If you are a church goer, your opinion would be appreciated

[IsabelC]

Asking here because most people I know irl don't go to church either. My children have been asking a few times about what happens in churches. We have given them an idea, but think they'd get a much better idea if we actually took them to a few church services. We have half a dozen churches within minutes of our house.

 

So how would you feel about somebody's children being brought to your church to observe what goes on there for educational purposes?? Reasonable or not?

 

It goes without saying that we would all dress and behave with propriety, and not do or say anything to cause offense or draw undue attention to ourselves. We'd look just like regular worshipers, except we would be sitting quietly instead of joining in any prayers or what have you.

 

If we did do this, what would be the best way to approach it? Just turn up and go in? Or let them know why we want to visit? Are some denominations more likely to welcome non Christian visitors than others?

[Joanne]

If we did do this, what would be the best way to approach it? Just turn up and go in? Or let them know why we want to visit? Are some denominations more likely to welcome non Christian visitors than others?

 

Totally reasonable.

 

You may find YOU are more comfortable in a Univeral Unitarian church, a Methodist Church or a Presbyterian Church. I say that because they are the least likely to be aggressively evangelistic.

 

You will likely be noticed, given attention, welcomed and encouraged to come back.

 

Just show up. No need to be on someone's radar by contacting them before hand.

 

If I were you, I might even consider visiting a Catholic Mass, a Synogogue Service, a Mosque, and a sprinkle of (other) Christian denominations.

[Dayle in Guatemala]

Totally reasonable.

 

You may find YOU are more comfortable in a Univeral Unitarian church, a Methodist Church or a Presbyterian Church. I say that because they are the least likely to be aggressively evangelistic.

 

You will likely be noticed, given attention, welcomed and encouraged to come back.

 

Just show up. No need to be on someone's radar by contacting them before hand.

 

.

 

:iagree:

[SonshineLearner]

I have to say, that by proper definition, I wouldn't consider a "UU" church a true church. If you don't want a "doctrine" that's believed, what's the point of church. I would say that you would be having your children sing... if they choose... and when the pastor prays, you would be "joining" but not necessarily, obviously, believing.

 

I would say that in my experience... a Missouri Synod service.... (hopefully with organs) a Baptist... and a Catholic Mass would be a great experience. I find going to a Jewish Temple is very cool, although I would never convert.... (and by descent am not Jewish) :)

 

The churches have "cards" to fill out... just don't... and you won't be called on...

 

:)

[fhjmom]

Kind of funny you asked this. DH is taking a college-level speech class right now and he has an extra-credit assignment where they could attend a public speaking event of some type and then write about it. The professor suggested a church service/sermon as an opportunity to fulfill the assignment. We are regular church attenders so no biggie for DH, but I wondered about some of the college age kids in his class that may have never been to church.

 

As far as the OP, I don't think you need to let anyone know you are coming or why you are there. I attend a Baptist church and I will let you know that if you give them any contact information, our church will follow-up with you at some point. I don't think anything they do is overly aggressive and even if you don't want more information about the church, our church delivers fresh baked bread to visitors. :)

[Joanne]

I have to say, that by proper definition, I wouldn't consider a "UU" church a true church. If you don't want a "doctrine" that's believed, what's the point of church.

 

 

Wow. :001_huh: The question wasn't what is a "true" church or not. Her children wanted to know what happens in one.

 

I admit to having a broader definition of "church" than what is posted in the quote above.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I don't know of any churches that would be offended by you coming to observe. Some will be more friendly than others. For some, that friendliness might extend to wanting to know more about you - don't feel like you have to impress them, just be yourself.

[Harriet Vane]

Totally reasonable.

 

You may find YOU are more comfortable in a Univeral Unitarian church, a Methodist Church or a Presbyterian Church. I say that because they are the least likely to be aggressively evangelistic.

 

You will likely be noticed, given attention, welcomed and encouraged to come back.

