A Pastor and a Latter-day Saint Walk into a Church...
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- Опубліковано 11 лип 2024
- Pastor Jeff's Latter-day Saint friend, Kurt, has never been to Protestant church before! Tag along an get Kurt's reactions to this new experience!
Special thanks to Kurt Francom from Leading Saints: / leadingsaints
Explore more about Leading Saints at leadingsaints.org
Check out his new book here: www.amazon.com/God-Disappoint...
Support this effort: www.HelloCreative.life
Get exclusive access to bonus content on Patreon: / hellosaints
Check out the churches we visited:
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church (South Jordan, UT): goodshepherdutah.com
Sego Church: https (Sandy, UT)://segochurch.com
The Well (Sandy, UT): www.thewellslc.com
Filmed at CenterPoint Church (Orem, UT): centerpointutah.org
Hello Saints! My name is Jeff McCullough and I'm a Christian Pastor.
This channel is devoted to fighting criticism with curiosity as I invite dialogue between mainstream Christians and Latter-day Saints. Are Mormons Christians? What do Evangelicals and Latter-day Saints agree and disagree about? Join me as I compare and contrast the lifestyle, culture and beliefs of Mormons and non-LDS Christians.
If you enjoyed this conversation, you might enjoy a video Pastor Jeff with his wife attending Latter-day Saint church in Utah for the first time: • Our FIRST TIME at a La...
Chapters:
00:00:00 - Going to Church: First Time!
00:05:47 - Attending Lutheran Church
00:14:20 - Attending Church Plant
00:20:19 - Attending Mega Church
00:22:50 - Taking Communion
00:26:12 - Watching Baptism
00:31:18 - Reacting to Sermons
00:38:10 - What Did Kurt Feel?
#LatterDaySaints #lds #mormonism - Розваги
This one was fun! Have you been to Protestant Church before? What was your experience like?
Yes (Lutheran) it was lovely and interesting. I've been to Baptist churches and Mennonite as well as general Christian churches non-denominational. Not sure if those are all classified as Protestant.
Religion is something I love to learn about so aside from LDS Churches I've visited countless Protestant Churches as well as a couple Catholic Churches, Kingdom Halls, a Synagogue, a Mosque, a Hindu Temple and a Shinto Shrine. I had a great experience at almost all of them, except for a few of the Protestant Churches that I would classify as Church Entertainment. And a couple Protestant Churches that had a very conspiratorial tone and combative doctrine. Those I found to be pretty off-putting, but fortunately they were a minority.
Yes. I'm a lifelong Catholic but I've been to a few protestant evangelical services throughout my life.
I enjoy the friendliness and community but I can never get into the whole charismatic, singing too many songs, rock band style, and pastor preaching a long sermon.
Question, when did protestant evangelicalism turn to a service where theirs just standing and singing?
I have and I enjoyed it! With your theme of “holy envy,” it is easy to appreciate the professional organization of the sermons, music, social opportunities, etc.
Yes, plenty of times, in many different denominations. Always a pleasant event.
Would love to see pastor Jeff tour the bishops central storehouse and get his take on the welfare program of the LDS faith.
yess!! They will get to see a smidge of where our Tithes go to.
yes please
I made that comment in one of his video. I end up deleting it.
Bro I work at the bishops storehouse as a part of my service mission!
I would like him to do a tour of welfare square.
I remember when I first became active in my LDS ward and was invited to a Lutheran Christmas Sunday Night service. I was waiting outside for my friends to get there and looking at the cross and thinking everyone here loves Jesus so what is the difference. After the service I was left with an empty feeling and got into my truck, when I shut the door I was filled with an absolute testimony of the Holy Spirit that the Church of Christ was Restored to the earth and the overwhelming love of Heavenly Father.
Same same experience!! Every time I set my feet at an evangelical church it’s clear to me the hollowness inside and even my children felt that too without having me saying anything about that first.
Maybe that's the reason for the loud music to help fill in that void?
@@netherquartz8946 we don't have to believe as they do but we should respect their beliefs rather than saying they are just trying to fill a void. We have the restored gospel to offer; we don't need to make fun.
@@netherquartz8946 I was first exposed to rowdy Christian music at a high school choir conference and at first found it too different. Then after listening to the words and feeling the spirit, I came to appreciate it greatly. It's a good replacement for worldly country or rock and roll (most of what's on the radio).
I had the similar experience going to another church kept thinking where are they getting their sermons from? Where is their authority once I got back to my home ward listing to the talks I knew exactly where we get our talks from we have the authority
What I find incredible about the LDS church is that the clergy isn't paid, and everyone is a volunteer. I'm not sure how it is in the United States, but in my country, evangelical pastors drive expensive cars and are generally wealthy; they make a lot of money in their churches. As I've read in some comments, the worship is often very theatrical, with loud music on a stage with drums, guitar, and the praises are quite energetic. In the LDS church, I found something that seems more genuine, along with a fascinating doctrine that makes me realize the great work that God still does today. I believe the church will grow and fill the whole Earth, playing an important role before the coming of Christ. I've really enjoyed following the channel, thank you Pastor Jeff.
