Do Evangicals kneel during Church services? Looking at the picture of

[snagglepuss]

the mega church, I don't see kneeling pads. Are Sunday services simply listening to someone preach?

[exboyfil]

1. The first time in a Catholic church I put my feet on the

kneeling "rail?" I was embarrassed. We don't kneel in the Protestant churches I have attended unless it is at the altar in the front.

[snagglepuss]

3. Is there a set order to a Sunday service? For instance would it start with hymns

which would be followed by a reading? Is the Lord's Prayer recited? Do children at some point file off to Sunday school?

[DURHAM D]

6. Yes there is an order.

From my experience Sunday school is before the service. The youngest children stay in the nursery. All the other children are encouraged (required) to sing in their age appropriate choir.

Edit: I don't know anything about Evangelical churches. My response regards a main stream Protestant church. And no, we don't kneel except at the altar during communion, if communion is at the altar. Sometimes communion is taken in the pews.

[ButterflyBlood]

13. We have a set order, but it's pretty simple

There's an opening song, people shake hands, then some people give announcements about upcoming events and introduce the pastor or whoever's giving the sermon the day (lay members often do preaching at my church), they give their sermon, we do some more songs while we pass the collection plate around and people help themselves to communion and at the end the band plays one more song while you can ask someone on the prayer team at the front of the room for prayer requests if you want to. There's no readings, the covered Bible verses are just explained by whoever's giving the sermon during it, and we don't ever recite the Lord's Prayer or do any of those response things, the only person who prays aloud is who's giving the sermon and the worship leader between songs. If you have kids you drop them off at the room for the children's service (which is basically Sunday School) before going to the adult service.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

38. Episcopal churches follow the order of service in the Book of Common Prayer

Each country has its own version, and it is updated periodically. Here's what is typical in the U.S.

It starts with an entrance hymn and an opening prayer.
Then everyone sings the Gloria in Excelsis "Glory be to God on high"
This is followed by a reading from the Old Testament, usually read by a lay person
Then comes the Psalm for the day, either read responsively or sung by the choir.
Then comes a reading from one of the letters of Paul or another apostle.
Then comes a hymn.
A deacon or priest then reads the Gospel for the day.
One of the Scriptural lessons is used as the basis for the sermon. (The clergy do not pick the Bible readings. There is a three-year cycle of readings that is used by Roman Catholics, Episcopalians, and Lutherans, called The Revised Common Lectionary.)
After a brief period of silence, the congregation recites the Nicene Creed.
At my church, the announcements and the passing of the peace follow, but other churches may time these differently.
The Prayers of the People are usually somewhere in here.
Then comes the offering. This is when the choir sings, if the church has a choir, and the clergy move up to the altar.
This is where the Eucharist (Communion) part of the service begins.
The priest and congregation say or sing the opening sentences responsively. Then comes the Eucharistic Prayer, which has several versions, but they all include the Words of Institution, "Our Lord Jesus Christ, in the night in which he was betrayed, took bread..." It concludes with "The gifts of God for the people of God," and the people come forward to the altar and either kneel or stand to receive the bread and wine. Sometimes the choir sings during the Communion, in which case they commune either before or after everyone else.
After everyone has communed, there's another prayer and then the closing hymn, during which the choir and clergy march out down the aisle.

That's the standard U.S. Episcopal Communion service. That tends to be the standard Sunday service, but in years past, many parishes had Morning Prayer, a non-Eucharistic service, three Sundays a month and Eucharist only once.

[exboyfil]

40. Our traditional Lutheran service is very much

like a Catholic (without the kneeling). We also have a more free form service that more resembles a contemporary Baptist service (do not use the pulpit, drums, electric guitars, praise and worship music). I am 48, and I prefer the more traditional service even though I also enjoy the Praise and Worship service. I find the older hymns have more substance to them than the modern worship songs (with some notable exceptions). Ten years ago I preferred the Praise and Worship service - I must be getting old.

[Lint Head]

2. They pay the preacher to go to heaven.They don't have to kneel.

[snagglepuss]

4. I just realized that I have been to Catholic, Anglican and Orthodox services

but never a Protestant service. I have always assumed that kneeling would have been part of all church services. Strange what one assumes.