 

Just show up. No need to be on someone's radar by contacting them before hand.

 

If I were you, I might even consider visiting a Catholic Mass, a Synogogue Service, a Mosque, and a sprinkle of (other) Christian denominations.

:iagree:

[dangermom]

I think it's a great idea. I try to take my kids to different churches every so often so they learn about different religions, and we've always been welcomed. You would certainly be welcomed at our church.

[Amber in AUS]

Hotdrink you might want to consider if you will let your children go to Children's Church or Sunday School when all of the other kids do at whichever church you choose to attend. I wouldn't think it an issue just to turn up. One thing to consider if you are in a smaller town is that the priest may be on rotation at another town nearby and you might only have a layman preach. If you want the real deal you might need to work out which week the priest is in town.

[Heidi7Sue]

Several people have agreed that you might be more comfortable sticking to UU, Methodist, and Presbyterian churches. I think that if that's true, those are a good place to start, but if the idea is to see what a variety of church services are like, you should also go to some others. Even in the more evangelistic churches, no one is going to make you go down the aisle.

 

I've belonged to a few different kinds of churches, all of them conservative, and I've never even heard of one that would not welcome visitors, Christian or not.

 

As for calling someone ahead of time, it's not at all necessary; people walk in off the street all the time. But calling the pastor afterward could be helpful to you if you ended up with questions, and would be entirely proper as well. All the pastors I've ever met are very personable.

[keptwoman]

I've sat in on a few services when I was studying architecture. I've also been to lots, and no one minds if you just sit in.

No UU churches here in Australia, I don't think?

I'd go to a Catholic or Anglican, while their doctrines are pretty different, their services are broadly similar. You could go to one of the big evangelical churches, I doubt they would even notice you among the masses. I keep thinking I should be arranging a religions study along with visits to each church/temple, but I never quite pull my finger out my butt to do it.

[Carrie12345]

Google to see if any of your local churches have websites with service information.

 

While dh's family's Methodist church service is nearly identical to the ELCA services I attended growing up, children are expected to be in Sunday School during his church's service. I did not know that before going. :glare:

[IsabelC]

Thanks for the replies.

 

To clarify, I'm not really looking to do any kind of comparative study of the various denominations (not at this stage, anyway, maybe later on...), it's more that the kids don't get the concept of church because it's outside of their experience thus far. I only asked about denominations with regard to their potential receptiveness to visitors. We have got:

Catholic

Anglican

Life Church (apparently this is non-denominational Christian)

Jehovah's Witnesses

Redeemer Church (modern evangelical maybe?)

Churches of Christ

Community Church (no idea)

(A pretty good lot of churches for a town of about 1700 people, hey?)

 

Btw, I also have booked us in for a 'tour' of the nearest synagogue, which I'm quite keen on as I have never seen one myself. We have only about 150 Jewish people in the whole state, but apparently our synagogue is the oldest continually used one in the Southern Hemisphere, so it should be very interesting to visit.

[Saille]

I have to say, that by proper definition, I wouldn't consider a "UU" church a true church. If you don't want a "doctrine" that's believed, what's the point of church.

 

A church is a congregation, its members and clergy. And the informed choice to eschew dogma is not an abdication of doctrine. UUs trace their religious history back to Origen and Arian, and are proud of their heritage as religious freethinkers.

 

There are UUs here. Turn that statement around to be a commentary on any other religious group represented on this board and see what happens. Wanna maybe reword that?

 

Hotdrink, if you're looking for incense and holy water, the UU church will not have that. However, it would be a very interesting contrast to other churches, as would a Quaker meeting house.

Edited July 5, 2010 by Saille
rhetorical crabbiness

[ktgrok]

Hmm...I'd suggest maybe attending two or three of those, just to get a better idea of what "church" can mean. What happens in the Catholic orAnglican service will be very different from an evangelical service. But all should be very welcoming! In my opinion kids might find the Catholic or Anglican more interesting, as there is more "stuff" going on, rather than just bible readings. Although, the songs might be more interesting at the evangelical services.