I've been a Latter-Day Saint my whole life and the more I explore other faiths and have visited other faith traditions, the more I've come to love and appreciate the simple and often "boring" nature of my LDS background. I love the Sacrament meeting because it's always a place where I feel the Lord's Spirit when I go in with the right attitude and I've always always left feeling inspired to be a better person.
Yes, evangelical churches do have drums. Not all drummers are paid, in fact, most of them are volunteers.
Based off of my research, the LDS church is the wealthiest church in the world. The Net worth of about 100 billion. Each temple is worth 7-70 million. You must tithe in order to enter the temple. And, in order to enter the celestial kingdom you must be sealed in the temple. Therefore I believe the LDS church is not based off of only volunteers but very much works as well.
I'm an Evangelical pastor who has gone through extensive training. But I don't get paid at all. I work a secular job to cover my expenses so our church can put more of our money into the community. It's becoming more common for pastors to be unpaid or paid very little so we don't burden the church. It also puts us in the community we are trying to reach.
@@jessman8597 God bless you! I didn't mean to generalize in my comment, just to mention that I see a lot of this here in my country, and unfortunately some people end up drifting away from their churches or lose interest in getting to know them when they realize this situation and because offerings are constantly requested in the services. But there are certainly true pastors who have the mission of bringing people to find solace in Christ.
I understand how you feel about the quit reverence in our church (lds), but the Bible does allow and even encourage the use of instruments for worship beyond the organ and occasional violin.
"3 Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.
4 Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.
5 Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.
6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord. (Psalm 150:3-6)
I do agree, though, that for the most part, a lot of non-denominational churches are performing concerts as opposed to worship services in some places.
This video confirms my gratitude to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I am a convert and attended many churches like these. It’s difficult to feel the spirit there but I love that others get to see and experience through these videos.
Agree, I too have been to many non denominational churches, mostly after conversion as an inactive member, but the LDS Church is the Lord's Church!❤
@@stephanytaylor4767 They all claim to believe in Christ but none of them bore the Savior,s name.
@@helgemrklid2229 that doesn't mean anything... So just having the name of Jesus Christ in a title makes you the best of the bunch??that's not how it works...
And also if you wanna go that route, LDS say they're Christian but don't use the cross to identify themselves, so ...
@Compulsive-Elk7103 many LDS people do not use a cross to identify themselves because they choose not to focus on His death. Instead, they focus on his life, death, and resurrection. Some feel that using the cross is insufficient in symbolizing the depths of belief in Him.
However, there are some who do wear crosses, so it is mostly a personal choice.
A belonged to a Lutheran church that held outside service during the summer months. If an ambulance or fire truck passed by, we stopped where we were in the service and the Pastor prayed for the individuals involved who needed a first responder.
As a former protestant and now LDS, I am glad to see an LDS checking out other churches. Your testimony can only grow stronger from experiences.
Jeff should take a tour of the church welfare warehouse n check out the church welfare program because the church not only for the member’s spiritual warfare but also the physical welfare of it’s members as well as the sufferings all over the world. All biblical
I love how the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints administers the sacrament. It is full of symbolism and reverence. I feel my soul illuminated with light each week I get the beautiful opportunity to have ordained Priesthood holders, representing Jesus Christ, administer those sacred emblems to me.
Another great collaboration! I love that Joy is joining the conversation more too!
I've been to other churches, the thing that stuck out to me in each one was that the meeting seemed to be designed to provoke an emotional reaction. The rhetoric, the music, the format, it all seemed like a performance, bordering on emotional manipulation sometimes. I'm not saying they weren't insincere, just that the attempt to reach a person's heart was kind of like how a movie would try and reach your emotions. It wasn't organic it was by design.
In my Ward, many times I'll have my heart moved in powerful ways with no external influence to cause it. It is the impact of the spirit touching my heart, not some thumping worship song performed by a band paid to perform it and a crowd whipped up into a state of excitement.
Not all churches are like that.
You have good points.
I've never been paid to play in a church band and I've played in plenty of them. Maybe it happens in the mega-churches.
Every church is definitely different when it comes to worship. I personally like a good worship service with a bunch of great musicians, but I also enjoy a formal service sometimes with classic hymns and an organ. There's beauty in both 😊
On a other note never have I been to a church where the worship team is being paid to play instruments and sing (my father has joined many churches to play guitar because hes very good at it and they do it for the joy and unification of praising God) and like another person stated, maybe in a mega church.
I understand what you mean. But, I have 3 exceptions that I can think of. Have you heard Chris Tomlin's "how great is our God world edition?" Or "Amen" by Matt Maher? Or my favorite, "forever" (the live version) by Kari Jobe? I have literally watched all three for hours. I can feel the spirit so strong. I think that songs like this can be so uplifting in the right setting or at the right time.
That is a I bit of an irony. Evangelicals will preach against letting emotions persuade one's beliefs. It's got to be sola-scriptura!
But watching this video it seems clear that a great deal of the "worship" service is a theatrical production aimed at stirring up an emotional response.
Curious, ironic.
My son will be getting baptized in June(here in Utah County). You are more than welcome to come and experience how we do our baptisms if you want. We would love to have you!