[Odin2005]

17. Lutheran services are very similar to "high Anglican" ones.

Dunno about other denominations.

[ButterflyBlood]

30. Some are. There are more contemporary ones now.

I've been to Lutheran services with a pastor in jeans and people waving their hands in the air to guitar music.

[Bluenorthwest]

5. Not just Evangelicals, in general Protestants don't do the kneel

in services, nor the 'call and response' routine.

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Humanist_Activist]

15. In the church I went to as a kid, behind every pew was a kneeling pad...

It was a swing down, well, metal bar with a cushion on it, and supports, and during mass, at certain times, you swing it down and kneel on it. Frankly the bloody things hurt like I bitch when you are kneeling on them for more than a minute, the cushion isn't that thick.

[NMMNG]

8. Protestant churches generally don't have kneelers

They pray standing up or sitting in the pews. They listen to the sermon, stand to sing hymns and pray.

[grasswire]

10. kneeling and ritual seem very foreign to me

And I recall the time when I went to an Episcopal service (as an adult) and was quite shocked to see a priest in robes and someone swinging an incense burner.

About the closest thing to ritual an evangelical does is take communion. Big silver-colored trays hold bits of crackers and then dozens of little glass (now plastic) cups already filled with grape juice. They are passed down the pews and the faithful help themselves to a portion. Everyone waits until all are served, and then they eat or drink together at the cue of the pastor. Then they lean forward and put their little juice cups in special racks on the backs of the pews. I will never forget as a child in a smallish church going through the sanctuary with my brother and finishing off the juice cups.

[ButterflyBlood]

12. We don't even pass the communion plates around at my church

We just have them in all four corners of the room, and you just get up and help yourself whenever you want to.

[snagglepuss]

20. It's fascinating how very different the services are. If you ever want to

experience the extreme, attend a Ukrainian Catholic or Greek Orthodox Mass, both follow the Eastern rite. Very beautiful services, air laden with frankencense, choirs singing in minor keys, people lining up to kiss icons before communion, candles everywhere Their services make Roman Catholic services appear mundane. My parents are devout Ukrainian Catholics, though my mom was raised as a Roman Catholic but they sent me and my siblings to an Anglican church. It's odd but I've always assumed the Protestant services would be like Anglican services.

[provis99]

22. yeah, my one time in an Episcopal church scared the heck out of me.

lots of walking around, chanting, and waving holy relics; it was like a fraternity initiation ceremony. United Church of Christ services seem a little tame in comparison.

[grasswire]

28. It's almost as unsettling as the speaking in tongues in charismatic services

My preference (and I don't cast aspersions on those who prefer ritual or charismatic experiences) is just for a plain, calm, service with a pastor in a business suit, some singing, some prayer, an insightful and instructive sermon. Maybe I ought to check out Quakers.

[ButterflyBlood]

31. Quaker services aren't like that at all, mostly silence

That sounds more like Methodist or Lutheran.

[provis99]

32. Lutherans are very fire and brimstone.

If the preacher doesn't put you in mortal fear of hell, they're not doing their jobs. Methodists seem to fit the bill though.

[grasswire]

33. well I was raised in a Baptist church -- but not crazy

Maybe it's the southern churches that are crazy. This one was just plain and simple. I've been Presbyterian too, and that was calm and simple. But I haven't been churched for a couple of decades now. I don't like amplified rock bands at worship services.

[ButterflyBlood]

34. That's hardly like any Lutheran service I've ever been to

Are you thinking of Wisconsin or Missouri Synod? I know they are very conservative. Half my family is Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, which is a relatively liberal denomination and nothing like that at all. They even have openly gay pastors.

[provis99]

35. the ones I've been to were definitely Missouri Synod.

the preachers always seemed to be angry at the congregation for being insufficiently pious.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

37. That's the Missouri Synod for you, and the Wisconsin Synod is even harsher

(By the way, the terms Missouri Synod and Wisconsin Synod refer to where those flavors of Lutheranism were founded, not where they exist today, which is all over the country.)