[Saille]

No UU churches here in Australia, I don't think?

 

There's *one*. In Norwood, SA.

[K&Rs Mom]

Thanks for the replies.

I only asked about denominations with regard to their potential receptiveness to visitors. We have got:

Catholic

Anglican

Life Church (apparently this is non-denominational Christian)

Jehovah's Witnesses

Redeemer Church (modern evangelical maybe?)

Churches of Christ

Community Church (no idea)

(A pretty good lot of churches for a town of about 1700 people, hey?)

 

 

My experience (from church-shopping years ago) has been that a Catholic or Anglican church will be less likely to notice you as visitors and single you out afterward; evangelical will be more likely to do so. This can include just people introducing themselves or asking all kinds of personal questions about your faith. I know it makes me pretty uncomfortable, so just wanted to point that out.

 

From what I've heard, a Jehovah's Witness group is a pretty tight community, so also more likely to notice you and possibly less likely to allow outsiders to visit without any intent of joining. That's based on hearsay, though, as I've never visited one in person.

[Word Nerd]

My experience (from church-shopping years ago) has been that a Catholic or Anglican church will be less likely to notice you as visitors and single you out afterward; evangelical will be more likely to do so. This can include just people introducing themselves or asking all kinds of personal questions about your faith. I know it makes me pretty uncomfortable, so just wanted to point that out.

 

 

I've been church shopping and visiting many times including outside the US, and church members asking all kinds of personal questions about my faith has never been my personal experience as a first-time visitor.

[Dmmetler]

Totally reasonable, and I don't know of a single church that objects to visitors coming to see what church is all about, evangelical or not. I do suggest NOT signing a visitor's card, though. Between being a musician and just plain enjoying learning, I've visited a lot of houses of worship, and no one has ever objected to me doing so.

 

One suggestion I do have-pay attention to what kind of service it is. I attend a Missouri synod church, and the difference between the first, traditional service, where a good part of the service is sung by a cantor, there's the organ, and there is a lot of ritual is very different from the Hosanna service. Many Catholic churches around here also have "traditional" and "Contemporary" Masses. If you want something that fits into your study of history (and has more variation between denominations), you want the more traditional. I'd also try to avoid communion if you can. Some ushers, especially in "open" communion churches, can be quite pushy because they really don't know what to do when someone just sits there and doesn't go up (this hasn't been a problem for me in close communion churches because visitors don't partake), and communion is just plain boring if it's meaningless to you personally, especially in a large church, because it takes so long to move everyone through.

[Dmmetler]

Church of Christ can be a good one to visit. Traditional ones, at least, use no instrumental music, so you have congregational 4 part vocal music. I've visited several, and they've been very relaxed towards visitors and not pushy at all.

[Pamela H in Texas]

I can't imagine a Christian church of any kind denying visitors.

 

We are Jehovah's Witnesses. A couple things you may find easier to know if visiting us:

 

1) it's the same whether you're in Zimbabwe or Brazil or Australia. Obviously, it's in whatever language you visit. Make sure you are going at the time the language you want is meeting (for example, in a typical Texas Kingdom Hall, you may have 3-5 congregations with 2 or 3 different languages spoken/signed).

 

2) we NEVER pass around a collection plate and money is rarely mentioned either.

 

3) Your kids will be with you the whole time. One consideration: the one part of a Sunday meeting is interactive and there is a good chance your kids would like to participate by speaking an answer into the microphone. Just something to discuss whether your family would find that okay or not before you come.

 

4) You likely will be offered a visit, a study aid, etc.

 

We have A LOT of visitors (from other congregations, from people visiting family, from people wondering what we do in there, to people in the territory, to people who have been studying, to just about any situation you can imagine). You probably WILL be noticed as we have small congregations, but the average congregation has MANY visitors each week (like last Sunday at my hall, there were at least 7 visiting people/families...keeps the conductor hopping trying to learn the names of all the visitors answering :)).