I loved this interaction. I am LDS but in my closest circle of friends are 2 Born Again Baptists who are as close as any biological sisters. I have beeen to quite a few of their services and even to their Women's Retreats a couple times and have always enjoyed them. I have also facilitated the Come Follow Me New Testament with the rest of the group of Baptists that i associate with. We have had some amazing discussions in the group and in one-on-one conversations. We are more alike than we are different.
"We shouldn't be afraid to walk into each other's churches" - I LOVE that!
Our Stake President in Maine had us find 3 different churches in the Stake that would be willing to let us come in and learn about them from their clergy. This was an amazing experience for our Stake and a blessing to our community. Very inspired!
@@Kindnessmatters2 which churches did you speak to?
Been to a Catholic and Seventh-Day Adventist churches before. I say.. from an LDS perspective, the Spirit of God is present in all of the churches that recognizes His Greatness. We may believe that we have the "wholeness" of the truthfulness of His gospel... but we should also be able to recognize the truths that are in the other churches.. and respect what they believe different to ours. Again, that's just from my perspective. We worship differently but what's in our hearts... I believe God still recognizes it through the Holy Spirit.
No reason to be afraid, but for what possible reason would you want to do that??
@nonrepublicrat They are our allies in keeping religious freedom, partners in community welfare, and potentially new friends.
I used to visit different faiths (catholic/different protestant denominations/seven day adventist/jehovah witnesses/etc...) when I was on a spiritual quest for truth. I enjoyed the experience and would still do it if I had the time. There's much truth in all churches. I appreciated learning from different faiths. I became a Latter-day Saint because I felt the Holy Spirit testify to me that Joseph Smith was a true prophet. I recognized that the authority of God is with the Latter-day Saints.
And what is your test for discerning a true Prophet of God?
Mainly trusting in the Spirit of God. Questioned many teachings of Joseph Smith over time and tried to prove him wrong, with no avail. Have been corrected over many times by the Spirit of his teachings. Have prayed and asked God about many teachings or doctrines from other faiths that are contrary to Latter-day Saints belief, and I have been corrected over and over by the Spirit that the Latter-day Saint view is the truth
You can’t base your faith on spiritual experiences. Every religions claim spiritual experiences. There are seducing spirits out there. You need to look at the historical, archaeological evidence to base your faith on. The evidence for LDS is not reliable
God bless you Pastor Jeff for your work! One day we will all be one regardless of tradition. It’s important to respect and love everyone’s walk with Christ. Thank you.
I grew up Catholic and converted to the LDS church as an adult. I’ve seen various worship services and have appreciated the different ways people worship. And I don’t discount that people feel the Holy Ghost in their own way and that it can be felt in some of the dancing, preaching, music of these evangelical services. I just love it when people go to any church because they love Jesus. What I love about coming back to the LDS church is the ability I have to sit and think in quiet reverence to receive direction and inspiration from the Holy Ghost. In my personal life, sometimes my biggest ideas and inspiration comes from laying in bed in the quiet of the morning without influence of anything outside of me. We each come to know Jesus and grow our relationship with him in our own ways. But to me the most important gauge and measure of that is how we emulate Him in our thoughts, words and actions…ESPECIALLY through NOT JUDGING those who may not think or believe or do like us, in our hearts, minds or words.
Three genuinely nice people. As an evangelical I do believe our worship services should stress a bit more reverence to the Lord. All too often it feels more like a performance then worship. We need less pep rally and more humility and heartfelt worship.
One thing I do love about our church as a latter-day saint is that we all get to have a part in it and have a voice. As we rotate responsibilities it helps us get to know one another more closely as we work towards building something greater than ourselves. There is also a power with making a covenant with God with true and real authority. It's like when you get married with a real certificate as opposed to just stating you are married. There is real joy knowing you are linked with Heavenly Father in a real way, not just an abstract way. There is more to explore when it comes to God's kingdom and government. I am grateful for the examples of all true followers of Christ.
I am a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We have pot luck dinner after church the third Sunday every month. We love it Carol
I thought about the same thing when Kurt mentioned that he wishes there were refreshments after church.
I started thinking munch and mingle was only in the DMV area.
5th Sundays our congregation hosts potluck linger longers after the meeting. 👍
@@amynazza yeah, same here.
Our neighbor at our old house was a Methodist pastor. Went to his service a couple times. Also went to a number of Protestant Christmas Eve celebrations and a Lutheran church during a school trip. It’s a lot of fun and instructive to learn how other churches work. Also been to multiple Catholic services and cathedrals on my mission to Spain including meeting one of their bishops.
I grew up in charasmatic protestant church. I loved my experiences there. I joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints as a teen. I still love to attend other churches and take my kids to many. We love the gospel music . My kids are loud!! What I found in the LDS tradition that mattered a lot to me is consistency. When I started exploring different churches, it was disconcerting to hear what i found as pure doctrine interpreted so many ways. My local churches were essentially competing for my attendance and their messages were in conflict, even though they were all protestant. Through young eyes. I found it disconcerting. As an adult the stained glass window became something i could relate to. Thank you all for this wonderful program.
Thankyou Pastor Jeff. I enjoyed this upload but selling T Shirts and/or merch at a place of worship on a Sunday?? Yikes!!! :>)
Amen!
