscreens and.... food court, basketball court. It was all to much, I felt like church shouldn't be a game, if you're gonna go, go to honor god or don't go at all.

This actually depends on the denomination of each Baptist church. They can range from very conservative to very liberal. My father is a Baptist paster and his church has a large screen for showing the words to the songs, there is a pianist, a guitarist, and a drummer. They tone things down considerably. No video games, food court, or basketball court. What is done is done to promote worship. Not to promote entertainment.

[CKY_Alliance]

This actually depends on the denomination of each Baptist church. They can range from very conservative to very liberal. My father is a Baptist paster and his church has a large screen for showing the words to the songs, there is a pianist, a guitarist, and a drummer. They tone things down considerably. No video games, food court, or basketball court. What is done is done to promote worship. Not to promote entertainment.

The church I attended on occasion growing up was a quaint, simple, church. You went, you sang, you listend to the sermon, you prayed and went home...

This same church is like the one described above, they had to build a new sanctuary because of growth. Well when they did they also included the big screen prjectors and a full band...they use the projecters for the lyrics and to put up the scripture being read...so it's not too bad..but still I think somewhere in the Bible there is something about vanity... but I might just be crazy...

And I say that not only becuse of what I described, just becasue the new building seems like it was built with "hey we have to be bigger and better then the next church" in mind.


That said...I don't really go to church to often and when I do it's no longer that one.

[warbeak2099]

I was raised Catholic and despite having turned agnostic/Pantheist, I favor Catholic mass over Evangelical type masses. That stage business with the monitors and the speakers is idiotic IMO. If you're going to go to church, go to a church, not a damned light show. Not that I agree with Christianity, but those moronic Evangelicals are not Christians, they're businessmen and entertainers.

[bornl33t]

Not that I'm an authority on it but I think allot of these "hype"churches are trying to appeal to a crowd that is over whelmed with entertainment that sitting still is well, not entertaining. Churches are trying.

On the other hand, churches are frequently split over whether there should be a type of dress code or if music is allowed to have drums, etc.

In all honesty if you look at a churches authority the bible, there is no where in the bible where any of the above are prohibited or condoned. My PERSONAL OPINION is that if you are going to worship then act and look like you're in the presents of something worthy of your worship.

I'm sorry you're experience wasn't what you where looking for. I sure hope that this church wasn't void of content and you did hear something worth going for.

[Altimas]

Make Joyful noise unto the lord. Clashing cymbals etc etc.. Times are changing and people are starting to find real worship at church now instead of the monotonous traditional routine over and over each Sunday. Church isn't supposed to be a building anyways it's supposed to be a body of believers.

[warbeak2099]

Church isn't supposed to be a building

It's also not supposed to be a show or money making scheme. Unfortunately, that's what modern American Evangelicalism is.

[mstrdbz]

I want to start by saying that I realize this subject could easily go taboo, IF it doesn't just get deleted right away. Please try not to take this anywhere that would force it to be done. If you are offended by a religious thread, pls just go elsewhere. I am not trying to start a theological debate.

I just started going to church again, after being away for a long time. When I last went, I remember churh being very conservative and classic. I really don't know how to word it, but it was generally a calm and "quiet" affair, where even the music tended to be just a small choir singing from the hymnal, and a service consisting of a study in a specific part of the scripture being the "meat and potatoes" of the time.
Today I went to one of the large contemporary churches that happen to be close to the house....I mean hey, I am in Ga. You can't walk out and throw a nickel w/o hitting a church, and its not a bad thing....The service was very flashy and modern. There was a band and lights, soundstage, large flat screen monitors. It was rather overwhelming. I was not sure what to think.

I plan on checking a few others in the area out, and even going back there another time or two to see if I acclimate to it. The key is I have to find and nuture my spirituality. I am not sure all the glitz and glam was for me. Not to say I think it was over the top or anything, just nothing like my grandpa's church, if you know what I mean.

Have all churches gotten like this?

Not at all. The church I attend has a more traditional service in the morning with a more contemporary service in the evening. We usually just have a piano or keyboard, a guitarist and a few vocalist. We even still use a projector to display the words on the wall for the people that don't know the songs.

Do I think a full band has a place in the church? You bet! Especially if the band members are there to lead worship and not glorify themselves.

Flashy light show? Not so much. I think the lights should be used to help the congregation enter an attitude of worship.

Soundstage? Why not? In many churches I've been in, including the one I'm in now, the preacher, evangelist, etc, rarely ever stays on the stage.

Monitors? Sure. Especially if the size of the congregation warrants multipule monitors. IMO it's easier and quicker for a single person behind a computer to throw lyrics, verses etc, up on multiple monitors than it is for multipule people to try and do the same thing with projectors.

If you looking for something akin to your grandpa's church, more power to ya. One of the few things about having a church on every corner is that you'll most likely find what you're looking for. Please just remember that just because you attend a service and it's not you're style doesn't mean that you're wrong or their wrong, just different.

[spwz99]

Make Joyful noise unto the lord. Clashing cymbals etc etc.. Times are changing and people are starting to find real worship at church now instead of the monotonous traditional routine over and over each Sunday. Church isn't supposed to be a building anyways it's supposed to be a body of believers.

I was raised in a very traditional, small, country church. We sang hyms and church was a quiet serious matter where everyone was very reverent and respectful.
Two years ago I moved off to college and had to find a new church for the next four years. One of the churches I visited had a smoke machine and a flashy light show they used during the worship service...I was completely distracted all service and couldn't concentrate on what I was supposed to be singing.

For me, the small country church was where my worship was 'real'.

While I agree with you that the Church is supposed to be more than the building that contains it, I do not agree that 'modern' worship is any better or more real than past worship was. While I think that the increased freedom during worship that comes with more contemporary churches can be a good thing, we can't let ourselves believe that our worship is any more real than when churches had a piano and hymns. I personally believe that many modern worship songs are very uninspired and very bland.

Worship is a state of mind and heart, not a matter of the song you sing or how you sing it.

just my $.02