Would Want Catholic-Style Service, but Have Protestant Beliefs

[ChristIsSovereign]

I don't feel close to God in the typical church environments, yet when I see a Catholic mass, for example, it feels more involved, I guess? I want to feel like my prayers to God matter, instead of being afraid of speaking a single word, lest my subconscious attack me violently. I would want a more communal Church service, e.g. Episcopal, but don't want to be liberal in that regards, either. Yet I don't believe in the extraneous doctrines Catholics put out, either. My confusion is grave.

I want this in a church service: (gonna sound pretty Catholic)

1. Tradition, but not to the point of superseding the WORD
2. Orderly service, perhaps having priests and bishops
3. Union in the body, not having excessive divergence in views
4. More than one service a week, perhaps a Protestant version of a 'daily mass'
5. A church that offers a Protestant missal of sorts
6. Holds to Sola scriptura in that the Bible comes before everything else
7. A church that offers special kinds of services like the Catholic church does
8. High, high, HIGH emphasis on prayer and lots of prayer
9. Communion of all believers (Real presence or symbolic, I'm on the fence with that)
10. Emphasis on the spiritual relationship with God, yet not charismatic
11. A church where I can have someone to hold me accountable with ease
12. No prayers to Mary or the Saints, but merely respects them (not venerates)
13. A church that believes in intercession between living believers
14. A church that tends towards moderate formality
15. Solid Bible teaching

 

[Paidiske]

I don't think you're going to find all of that.

The closest is probably Episcopal, but they're a broad church, and clearly their diversity of views is too much for you.

You might be able to do what many Anglicans worldwide do, and find a local parish which ticks most of the other boxes, and then focus on the local level and ignore the global diversity. I think that would probably be the closest you can get.

FWIW, some of what you want (like daily services) is more likely to go with high-church Anglicanism, and other bits of what you want (Sola Scriptura, lots of Bible teaching) more likely to go with more evangelical Anglicanism. Finding it all in the one parish would, I would guess, be rather unlikely.

 

[archer75]

Why don't you talk to the folks in the Anglican subforum?

Generally, I would suggest you look around and find the communion / church that is most true, rather than come in with a list. But, that said, if that's your list, you might be pleased with some churches of Anglican origin.

 

[ChristIsSovereign]

I don't think you're going to find all of that.

The closest is probably Episcopal, but they're a broad church, and clearly their diversity of views is too much for you.

You might be able to do what many Anglicans worldwide do, and find a local parish which ticks most of the other boxes, and then focus on the local level and ignore the global diversity. I think that would probably be the closest you can get.

FWIW, some of what you want (like daily services) is more likely to go with high-church Anglicanism, and other bits of what you want (Sola Scriptura, lots of Bible teaching) more likely to go with more evangelical Anglicanism. Finding it all in the one parish would, I would guess, be rather unlikely.

I am seeing more and more value in high church. I feel incomplete when we don't reflect God's majesty. Yet Mary veneration is a NO. It's like there's two peaks and the valley is where I would like to attend, but the valley is lacking in participants.

Anglican style sounds pretty fitting, I must say.

 

[ChristIsSovereign]

Why don't you talk to the folks in the Anglican subforum?

Generally, I would suggest you look around and find the communion / church that is most true, rather than come in with a list. But, that said, if that's your list, you might be pleased with some churches of Anglican origin.

But I would be a Classical Arminian Anglican

 

[Phronema]

It sounds mostly Orthodox or Catholic is what you're looking for minus the veneration of Saints, and the Holy Theotokos/Mother Mary.

So if not Orthodox or Catholic, maybe Lutheran or Anglican? It sounds like you're looking for some sort of high Protestant church or Orthodox/Catholic.

I'd just add that as someone who claimed to be "Christian" most of their life, but didn't practice that much at all, I had no trouble with accepting what the Orthodox church teaches. Including veneration of the Saints and the icons. The services that I've attended are rich with tradition, and leave me very satisfied even as one who can't receive the Holy Eucharist yet, as I've not been baptized. The people, and the priest are quite welcoming despite being Greek. I look forward to the service every week as it's the highlight of my week.

I do pray you find what it is you're searching for, and hopefully I've been helpful.

 

[Paidiske]

I am seeing more and more value in high church. I feel incomplete when we don't reflect God's majesty. Yet Mary veneration is a NO. It's like there's two peaks and the valley is where I would like to attend, but the valley is lacking in participants.

Anglican style sounds pretty fitting, I must say.

I'm pretty exactly in that valley. But I don't know how that relates to Anglicans/Episcopalians where you are in America.

 

[archer75]

I'm pretty exactly in that valley. But I don't know how that relates to Anglicans/Episcopalians where you are in America.

I'm not so well informed here, but my guess is either "do what @Paidiske said and go with the local TEC" or some continuing Anglican parish. That has the "disadvantage" of not actually being in the AC, but maybe that's not so important to the OP.

 

[ChristIsSovereign]

I'm not so well informed here, but my guess is either "do what @Paidiske said and go with the local TEC" or some continuing Anglican parish. That has the "disadvantage" of not actually being in the AC, but maybe that's not so important to the OP.

Having to be part of an 'official body' is legalistic to me; the high church style, not so.

 

[archer75]

Having to be part of an 'official body' is legalistic to me; the high church style, not so.

It's not a matter of having your name in the right book or on the right membership list, but some people find it "nice" (at the very least) to say that they're in communion with many other Christians - that they recognize each other as sharing the same faith to the point that they can worship together, no questions asked, even if the forms of the worship are different.