@@jesselenz5452 Jesus Christ said to go into all the world and preach the gospel.
@jesselenz5452 I just spoke to sister missionaries in my home two weeks ago. We had a good discussion.
I don't agree with buying and/or selling in a church building either
Yeah no church should have their own merch. That's ridiculous. It's about God, not us.
I’ve never seen Jeff so excited and animated.
About once a quarter in my Ward we have a 'Munch & Mingle' where there are refreshments in the Cultural Hall after church. Just finger foods, sandwiches, veggie trays etc. nothing elaborate. It's a good opportunity to chat and get to know each other, especially since we have been having a few baptisms each month and move ins too.
I love “The Lord’s Prayer”….I once said it again and again when I was at a loss for words because I was afraid. But with the Lord’s help, I got over the fears and progressed to happiness and abundance.
As a nondenominational Christian, there are people who are LDS at my job and I’m even inviting to my Christian church and they found it quite welcoming with my approach to inviting them! Hallelujah! Jesus is Lord!
I’m a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and I’ve found all of these churches much more “loose” if that’s the right word. People will mingle a little bit in the foyer before they enter the chapel and maybe a little bit on their way to find their seats. Much more formally. We also occasionally have what our ward calls a “linger longer” where we have a pot luck after our meetings. It is a way to mingle and get to know people better. Generally speaking, we would purchase anything like donuts etc the day before because we try very hard to keep Sunday holy.
Very nice, I would gladly accept the invitation too but the opposite is quite hard to get, my evangelical friends avoid the church as they would find Satan himself inside, I find it very hardened heart from their side.
@@tatiginattosantana Yep, sounds like my Baptist friends. They begged me to go to church with them, like my life depended on it, then when I got there it was all about how evil my church was 😳
@@stephtimms1776 they are all the same no matter what, the only way to their hearts is when they are truly searching for answers, otherwise it’s like they know it all even though they did ever step inside one of our buildings or read the Book of Mormon etc etc
@@tatiginattosantana I have some ancestors who were southern baptists, one was a preacher... so I can relate and love them anyway. Have you ever heard J Golden Kimball mission stories to the southern states? It can be funny how superstitious people can be, like believing we have horns. My children went to summer camps with some of them and had fun interactions.
I think we need to worship God in more Solemn & Reverent manner to invite the Spirit of the Lord.
Why? Psalm 33 talks about making music with all kinds of instruments and shouting to the Lord.
There are as many ways to worshp God as there are people and how they view their relationship to God. I'm glad you've found a worship style you prefer for now.
Not correcting. Being curious from my vantage point… that’s sort of my thing. :)
@@HelloSaints I understand Jeff. As a Catholic, Catholics and LDS have something in common when it comes to gathering together on Sunday. Compared to protestant evangelical services, we don't focus on band music, singing lots of songs, having an emotional experience, or rock concert kind of thing. We are more reverent and solemn.
Worship is when you offer a sacrifice to God the Father. Not by hooping and hollering while a band is playing a concert.
Although I don't judge people for choosing that, but it's just not how Christians have worshipped God.
If we go back in history to the earliest Christians and their writings, Catholics today worship God the same way as the very first Christians, by offering a bloodless sacrifice of Bread and Wine to God the Father.
This is why I can only be Catholic. The only church where by the power of the holy Spirit, working through a priest, Jesus becomes present in bread and wine. By the priest praying over the offering and saying the words of Consecration (reading the last supper from the Bible) Jesus is sacramentally present and we get to receive him and be in communion with Jesus. Have a relationship with Him.
No other church offers that. Which is what I love about being Catholic,having a real relationship with our Lord and Savior and God , Jesus Christ!
Happy palm Sunday and a blessed Holy Week!
Glory to Jesus Christ!🙏☦️❤️
@@HelloSaints It's a matter of different interpretation is all. (nothing wrong with that) I interpret Psalm 33's "play skillfully with a loud noise" as being within the reverence of God's sacredness. Don't get me wrong, I listen to all types of genres of loud music all day while I'm outside of church but within the church I like 'skillful loud music' to correlate with things like the Tabernacle Choir etc. I know you got to see them live at a General Conference so you know what I'm talking about when I say they make one heck of a loud sound but I would still classify their music as reverent.
As an evangelical who converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and whose son was baptism was attended by many of our Protestant friends, there was video taken and plenty of applause afterwards! He didn’t need to be baptized. He’s disabled and has autism and Fragile X syndrome. His baptism was a beautiful example of wanting to follow Christ’s example.
I also really miss God expository preaching! The good news is that there are plenty of churches online where I can watch a sermon.
Thank you Pastor Jeff to you and your wife for being remarkable Christian’s. Your approach is refreshing. Keep up the good work of building bridges.
Although there are differences, and I personally prefer the reverent spirit of a Latter Day Saint Sunday service, I do like and appreciate seeing any group of believers coming together to worship Jesus Christ. All of us Christians will need to stand together and lock arms more than ever, in face of an increasingly secular world. We need to shine the light 💡.
Jeff, I will be in Utah this week for Easter (flying in from Florida)…hope to connect! Just let me know. God bless, brother.
