high church

I took a two week hiatus from church shopping in my new city because of being out of town (at the fair, then home with my family). When trying to decide where to worship this Sunday, I had some serious debates with myself.  Some of these questions are unique to my situation now, having visited one church so far; others are general questions I ponder when church shopping.

Do I really want to try a new church when the one I visited already at was pretty darn good, and I would feel fine staying put? 

How can I challenge my faith and find the community I need and that needs me when I don't give more churches a chance?

What criteria do I use to base my selection: beliefs? music opportunities? presence in the community? education? inclusion of children and youth? size of congregation? 

Do I continue to check out ELCA churches because of what I've come to be comfortable with, or do I try one of the PCUSA churches now that there actually are some nearby?  (One of the reasons I've swung Lutheran as of late is because Presbyterian churches are fewer and farther between, and frequently not anywhere near where I've lived.)

Do I try out a church in transition with pastors or one that is already well-established?

Should I really branch out and try a non-Lutheran and non-Presbyterian church, for kicks?

Do I want a service that's contemporary, traditional, or somewhere in between?

What time do I want to go?

How badly do I want an organ as an active part of the service?

I let this last question help sway my decision this morning. :)

I had seen an advertisement a few weeks ago for an organ concert at an ELCA church downtown for this afternoon, so I knew they must have a good organ.  The last church I "shopped" at had strong music and a great piano, but no organ.  When I checked out the downtown church's website, I saw that they also have a jail ministry (something I did in the last town I lived in and really enjoyed), so between that and the organ, I thought I'd give it a try.

Sometimes when I'm church shopping, I feel like a secret agent, testing out a congregation's hospitality and observing their customs and habits.

Here are my thoughts:

-The building is GORGEOUS. Beautiful old-style architecture tons of stone; lots of great stained glass windows; huge, long sanctuary; expansive chancel/altar area; and a little side chapel thingy connected to the main sanctuary.

-One heck of an organ, which boasts herald trumpet pipes and a zymbalstern, the latter of which was actively used multiple times during the service.

-Another little organ in the chapel thingy. That's right, this church has TWO organs.

-Almost everything was printed in a very thick bulletin.  I like how this makes the order and contents of worship accessible to all congregants (particularly visitors) without getting lost trying to hunt around an unfamiliar hymnal or wondering what to do when everyone suddenly bursts into song.  I'm not a big fan of many-page bulletins because it's such a waste of paper.

-One of the first things I noticed when I sat down in a pew was that there were kneelers.  I'm not sure if I've ever seen kneelers in an ELCA church.  In an LCMS church or Catholic church, sure, but not ELCA...then when it came for the first time to use them, I chose not to.  I know it's my choice as an individual, and usually out of respect for Catholic tradition I kneel as instructed as part of mass.  I just felt really weird doing it at a Lutheran church.  Kneeling during the service is not part of my personal tradition.
-The church felt a little cold at first, in more than one way.  All the stone and hard surfaces caused the temperature to be a bit chilly.  Also, the church didn't give off an overall "warm, inviting, and welcoming" vibe.  Maybe it would just take a little getting used to to really warm up.

-I would categorize the service as "high church," by look and feel.  In a variety of ways, things felt very traditional, almost Catholic.  Even the feel and layout of the sanctuary gave off this vibe.  I wondered if perhaps the building had once been Catholic prior to being Lutheran.

-Speaking of high church, they were celebrating a feast day (the Feast of the Holy Cross), complete with red vestments on the pulpits and altar, as well as a processional of crosses at the beginning of the service.  I don't know a lot of Lutherans who do such fancy feast day celebrations, let alone recognizing feast days at all.
-There was lots of crossing oneself during the service.  Again, it felt really Catholic.  Not a bad thing, necessarily, just very different for me and not what I often experience in worship.
-The pastors were in all sorts of fancy official-looking garb, and not just an alb and stole, but a full colored robe on top of the plain alb.
-Sunday school began in the middle of the first service.  I have mixed feelings about this practice, but at least it wasn't in the middle of both services.  Maybe some families bring their kids to Sunday school then attend the late service.
-I was happy to see a fair number of families present.  Not too many young adults like myself, but other than that, it was a decently age-diverse population.  I like to see that.  Churches need people of all ages.  I especially loved this very supportive blurb in the front of the bulletin for those with young ones.

-Communion involved - you guessed it - more kneeling! This time up front at the altar. I wasn't too surprised by this, as I have seen it to be a tradition at many Lutheran churches I've visited in the past few years, including my most recent church home in SW WI.  I intentionally don't sit in the front when I go church shopping so I can observe the communion practices without screwing something up.  I'm glad I didn't sit in the back, either, however, because the ushers worked back to front for dismissing folks.  I was also surprised to see that this church used common cup for the wine.  It wasn't the only option, but I would say maybe a third to half of the people who partook in the Lord's Supper drank from the common cup.  Reminded me of a habit of a dear friend of mine who does common cup when it's supposed to just be intinction (aka rip and dip).
-I did meet some very pleasant and welcoming people afterward - a father involved in leading kids music after church, one of the matriarchs, and both pastors.  Nice, inviting people.

And now, the sermon.
Being that it was the Feast of the Holy Cross, the message was cross-centered.

An important nugget of truth was shared that I feel like Christians often forget:
we worship the one who died on the cross, not the cross itself.

The church I visited today is an ELCA-affiliated church as well as an active member of the organization, Lutheran CORE.  I respect and appreciate the congregation's desire to affirm their beliefs in this way and to renew the church.  However, after some research and discussion with knowledgeable friends, I have found that I do not agree with all the beliefs this church chooses to profess.  

It's the job of churches to be very pro-themselves when promoting their church to visitors, and I get that.  Sometimes it feels a bit pushy, or they assume you're going to stay after just one visit and instantly they ask you to volunteer for things.  One thing I really appreciated about my interaction with one of the pastors was how genuine he was in his invitation to return.  He said that honestly and selfishly he'd love for my church shopping to lead me back to this church.  But, on top of that, he genuinely wished me luck in my search and discernment in finding a church in the area.
That, my friends, is the mark of good church hospitality - welcoming in a supportive and not pushy way.

I will likely not return to this church regularly for services, though I appreciated their hospitality, and I look forward to future concerts held in the space.  I also know where to turn if I feel like attending a "high church" type service.