Edited July 5, 2010 by 2J5M9K

[StephanieZ]

Just turn up and go in. In some churches, it is part of the sunday school system to visit a number of other faith's churches at a certain age. It is totally fine. Respect their norms, don't take communion (unless you are sure you are welcome to do so), stand/sit/sing when you are supposed to. . . and you'll be fine. Put $20 in the basket.

[QueenCat]

Respect their norms, don't take communion (unless you are sure you are welcome to do so), stand/sit/sing when you are supposed to. . . and you'll be fine. Put $20 in the basket.

 

Yes, respect the norms. Don't worry about putting $ in the basket. At least not at a Methodist church :) We do NOT expect guests to contribute offerings, unless they become regular guests (who usually eventually join). If you feel compelled to put something in, give each child $1 to put in so they each can have the experience.

[Pam Wilhelm]

There is a neat book..... http://www.amazon.com/How-Perfect-Stranger-Essential-Religious/dp/1893361675 that would give you the order of service, typical dress, etc.......... it is a good book to refer to.

 

Good luck.....have fun! As a Christian Scientist, I know you guys would be welcome in any church. They may ask if the kids want to go to Sunday School (held at the same time as Church...but only for kids up to the age of 20)...but it would be perfectly fine if they sat with you in the Church Service.

[catz]

Asking here because most people I know irl don't go to church either. My children have been asking a few times about what happens in churches. We have given them an idea, but think they'd get a much better idea if we actually took them to a few church services. We have half a dozen churches within minutes of our house.

 

So how would you feel about somebody's children being brought to your church to observe what goes on there for educational purposes?? Reasonable or not?

 

It goes without saying that we would all dress and behave with propriety, and not do or say anything to cause offense or draw undue attention to ourselves. We'd look just like regular worshipers, except we would be sitting quietly instead of joining in any prayers or what have you.

 

If we did do this, what would be the best way to approach it? Just turn up and go in? Or let them know why we want to visit? Are some denominations more likely to welcome non Christian visitors than others?

 

We go to a Unitarian church and you would be more the welcome at most! In fact, in jr. the Unitarian kids from our church attend other types of services just for the education and exposure. You could call ahead, especially if it is a very small church where your presence would be obvious. But if you have bigger churches around, I would just go ahead and show up!

[all4them]

Like another poster said, the churches of Christ would be a good starting point. They strive to worship as close to the new testament examples as possible (nothing added that isn't authorized in scripture-hence the acapella singing). I'm not sure how old your children are, but if/when they are older it could be a good starting point of discussion about the NT...what it is...what it means to Christians....why there are certain things it says to do/not do.

If it were me, I would try to explain to the kids beforehand that these folks are engaging in active worship(try to explain what worship is)...the singing isn't for everyones enjoyment, but for God's, the communion is for remembering Christ's sacrifice, the collection is to help with the work of the church etc. It may help them to understand the whats and whys.

 

The children *should* be with you during services, but that could vary. You could go an hour before worship and let them experience Sunday school, as well. It really is a part of "what goes on" in churches. There will likely be an adult class as well.

 

Good luck!

[mommaduck]

I don't know of any church that expects visitors to place money in the offering, so I would not worry about it.

 

I don't care what a church's expectations are about children, if I'm visiting for the first time *I* will decide whether my children stay with me or go to Sunday school. It is acceptable and appropriate not to be pushed on that issue (though I will say that from what I've heard of some megachurches, it is a whole different ball game...I would avoid them as they are not representative of a traditional church experience...regardless what faith you visit, unless you want the non traditional experience as well LOL!).

 

Note that there will be some extreme differences based on where you visit...the Pentacostal church will be drastically different from either a Presbyterian church or an Orthodox church...and those two will be drastically different from each other. And honestly, regardless my beliefs about the UU, I would not put myself in a place to say that they don't have a service that follows along a traditional church service even if the theology is different. And since theology isn't an issue here...just the experience, it just may offer that...you would have to speak to their office to find out how they are similar or differ in their service.