Otherwise, I hope you check out my new Christian book that will be published ON EASTER SUNDAY ❤
Good people in every denomination. They all love their Saviour,and His teachings. Good
I used to go to Primary “and” Bible School…back in the 60’s. My parents were two different religions, and each of us kids got to choose our faith. Not recommended to marry outside your church, it can be hard, and it can affect the kids, but we were, and are all Christian, and we had love in our family, so we lasted, and our mom and dad are on the same page in heaven now.
I loved and related to this video! It might be my favorite so far. Always makes me happy when Joy makes an appearance. When I made the decision to step back from activity in the LDS church this past year, I was surprised to find myself guided to begin attending other Christian churches. It's been a joyful journey, and I have loved experiencing Christianity from different perspectives and in different ways. I've attended Catholic, nondenominational, Lutheran (ECLA), Lutheran (LCMS), and Episcopalian churches over the past several months, and have loved the people I've met in each congregation. along with the messages that have been discussed and preached. I share Kurt's appreciation for the active participation in meetings vs the more passive reception. I've also really loved learning more about the liturgical calendar, and all that entails. The rich symbolism of Catholic and Episcopalian worship has been particularly appealing to me, which came as a surprise, and you can't beat the music in many nondenominational churches!!
I’m so glad Kurt got to experience other churches. I love inviting my non believers into my church
I am LDS and we like the meeting soft and humble so the Holy Spirit will come to the meeting. If it is loud and boisterous the holy spiritual will not be felt
Don't go to church to "feel something" that's the same as protestant evangelicals who go to their churches for "experiences" with the concerts.
The heart can be deceitful, don't listen to your feelings.
Another great video. Did I miss it or did you not already go over one of the most important books of the Book of Mormon, the Book of Ether and Moroni's notes within that book and the Book of Moroni? When are you going to do those videos?
Jeff should interview the guy from 52 churches in 52 weeks.
I agree!
The guy from 52 churches,David Boyce, said in a video that he do not consider himself as Protestant anymore and he also he felt a sensation of peace when he read the Book of Mormon and he said he felt peace and protection when he went to this Temple Open House. It would not surprise me if he becomes a member of the Church.
The Open House before the re-dedication of Manti Temple.
@@helgemrklid2229I saw that, as well. And it blew me away.
Actually he should not. Big difference between these two. David of 52 churches has actually humbled himself in an attempt to follow Christ and find His Church. Heavenly Father is leading that special son of His where He wants him. Pastor Jeff says he's trying to reach out in friendship. He is nice and respectful towards LDS truly, but what is the motive and end game here? How many more videos just to say he's a friend?
Jeff, you seem so excited to share your beliefs and to explain everything, which is fun to see. I just wish I got to hear more of the impressions and thoughts of your guest. He just seemed to be confirming or agreeing with the ideas/thoughts you were presenting. If it was me, I would feel nervous to tell you my real thoughts in this environment. I'd feel pressured to respond in the way you're hoping I would. I would not feel comfortable sharing anything that wasn't positive. Just giving that perspective.
Yes I agree with you. I did not like the continuous remarks about coffee. It was being laughed about a lot, we do not drink coffee and he did not speak up about it either. He did not talk about the Book of Mormon which is comparable and goes along with the Bible. It tells all about God's dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas. He did not talk about the Aaronic or Melchizedek priesthoods. Baptism can only be performed by Melchizedek priesthood holders and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. Administration of the sacrament can be by both priesthoods but by no one who does not hold the priesthood. We don't go to church to be entertained, it is showing our obedience to the Lord. These ordinances are very sacred and should be viewed that way. Sacrament is the blessing we partake of to repent and renew our covenants with the Lord.
Jeff, Joy, it was nice to meet you in person at an ice cream parlor in Utah. It's kind of a silly thing, but Utah is the ice cream capitol of the world, and one of my first thoughts when you moved to Utah was, "I hope they try the ice cream." Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints avoid nearly all addictive substances, so sugar (in general) and ice cream (in particular) are often our "addiction" of choice. You'll find an ice-cream parlor across the street from many Utah temples, if for no other reason than a guaranteed steady stream of young customers leaving the temple and looking for a treat to sweeten the experience. We have many "monuments" to our peculiar obsession, and you managed to find one of the best.
I love this video encouraging visiting other churches. I've visited a number of other churches and always enjoyed it. One of my favorite was visiting a convent in the mid-west. I've also attended various musical programs organized by other Christian churches and I've been spiritually fed an edified.
I've also visited LDS congregations around the world. We have our "plant" churches as well, where we meet in a rented space, and they are unique and special experiences in their own way. One of my most cherished memories was filling a speaking assignment to a tiny LDS congregation of about 20 people in a rented building. We also have specialized congregations in nursing homes and in prisons. We have congregations for young singles and not-so-young singles as well. Some of our congregations do have food after the meetings, either weekly or monthly, most often in wards specifically for young/unmarried adults, but I've experience "linger longer" or other social gatherings after services in several other LDS congregations as well.
My experience is that God wants us to meet, learn of him, and love one another. He's happy when we do that in nearly any context, and He blesses our sincere efforts, regardless of our circumstances, our traditions, or our understanding. "All are alike unto God" is a favorite message from the Book of Mormon that I've felt confirmed over and over again.
