Discussing Church 5
When I tell people we’re visiting area churches, I specify Christian, but they often hear Protestant. It surprises them to learn we’ll visit Catholic gatherings too.
After all, Catholics are Christians too. Today is our first visit to a Catholic church.
Consider these four discussion questions about Church #5:
1. A flurry of last-minute and late arrivals distracts me from the service.
When do you typically walk into church and why? How can you minimize distractions from latecomers?
2. Throughout the morning, I’m pleased to see laypeople take part.
What can you do to involve more people in your service?
3. The service is hard to follow. We never know what to say when a congregational response is required. We eventually discover some of this information in a book called the Missal, but it doesn’t help much.
How can you help people navigate your church’s traditions and practices?
4. When the priest announces mass is over, the people dart out. They don’t tarry to talk.
Does your church value community? What can you do to help people connect with each other?
Though our approach to Jesus may different, Protestants need to remember that Catholics are Christians too. We both seek the same God, the God revealed in the Bible. The details of our faith aren’t important when we look at the big picture.
[See the prior set of questions, the next set, or start at the beginning.]
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Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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