 

Of course, I root for you taking your kids to experience an Eastern Orthodox church ;) Particularly if you have a Greek one nearby LOL!

[KarenNC]

We have got:

Catholic

Anglican

Life Church (apparently this is non-denominational Christian)

Jehovah's Witnesses

Redeemer Church (modern evangelical maybe?)

Churches of Christ

Community Church (no idea)

(A pretty good lot of churches for a town of about 1700 people, hey?)

 

 

From my experience in encountering different denominations at various points in my life, to give you an idea of the kind of service you may find (with the caveat that this is in the Southern US---YMMV ;)):

 

In Catholic, you need to know that non-Catholics are not welcome to participate in communion and that (IIRC) there is communion at almost all services. Communion is given through use of a common cup for the whole congregation and is wine, everyone goes up to the front by rows. I don't know that they have a mechanism for just a blessing? The times I've been, I've just stayed seated, which is a bit awkward. The expectation is usually that one sits quietly in the service. May include a lot of sit/stand/kneel. I have only visited a few, so others can give you better info. I don't know that they have Sunday School? I've been in very traditional formal and very non-traditional informal Roman Catholic services.

 

In Anglican, if it's like our Episcopal Church (which is part of the Anglican Communion), when I was there 15 years ago, it was okay to take communion if you were not Episcopalian. You could also go up to the front, cross your arms (think Egyptian mummy pose;)) and the priest would simply give you a blessing. Communion was part of all our services and was wine (ours used port), again in a common cup, and everyone goes up to the front. Lots of standing, kneeling, etc at various points in the service (the prayerbook tells you what to do when). The expectation is that one sits quietly in the service. Sunday school was typically done prior to the service for adults and children, there may or may not have been a children's chapel alternative for kids during service. Usually a very formal traditional service.

 

Protestant Christian churches vary greatly in how often they do communion (in the Presbyterian church where I grew up, it was once a quarter). The liquid is often grape juice rather than wine. Most that I have attended have passed around trays of the bread and wine or juice and people take from the tray. It varies as to whether you consume as you get it or wait for everyone in the group to do so. There is usually a little holder on the back of the pew in front of you for the cups when you are done. Many are sit-quietly type churches, some are not. In most, Sunday school was again separate from the service and there were classes for all ages. There may or may not have been a children's chapel. In the church where I grew up, anyone over the age of 5 was expected to sit quietly during the service. I've only encountered kneeling in Lutheran churches.

 

In a more evangelical/non-denominational church (they are also theologically Protestant), you may find a very different type of service. It may be a sitting quietly type or it may include a lot of activity (praying loudly, hands raised, even speaking/praying in tongues, being "slain in the spirit" which involves falling to the floor in religious ecstasy basically). You may want to ask around to get a better feel for the type of service the church has, especially depending on the ages and temperaments of your children. When I was 15, I was taken to a service that involved lots of praying in tongues, "shouting" (dancing, etc around the church by individuals in religious ecstasy), hands raised, etc after having only ever experienced a *very* sit quietly kind of service. I wasn't prepared and was very, very uncomfortable (to be honest, I was looking for the snakes;), though it wasn't that kind of church--and that kind is extremely rare, doesn't sound like they are in your area--we do have some in the region). I would say on average you are more likely to encounter a "fire and brimstone" sermon in one of these on any given Sunday. Haven't encountered formal kneeling in any of these so far.

 

Most churches, at least in our area, have websites that tell you their service schedule, something about their children's activities, when special services might be, etc.

 

Sounds like UU is not an option, but I've been attending one for the last 12 years or so, and, yes, it is a "real church," just not a Christian one ;).