We go to Christmas Eve service at a Baptist church near us, unless Christmas Eve falls on a Sunday and we just go to ours. My kids go to VBS in the summer at as many churches as possible. We love our Protestant neighbors!
Those "historic traditions" of the liturgical churches go back thousands of years, not hundreds, as they were handed on by the apostles and those who came after them. Martin Luther kept the majority of the 'historical traditions" and I believe he would be quite appalled to see modern day non denominational protestant services which have more of an entertainment quality as opposed to liturgies which are more directed toward worshiping God instead of entertaining the people.
Wouldn't he also be appalled at infant baptism in the Lutheran church?
@@stephtimms1776 no because he believe in infant baptism as does every historic Christian Church.
Infant baptism is a Christian tradition that goes back to the time of Jesus
Glory to Jesus Christ! 🙏☦️❤️
@@Compulsive-Elk7103 Where have you seen Jesus baptizing infants in the Bible?
@@janet-Spirit_of_the_Living_God Exactly, thank you! And didn't Luther teach against it? Are they re-writing history with this too, or am I remembering this wrong?
@@stephtimms1776 I don't know. Maybe trying googling it.
I grew up in MO until I was 13. My family were the only members of the LDS church in our neighborhood and in our school. Most of my friends belonged to other denominations. I will be forever grateful my parents let me attend church with my friends. I’ve been to Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist, non-denominational, and Assembly Of God. I also had a couple friends that were RLDS (Community of Christ) at the time. I learned by 10 years of age the LDS faith was where I belonged and wanted to be. I think when you experience other faiths, you truly learn a good fit for you. I appreciate you always being honest and saying you weren’t looking to be converted to our faith. I can honestly relate to that.
In Illinois we had refreshments after church once a month “linger longer “
I love the way we have church, I feel we grow and learn as we participate, not so much for entertainment. We have our fun concerts and dances. But I would not want that for sacrament meeting.
Thanks for the great examples of being loving and respectful while discussing each others religious differences.
For me when I was baptized, I was able to give a testimony. And may I say that it was April 10, 2022, I believe it was Palm Sunday
Another great video, Y'all!
Wonderful! I enjoyed this so much! My church, near Pittsburgh, PA is very much like The Well. I went to another church for 40 years before the Lord led me there. I'm happy He did! God bless all of you! ❤
In my branch when I lived in GA, some of the people did say Amen to the talks during sacrament meeting.
I love modern Christian worship music. I would love if the LDS church would offer services that included this type of music, e.g. Saturday or Sunday nights
I love visiting other churches. My parents always let me visit other churches growing up. They figured if I invited friends to come to church or activities, they had to be willing to let me also accept others invitations to join them. To this day, I still visit other churches.
Pastor Jeff--try listening to General Conference after reading the Book of Mormon. When you attended before you wouldn’t have recognized any scriptures quoted from it that LDS members would, and so you probably heard a bunch of scriptures without recognizing them as such. Taking this into consideration, the General Conference talks are absolutely sermons.
I appreciate Kurt and Jeff doing this bit of reversal from the norm; allowing the LDS to enter the evangelical Christian space. I hope both groups can follow this example, and quit seeing one-another as adversaries and instead treat others as brothers and sisters in Christ. I for one would would appreciate more opportunities to see and take part in others faith traditions. We have much more in common (a.k.a. Christ) but we seem to only see the differences. Thank you both for doing this, and especially for encouraging us to "invite one another".
I grew up in an area where The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was very small. I am still an active member of the LDS church but so grateful that my parents allowed me to experience a Lutheran, and a couple different Baptist churches. I was introduced to so many amazing Christian bands from my high school boyfriend who was a Baptist and felt like the way I worshiped God only grew because of it. While living in Texas I even sent my kids to a Baptist Church preschool and my kids have such love for Jesus because of it! I love learning how other people worship and have been loving this series you are doing! Thank you for showing people that we have so much in common and that learning how others worship can really strengthen your own testimony in Christ!
You guys are great 👏
I served my mission in South Carolina and we were encouraged to visit other churches as long as it didn't interfere with our own wards time. I remember going to many other churches in the south Bapstist, AME, Presbyterian, etc etc...and in most all of them it was enjoyable experience and even at times spiritually uplifting. However one thing that did happen more often than not...especially in the Baptist churches...was that as soon as the preacher would see us enter...and we would almost always sit in the back so we wouldn't draw attention to ourselves and away from the preacher... He or she would immediately change their sermon and begin to bash "Mormonism and mormons"... that was frustrating but not surprising. Most times we would leave...not because we were offended or anything...but because we knew when we did the preacher would then go back to his/her original sermon which we felt church should be about. A few times I Denver people actually start.looking around when the sermon changed like...what the neck just happened?... And then they would see us sitting there and say oh look...that's why he started talking about Mormons... Quite comical at times...sad at other times....
Awesome video! I love going to the Protestant church in Provo with my family a few times each year....Thanks Jeff!
Love this! We go with our children to their church on a Sunday when we are visiting with them!❤
Loved getting to see Kurt experience all these different church services. Every Christian tradition worships a bit different, but it's a beautiful thing to see us all united in submission to Christ every Sunday. Great video!