I admit I don't know enough about how this works in the Anglican Communion.

In the OC, I "like" that even though my Russian-style parish is rather "high church," I can go to a lower-church Russian-style parish or a Greek parish where they may shorten some things that we don't - or a SUPER HIGH-church parish somewhere, and despite the different candleholders, vestments, seating arrangements, melodies, icons, and languages, it's still the same faith, our clergy can concelebrate with each other, and we can all receive Holy Communion together.

I can see why people who, for instance, are RC and have Orthodox relatives feel very close to them but very far, since they can't approach the same chalice.

I see why it can sound legalistic, for sure. But to me, it's about recognizing each other as the Body of Christ.

I can't speak for the AC, but I assume that they, and the RCC, have some of those feelings, as well.

At the end of the day, you don't like everyone in your communion or your parish. Some you just don't like, some you think are too high- or low-church or liberal or conservative or too pious or too irreverent or too whatever. To me, it's helpful to remember that we have "gifts differing" - and this is expressed in our different forms of worship - but are all one Body.

 

[PloverWing]

I agree with the recommendations of Episcopal or Lutheran churches. Generally speaking, a Lutheran church will offer more uniformity of belief, and an Episcopal church will offer more "high" liturgy, but there's a lot of variation from one parish to the next.

 

[Halbhh]

I don't feel close to God in the typical church environments, yet when I see a Catholic mass, for example, it feels more involved, I guess? I want to feel like my prayers to God matter, instead of being afraid of speaking a single word, lest my subconscious attack me violently. I would want a more communal Church service, e.g. Episcopal, but don't want to be liberal in that regards, either. Yet I don't believe in the extraneous doctrines Catholics put out, either. My confusion is grave.

I want this in a church service: (gonna sound pretty Catholic)

1. Tradition, but not to the point of superseding the WORD
2. Orderly service, perhaps having priests and bishops
3. Union in the body, not having excessive divergence in views
4. More than one service a week, perhaps a Protestant version of a 'daily mass'
5. A church that offers a Protestant missal of sorts
6. Holds to Sola scriptura in that the Bible comes before everything else
7. A church that offers special kinds of services like the Catholic church does
8. High, high, HIGH emphasis on prayer and lots of prayer
9. Communion of all believers (Real presence or symbolic, I'm on the fence with that)
10. Emphasis on the spiritual relationship with God, yet not charismatic
11. A church where I can have someone to hold me accountable with ease
12. No prayers to Mary or the Saints, but merely respects them (not venerates)
13. A church that believes in intercession between living believers
14. A church that tends towards moderate formality
15. Solid Bible teaching

Try a Lutheran church out then, and see.

 

[Tayla]

I want this in a church service:

Start your own denomination and make it be how you want it. Good luck finding anyone else with exactly the same list.

 

[ChristIsSovereign]

Start your own denomination and make it be how you want it. Good luck finding anyone else with exactly the same list.

I can let up to 4 points slide, except for ones having to do with the primacy of Scripture.

 

[Phronema]

I can let up to 4 points slide, except for ones having to do with the primacy of Scripture.

Please don't listen to the above advice. There are already hundreds, or even thousands of denominations with people claiming to know "the way". Look to history, and the past. The Anglican or Episcopalian Church already exists and is likely what you're looking for.

I can't imagine why someone would want to start another denomination? Simply because the way the church is/was doesn't suit you? I need to stay out of this area of CF.

 

[ChristIsSovereign]

Please don't listen to the above advice. There are already hundreds, or even thousands of denominations with people claiming to know "the way". Look to history, and the past. The Anglican or Episcopalian Church already exists and is likely what you're looking for.

I can't imagine why someone would want to start another denomination? Simply because the way the church is/was doesn't suit you? I need to stay out of this area of CF.

I think he was being sarcastic.

 

[Albion]

Hello, ChristIsSovereign.

Obviously, I would say, you need to find a traditional Anglican parish (not a member of "The Episcopal Church"). There are more than a thousand of them in the USA.

Some would be more on the Catholic side of things but others would be more like what you itemized in the OP. I think that the "Anglican Church in North America" would be the place to start looking. See their website for parish information, etc. Some of the Continuing Anglican churches also might be promising.

 

[Phronema]

I think he was being sarcastic.

My apologies then. You never know with some people though. There are an awful lot of denominations out there

 

[ChristIsSovereign]

My apologies then. You never know with some people though. There are an awful lot of denominations out there

I respect the unity and the procession of the Catholic church but find its doctrines repelling. LOL

 

[Halbhh]

I don't have any alliance at all to the 'Lutheran' church, didn't grow up at one, etc., but have been attending one long enough (7 years now) to see it fits your lists better than the other types of churches I know fairly well from being in them and reading their list of doctrines (Catholic, Pentecostal, Church of Christ for sure, but also I think Reformed, Methodist, etc. though less sure on those).

Also it just fits your list.
(though point #4 requires you join a small group in the church like one of the bible study groups for instance, or another kind, otherwise the Wednesday night services are only certain times of year, maybe only a dozen or so; for #11, simply ask the pastor).

So, for the first time ever, I'd actually recommend Lutheran in particular, instead of simply any of some various nearby churches doing "love one another" (of course require this also of any individual Lutheran church). Don't know much about Anglican, but if lucky enough to have one nearby, you could try it also.