[KarenNC]

My previous post was long enough, so let me add---if your goal is primarily to have your children experience a "church service" of the kind they are likely to encounter in literature, a mainline Protestant and an Anglican or Catholic one are probably the best two to pick. The Anglican/Catholic is likely to be more "high church"---very liturgical, lots of ritual (which I happen to adore, but then I'm a medievalist at heart ;)), while Protestant usually has a set pattern, but doesn't have as much of the pageantry (special robes for clergy, fairly elaborate and very set ways of doing each part of the service, set responses from a prayerbook, etc).

[Word Nerd]

I don't care what a church's expectations are about children, if I'm visiting for the first time *I* will decide whether my children stay with me or go to Sunday school.

 

We visited a Calvary Chapel once, and they don't allow kids under a certain age in the sanctuary during the teaching time. It was a deal-breaker for us, though some churches may make exceptions for visitors.

[Laurie4b]

Asking here because most people I know irl don't go to church either. My children have been asking a few times about what happens in churches. We have given them an idea, but think they'd get a much better idea if we actually took them to a few church services. We have half a dozen churches within minutes of our house.

 

So how would you feel about somebody's children being brought to your church to observe what goes on there for educational purposes?? Reasonable or not?

 

It goes without saying that we would all dress and behave with propriety, and not do or say anything to cause offense or draw undue attention to ourselves. We'd look just like regular worshipers, except we would be sitting quietly instead of joining in any prayers or what have you.

 

If we did do this, what would be the best way to approach it? Just turn up and go in? Or let them know why we want to visit? Are some denominations more likely to welcome non Christian visitors than others?

 

It is totally fine to do what you are planning. If you want to be more or less anonymous, choose a larger church. At a small church, everyone will know each other and you'll stick out as "new" and people will focus on interacting with you. At a larger church with multiple services, people will likely politely interact but they may assume you usually go to another service, etc. If you want to avoid interaction, go into the service a couple minutes late and leave a couple minutes early. I think the earlier suggestion to choose UU, Presbyterian, or Methodist churches was an overgeneralization. Larger will get you more of what you want than smaller.

 

If your children are there for the education, you may want to choose from different denominations as the services will be different. Liturgical churches such as Catholic, Anglican, & Lutheran will have similar types of services. Baptist churches and many nondenominational churches will have a very different type of service. They are often referred to as "low church." Presbyterian and Methodist will be somewhere in the middle. You can also get a taste of differences by visiting a church whose service is labeled "contemporary." Even within denominations, there is a wide spread between a "traditional" service and a contemporary one. I think you should be brave and try a nondenominational evangelical church. You might find that it's not the big bad wolf its often portrayed as.

Edited July 5, 2010 by Laurie4b

[Laurie4b]

We visited a Calvary Chapel once, and they don't allow kids under a certain age in the sanctuary during the teaching time. It was a deal-breaker for us, though some churches may make exceptions for visitors.

 

Never heard of other churches who practice this!

[Starr]

I can imagine few cases that you would not be welcome. That being the case you should be invited back. :D

[Word Nerd]

Never heard of other churches who practice this!

 

By "some churches may make exceptions for visitors," I meant Calvary Chapel ones, not churches in general. CC churches as a rule do not allow children in the sanctuary during the teaching.

[mommaduck]

We visited a Calvary Chapel once, and they don't allow kids under a certain age in the sanctuary during the teaching time. It was a deal-breaker for us, though some churches may make exceptions for visitors.

Yeah, Calvary Churches, whether mega or not, fall under the mega category for me (because the ones I've heard about usually are).

[Harriet Vane]

We visited a Calvary Chapel once, and they don't allow kids under a certain age in the sanctuary during the teaching time. It was a deal-breaker for us, though some churches may make exceptions for visitors.

 

This would be a definite deal-breaker for me.

[Dana]

And FYI, "evangelical" has different connotations.

 

If you look at Lutherans, there's the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church of America) that's actually more liberal in many respects than Missouri Synod which is much more fundamentalist. ELCA is liturgical and having grown up in it, I've felt very comfortable with the Catholic liturgy.