Yes again I'm going to say it I have been to the well a couple of times with some friends and enjoyed it. As a Latter-Day Saint going to the Baptist Bible study that I go before I go to church. Really is an uplifting moment. Because there's an energy that comes with A very charismatic approach to worship and I appreciate that
Thank you guys, been waiting to see this one through the eyes of an LDS member. I found it very informative and helpful.
I would love to know Jeff’s and Joys thoughts about women teaching or preaching in the church.
This was awesome Jeff! Perfect message! Reach out! I love going to church with my friend in Washington, love worship music! Great video!
So refreshing to see people who know they have differences being friendly and cordial with each other. Tired of the David Alexanders of the world who think they’re “exposing” people like Jeff.
@@charlesmendeley9823 the highly unfortunate thing is David uses his “47 years” of evangelical experience as a platform or an authority. His actual evangelical experience would seem to be barely 30 years since he bounced in and out of Catholicism, and spent 12 years in the Twelve Tribes cult in San Diego. Anyway, regardless of the number, he seems more interested in the supposed “exposing” a few targeted evangelical leaders, but refuses to talk with them. People have asked him in his video’s threads multiple times if he will have a discussion with an evangelical, and he is adamant that it will never happen.
This is what makes people like Jeff so refreshing. Open, honest, friendly dialogue.
I absolutely love you all! ❤
This was great! I’ve been to a Pentecostal service before & it was such a different experience to the LDS services I am used to. Witnessed a couple of baptisms & sacrament with the wafers & grape juice. Loved the live band with the gospel worship songs but it also helped me appreciate what I love about our meetings 😊
About the Lord’s Prayer, I memorized that as a child in Primary! I love going to other churches. Growing up in KC Missouri, I had the opportunity to attend various churches with my friends. I remember going a couple of times to CCD with my catholic friend, a church service with my Methodist friend, and a youth night with my southern Baptist friend (which turned out me being the center of a Bible bashing when they found out I was LDS. Not a fun experience.). Been to catholic mass and a bar-mitzvah, and a Jewish wedding. Toured a Baha’i faith temple and a couple of Muslim mosques in Istanbul. One of the things my husband and I enjoy doing is visiting other churches while traveling. We always try and go to an LDS church service but enjoy visiting other churches as well. Interestingly enough, it strengthens my testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ! I love the reverence of our sacrament meetings. And I love the varied aspects that we have through the programs in the church that offer similar settings. Ever been to a Time Out for Women? That has more of a “Protestant” feel and is all LDS based. Fireside’s, devotionals, seminary, FSY, etc. All provide a well-rounded experience. Sunday worship, in my book, should be a more reverent experience. I don’t want to be entertained or wined and dined. I want to be fed spiritually. I get that some people don’t resonate with that. But I loved teaching my children the power of stillness, peace, and reverence. To me, it refines my ability to be receptive to the spirit. But I can certainly appreciate those who feel differently.
I'd be very curious what other LDS members know the lords prayer and if so, heard it recited in our church. I learned it growing up and memorized it prior to being baptized LDS as a 10 year old.
I have been to two Protestant churches before. One was my grandparents' Presbyterian church. The other was actually on my mission. It was a non-denominational church that met at the town hall. Definitely different from an LDS context, but I want to attend more church services down the road.
We do have linger longers sometimes (with food) just not every week. 😊
Hey Jeff and Joy, you should come down for the Manti Temple open house. It's such a unique and historical temple. Third temple to be built in Utah, I love it. The open house goes until April 5th.
This is so inspiring! I like Kurts idea of going to another church on Easter Sunday since our service is only an hour
I loved the message at the end, we do need to step into each other's churches.
I’m LDS and I’ve been to so many other Churches. Enjoyed them all. I even went to an all black Baptist Church a few times. Talk about some of the nicest people. Every Church felt welcoming. I also listened to Christian music. Especially while driving. I appreciate the reverence on Sundays but during the week I try and be surrounded by Jesus Christ as much as possible. And I love how more Christian stations are on the radio 😀 Thank you for another amazing video ❤️🙏
Thank you for sharing Kurt's eperience attending different Protestant Churches. I enjoyed learning some LDS traditions.
😅 Joy, you're so funny with the tiny coffee & donut comment ❤
We have LDS branches throughout the world…similar to a church plant…not large enough to be a ward. Not sure if there would even be a branch anywhere in Utah, but it would be cool for you to visit one.
We have a Hispanic Branch that meets in our building in Ogden.
There is a branch at Garrison UT, a few miles from the NV border.
I cracked up at the donut coffe communion comment 😂 I'm sure Jesus could find symbolism in that had they been things in his day haha
wonderful❤
I love going to other church services. I've been to so many. I love the services that have coffee and brunch afterwards. I love my grandma's church family that watched me grow up. I love the well written sermons of some reverends/pastors. I love watching people attend church in more informal/scrappy attire. Sometimes, I love how non-committal other churches are: you just show up, listen or watch a speech or performance and the go home! I'm fascinated by all the pomp and circumstance that is outside of my own traditions. I love the architecture of some of the churches I've attended. I love the history of the old churches my own family has run. I love the church camps I've attended. I love all the standing and sitting in the Catholic services. If I drank, I might love that there is wine in some services.