[Lydia Leftcoast]

36. Walking around, chanting, and waving holy relics?

What Episcopal church was that?

[ButterflyBlood]

11. I go to an evangelical church

We don't have pews or kneelers, just a bunch of chairs in a rented out room. Sometimes people kneel on the floor during worship songs though and outstretch their arms, but it's always a spontaneous thing. We don't really do things in unison or have much of a ritual, most people just remain seated during the sermon. During worship some people remain seated and pray, some just stand still, some lift their hands into the air and some people are shaking, jumping and sort of dancing, etc. You just do your own thing.

[kwassa]

14. If you are going to criticize churches, you might learn more about them.

Catholics and Episcopalians kneel.

Buddhists kneel, on their prayer benches.

Muslims kneel, on their prayer rugs..

[NMMNG]

16. What criticism?

The OP merely asked a question. Knee-jerk defensive much?

[kwassa]

18. It was such a dumb question.

reflecting much of the tone of this forum. I thought it brought to a new low.

but it is difficult to go lower than this place has gone many times before.

[NMMNG]

19. How is it a dumb question?

If a person has never set foot in a protestant church how are they to know how their services are conducted? You're actually claiming the OP, who I'm gathering is/was Catholic, is "dumb" because s/he never attended a protestant church and asked a simple question about their services?


Aren't you the one who said "there aren't any uncomfortable questions"? Then the second somebody posts an innocent question you tear their head off. :wtf:

[provis99]

23. don't expect an answer.

DU has been experiencing a rash of drive-by insult posts over the past week, ever since the "porn question".

[NMMNG]

24. I don't

He's good at coming in and hurling accusations that people are bashing religion, then when pressed for evidence he goes silent.

[snagglepuss]

25. Actually my parents are Ukrainian Catholic but they sent me and my siblings to an

Anglican Church while we were growing up. I don't attend church and could best be described as gnostic. Recently I read about one sect of Gnostics who believed that the incarnation was God coming to Earth to seek human forgiveness. I know people would have been burnt at the stake at one time for believing that but for me that makes a lot of sense.

Thanks muchly for defending my question. :hi:

[NMMNG]

26. De nada

:hi:

[cleanhippie]

27. Actually, is was a dumb answer.

As well as a defensive one.

[beam me up scottie]

29. WTF?

Look at all the believers and unbelievers in this thread swapping stories and learning about each other.

And you just had to put in an appearance so you could insult the op.

Nice.

[deacon_sephiroth]

39. you're so mad that you just attack anyone?

The OP was curios and even restated where the curiosity came from, and it's somehow a "new low" to ask a question about what may or may not go on in other churchs? What's wrong with you?

[trotsky]

41. Nice work helping improve the tone of the forum, kwassa.

Bashing a poster and their honest question.

You stay classy, now.

[jeepnstein]

44. It didn't strike me as dumb at all.

It was downright civil compared to what we usually see around here. And the responses have been quite interesting. So thanks, OP, for stirring up a decent exchange.

[snagglepuss]

21. Care to explain your accusation?

[Nihil]

42. So might you.

> Catholics and Episcopalians kneel.
> Buddhists kneel, on their prayer benches.
> Muslims kneel, on their prayer rugs..

Anglicans kneel (Church of England = Protestant) as do
many other Protestant groups.

Your church might not but there is no absolute ruling
on it across the board.

The OP struck me as a pretty fair question.

:shrug:

[jeepnstein]

43. I've seen it done.

I've done it. But you are right in your assumption that kneeling isn't that common in many Evangelical churches. We pray a lot. In my church the custom is to stand for prayer and for scripture reading as a sign of respect. It really doesn't matter all that much since the Bible doesn't say kneeling is mandatory. It also doesn't say you can't kneel if you so desire.

A typical Evangelical church will have several parts to their service. In no particular order you'll have worship and praise, fellowship, "breaking bread" through communion, prayer, and preaching. Some congregations are really rigid in their approach to the order of service and others will be much more relaxed. I've been to both extremes and have found it's possible for both types of congregations to live up to the letter and the spirit of the New Testament model.