 

One suggestion would also be to check out the church's website. Some may have information for visitors that would be helpful for you.

 

I've felt more welcomed at some congregations than at others, but as long as you're respectful, I can't imagine any church being offended at your attendance.

[kalanamak]

It is totally fine to do what you are planning. If you want to be more or less anonymous, choose a larger church.

 

:iagree:

 

Personally, when we get to this point in kiddo's education, I'm going to look for one with good music. :)

[Hannah C.]

I've been a church goer all my life, but my family switched denominations quite a few times, so I was exposed to a lot of churches. I've always been grateful that I've had that exposure!!

 

I think it would be awesome to take children to different churches so they could see what they were like! I'd suggest doing research on the way the service is run beforehand, so they have some idea of what to expect, and going through the motions (e.g. standing/sitting when others do - could probably get away with sitting instead of kneeling) with the churchgoers during the service. Also, while communion/Lord's Supper may be offered, you probably wouldn't want to participate. At Catholic or Orthodox churches you would not be allowed to unless you were a part of their denomination.

 

I think bigger churches would be better for this..you'll be less likely to be singled out as visitors. Also, some churches do like the children going to a separate children's church, but as far as I know you can choose to keep your children with you instead. (My parents always did.)

[Ellie]

If we did do this, what would be the best way to approach it? Just turn up and go in? Or let them know why we want to visit? Are some denominations more likely to welcome non Christian visitors than others?

Any church worth its salt would be happy to have you. Just show up and be friendly. You don't have to explain anything.:)

[KarenNC]

And FYI, "evangelical" has different connotations.

 

Very true---since I was really thinking in terms of worship style rather than theology, I should have said "charismatic/Pentecostal." That's the more active kind of service I was describing, much more overtly emotional and very energetic, sometimes very intensely so, and not one most folks would think of as a stereotypical "church service," I don't think. Not all evangelical churches have a charismatic-style worship service and I've actually been to both Presbyterian and Roman Catholic charismatic worship services (they tended to be a bit quieter overall, but not what one thinks of as typical RC or Presbyterian), but my experience has been that any service termed charismatic or Pentecostal is also going to fall in the evangelical camp. This one is more like what you might find on a Sunday morning http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYuj0RF5nsM---it is not dissimilar to what you might find in a contemporary particularly non-denominational service. Definitely not your sit quietly kind of service;).

 

For further examples of more intense worship experiences in the Pentecostal tradition: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQTG4myVNIc&feature=related shows an example of "shouting."

has speaking in tongues as does this one (includes prophesying)

A typical Sunday morning service is not necessarily likely to have the speaking in tongues, though it is usually hoped for---I've encountered that more often in a revival setting. My dad and stepmother are very Pentecostal and I've attended a few services that got pretty intense, though not to the rolling on the floor. More tongues, some shouting, some being slain in the Spirit in general, but the higher the emotional level, usually the more sacred they find the experience.

[Laurie4b]

By "some churches may make exceptions for visitors," I meant Calvary Chapel ones, not churches in general. CC churches as a rule do not allow children in the sanctuary during the teaching.

 

That's what I was commenting on (not the exception for visitors). I don't know of any churches that don't "allow" children in the sanctuary during the teaching or any other part, even if they have separate children's programs.

[RobinF]

Thanks for the replies.

 

To clarify, I'm not really looking to do any kind of comparative study of the various denominations (not at this stage, anyway, maybe later on...), it's more that the kids don't get the concept of church because it's outside of their experience thus far. I only asked about denominations with regard to their potential receptiveness to visitors. We have got:

Catholic

Anglican

Life Church (apparently this is non-denominational Christian)

Jehovah's Witnesses

Redeemer Church (modern evangelical maybe?)

Churches of Christ

Community Church (no idea)

(A pretty good lot of churches for a town of about 1700 people, hey?)

