[Dan the man]

My last few times to church have felt brutal. Long and boring sermons. Too the point I leave in a cranky mood.

Anyone relate?

 

[ed1980]

I really did struggle with the Discipleship Training that I used to go to.

Discipleship at my church is on Tuesday nights. The Discipleship Training is always extremely religious and theological and baffling to me. It's not so much the sermons though, which are always enlightening, but it's the conversations we're expected to have afterwards!

Everybody there seems like some massively erudite and well-read master theologian who has been to university to get their Master's degree and all sorts. I'm just a cleaner who only converted last year and still barely has a clue. I usually have absolutely nothing to contribute and can't get a word in edgeways anyway.

So anyway, now I have to work at the hospital on tuesday nights anyway so I don't have to go

 

[Dan the man]

I really did struggle with the Discipleship Training that I used to go to.

Discipleship at my church is on Tuesday nights. The Discipleship Training is always extremely religious and theological and baffling to me. It's not so much the sermons though, which are always enlightening, but it's the conversations we're expected to have afterwards!

Everybody there seems like some massively erudite and well-read master theologian who has been to university to get their Master's degree and all sorts. I'm just a cleaner who only converted last year and still barely has a clue. I usually have absolutely nothing to contribute and can't get a word in edgeways anyway.

So anyway, now I have to work at the hospital on tuesday nights anyway so I don't have to go

That's kind of just it. This priest I could tell is right out of the seminary and rich speaking about theology like stuff.


But I mean to a working schlub like me it means really nothing and is not relatable at all

 

[ed1980]

I was signposted to Discipleship because they felt it was a valuable place to go for a new believer, which I don't think it necessarily was. I imagine that the Discipleship course is a great place for seasoned worshippers to go and talk about more weighty matters, but I don't think it was a great place for a new arrival like me. I can see how it might have put somebody off.

So yeah I can see how every week if it's incomprehensible then it can put people off. I don't think there's necessarily a need to overcomplicate things. If it has to be very complicated and theological, make it a seperate thing for people to attend. For example my church has an extra evening service which is known for having much more indepth and complex sermons. They hold that at 6pm. The main Sunday service though, that's pretty accessible and I learn from it.

 

[Dan the man]

I was signposted to Discipleship because they felt it was a valuable place to go for a new believer, which I don't think it necessarily was. I imagine that the Discipleship course is a great place for seasoned worshippers to go and talk about more weighty matters, but I don't think it was a great place for a new arrival like me. I can see how it might have put somebody off.

So yeah I can see how every week if it's incomprehensible then it can put people off. I don't think there's necessarily a need to overcomplicate things. If it has to be very complicated and theological, make it a seperate thing for people to attend. For example my church has an extra evening service which is known for having much more indepth and complex sermons. They hold that at 6pm. The main Sunday service though, that's pretty accessible and I learn from it.

I went to Catholic high school which I hated. Not necessarily the religious aspect of it.

But anyway one brother there said something ill
Never forget in that Sunday sermons should try to relate the gospel readings to the modern world.

I think this is where a lot of priests fail at that in my life

 

[Dan the man]

@ed1980 A few weeks later here I didnt go back to Church.


The mass that is most convenient for me is usually with the priest that gives the non inspiring sermons. Plus it's a kids mass as well. Which is good in a way possibly the foundation of the church going forward. But it gets crowded with parents.

I come out feeling more grumpy of late from it.

 

[ed1980]

@ed1980 A few weeks later here I didnt go back to Church.


The mass that is most convenient for me is usually with the priest that gives the non inspiring sermons. Plus it's a kids mass as well. Which is good in a way possibly the foundation of the church going forward. But it gets crowded with parents.

I come out feeling more grumpy of late from it.

It's a shame you're not enjoying it at the moment Are you going next week?

I'm going to skip the evening service today (the more complicated one). I should really go to both the morning and evening ones, but the evening one is very complex and usually hard work for me to understand. Also we get told to pray in groups which I always find difficult due to my social anxiety. I always seem to be surrounded by very Spirit-filled people who pray very beautifully and eloquently. But I always get self-concious and nervous about praying in public, especially in front of mature Christians. Perhaps it would be a good challenge to try, but I feel a bit miserable tonight so I'm not going.

 

[Dan the man]

It's a shame you're not enjoying it at the moment Are you going next week?

I'm going to skip the evening service today (the more complicated one). I should really go to both the morning and evening ones, but the evening one is very complex and usually hard work for me to understand. Also we get told to pray in groups which I always find difficult due to my social anxiety. I always seem to be surrounded by very Spirit-filled people who pray very beautifully and eloquently. But I always get self-concious and nervous about praying in public, especially in front of mature Christians. Perhaps it would be a good challenge to try, but I feel a bit miserable tonight so I'm not going.

I wound up going tonight. I had not been for a few weeks so I decided to try out the Saturday night service. The Sunday one at 10 the last few weeks left me feeling kinda empty.

It was all right. I was surprised to see some people that looked in their 30s there as well. And they had kids.

The sermon was kind of what I expected. You said it best when the problem is to me this priest speaks to the congregation more like seminarians trying to understand the readings versus how can you sort of put this in terms relatable to the working person. But I guess because I was expecting it it didnt seem too bad.

Maybe as this priest has more experience he might do better at relating his sermons to everyday people. I guess some are able too but some still dont