 

Btw, I also have booked us in for a 'tour' of the nearest synagogue, which I'm quite keen on as I have never seen one myself. We have only about 150 Jewish people in the whole state, but apparently our synagogue is the oldest continually used one in the Southern Hemisphere, so it should be very interesting to visit.

 

I believe that Life Church does video messages, but I am not sure. I will check with dh. Dh said they video messages except for the main one in Norman.

 

Community churches may be of any denomination or no denomination just depends. A lot of time they will have a more contemporary style of music.

 

Church of Christ depends on the variety of church.

 

Also I do know that some more contemporary churches will ask that kids go into the children's program especially if the topic that week is a sensitive one. One we attended did a series on adultery and it would have been totally inappropriate for kids.

[SonshineLearner]

A church is a congregation, its members and clergy. And the informed choice to eschew dogma is not an abdication of doctrine. UUs trace their religious history back to Origen and Arian, and are proud of their heritage as religious freethinkers.

 

There are UUs here. Turn that statement around to be a commentary on any other religious group represented on this board and see what happens. Wanna maybe reword that?

 

 

 

 

When you look at "Church" in the Dictionary, one of the definitions is " any division of this body professing the same creed and acknowledging the same ecclesiastical authority; a Christian denomination: the Methodist Church."

 

I'm quite familiar with UU Churches, and just was commenting from my pov. While I agree that it is a meeting place of people, It is a spot where people agree to not agree. I've been quite a few times as that's where my step-kids go with their mom. It's actually a very nice, beautiful building with friendly people. BUT, I would not say that they are a church by any definition other than their own. That's not to be mean or nasty, it's just that they don't worship the same deity as each other.... there is no common ground other than.... there is no one right deity.

 

SO, I was not trying to be ugly, I was just meaning to say that a UU Church is not representative of a group of worshipers where there is common belief in the same God.

 

:)

[Gooblink]

I'd visit several different denominations. Consider the visits field trips for a religion study. :)

 

A Catholic church, a Lutheran church, a non-denominational/contemporary church and a Kingdom Hall should give you a pretty good feel for how wildly different each church body worships.

 

ETA: These are the ones I've had experience with and suggest them because they all welcome visitors in a non-intrusive manner, and will allow your kids to stay with you, rather than in a Sunday School class.

Edited July 5, 2010 by Gooblink

[Matryoshka]

I have to say, that by proper definition, I wouldn't consider a "UU" church a true church. If you don't want a "doctrine" that's believed, what's the point of church.

 

Um, a community of souls with whom to share and to support each other on their spiritual journeys, even if they're not identical? To be able to come together and worship? To be able to come together to pool resources to do good in the world? To listen to a sermon that stretches you and helps you grow spiritually?

 

I once had a very annoying conversation with a good friend who is an atheist, but had a very negative reaction to church (Catholic) growing up. She said she couldn't understand why I went to church, as church was heirarchical and told you what to think. I said my church had didn't do that, and then she said that it wasn't really a church. What-ever.

 

One thing I would never do is label other people's beliefs. Like I've seen the comments that certain sects (Catholic, Mormon) aren't "really" Christan, even if they themselves think they are because they don't fit the speaker's definition. Tell you what, if you want your faith respected, please don't belittle others'.

Edited July 5, 2010 by matroyshka

[Embassy]

I visited several different types of churches as a college assignment. You will probably want to attend some different ones because they can be very different. You might try a Catholic/Anglican church, a community type of church (non-denominational), a Charismatic/Pentecostal, and a Presbyterian/Methodist/Lutheran church. That would give you an idea of the differences and what goes on in churches.

[OLG]

We have friends who did this regular with their children simply so that they could see the differences and provide some knowledge of other faiths. The two adult boys are now well adjusted, practicing Catholics which might surprise some....

 

Go for it! Show up and soak it all up.

 

Mary

[phathui5]

We go to a non-denominational Christian church. They don't care why you want to visit, they're just happy that you're there.