Mostly however, as much as I'm always moved by a well-prepared sermon, delighted to see friends and family, enjoy food and beverage, inspired by the architecture and decor of Protestant and Catholic churches, I am reminded how precious it is to feel the Holy Ghost testify of truths spoken within the content of the lessons and personal testimonies that can be heard in a LDS church, and to be a disciple of Jesus Christ attending the church that he has restored.
I left out Christmas Mass! I love Christmas Mass and sunrise Easter service - of course!!
At my LDS church, we don’t have bands, but we do have the occasional soloist (violinist or flutist), or a singer back by a piano.
Yes, and sometimes beautiful Christmas services that involve a lot of different music and singing, including from the Congregation. Often the members are very talented and that lends greatly to feeling the love of God and love for him 💖
Thanks Pastor Jeff for taking the time and effort to show Kurt just a small sampling of examples of Protestant churches. And kudos to Kurt for his courage and willingness to explore and share in a new experience. Also, it is always fun to see and hear from Joy!
I might gave missed this but we baptize children at Age 8. Often the family will have a reception after that, sometimes in one of the Sunday school rooms, but most often in their home. In our ward we have many children who will bear their testimony on “testimony Sunday.”. When adults are converted and baptized, it could be the same.
Also i want to add went are to a Lutheran church activity this past sat. It was a cool egg hunt with a spiritual message. We found it on an fb event that went and with the family. Everyone was fun and glad to participate in the community even if we have slightly different beliefs. I appreciate that we have Jesus in common.
Great idea to show different kinds of workship. Love going to local protestant church and learning from the Bible verse by verse, praying for specific people and having everything focus on Jesus!
I grew up in the RLDS church but have been a Methodist for the last 25 years. Great interaction and discussion.
That's interesting. But now isn't the community of Christ more of a protestant church now after some radical changes? I mean they just barely gave up the Kirtland temple which signals to me that they aren't really trying to be a restoration church anymore.
@@logankearl8115 Jesus Christ said that the gospel would never need to be restored.
The disciples were asking when the kingdom of Israel would be restored.
Acts 1:6
As long as Jesus Christ is in heaven, there will be no restoration.
Acts 3:21
Thank you for continued work toward interfaith dialogue. 😊
This is one of my favorite videos of yours yet! As a non-Christian this really helped contextualize for me the background you're coming from and your experience with LDS worship
I grew up LDS and when I became a christian I felt a bit off with the church services because they were a very different culture than what I grew up with. I've tried many different churches and grown to love them all.
Please review "Baptists at our Barbecue" together!!! It would be so fun!!!
Pastor Jeff, I watched your critique of the person who left the Church of Jesus Christ. I would like to ask you to review some of the stories of those who have returned. Those are some very interesting journeys that you might find worth looking at.
All I know who give talks in the LDS church prepare for hours usually on an assigned topic and they refer to scriptures and quote prophets.
I really love these conversations! Joy asked Kurt a question about how he felt when he attended the churches and I wonder if a follow up question could be did he feel the Spirit? I would have loved to hear his response. As an LDS Christian, I often feel the same Spirit at other Christian denominations as I do when I attend my church services. This helps me connect well with other brothers and sisters.
You do not "feel" the Holy Spirit.
Hope this helps
I used to live in Orem, Utah. After i left the mormon church I was looking for another church and became interested in your church. Unfortunately I moved out of state due to my job before I could attend. Would love to visit when I am in Utah next.
The last church service is what I am used to, going to the LDS church is very boring for me, but I still go at times with my husband, I feel more of the spirit when I go to church where is more relaxed and the music is actually fun to hear.
Reverence is hard to experience in a more casual atmosphere in my ovservations.
It can take a lot of practice to reverently self reflect, especially for some of us but we get a lot of practice in the temple.
There's more important things at church than reverence in my opinion. Do 20 year old facing real life for the first time care how reverent their LDS ward was growing up? Does that help them make better decisions or feel lived when their life is falling apart? I don't know...
@denisegreene2530 I do know that it establishes and fosters an environment and spiritual habits that they can use to face those changes and challenges with confidence and power that would or could not have been cultivated otherwise.
Yes, I was a practicing United Methodist for the first 18-19 years of my life. I converted to Eastern Orthodoxy 11 years ago.
Beautiful!
I'm Catholic and I love our Eastern Orthodox brothers and sisters in Christ!
Our churches have so much more in common. If I weren't Catholic, I'd definitely be Orthodox.
I'm Roman but I've been attending a Byzantine Ruthenian Catholic Church for a year now.
Glory to Jesus Christ!🙏☦️❤️
@@Compulsive-Elk7103 What's the difference? How is the one any better than the other??
I love the idea of being open about interfaith worship, and have attended some of my neighbors’ services, but I always feel uncomfortable, because most of these evangelical churches have adopted Deep South, charismatic traditions. I prefer more reverence, so the Spirit can whisper truth. There are times when concerts and energy are necessary, but most of the time, religious worship should allow a space and time to ponder. Those quieter services are more effective in changing hearts and minds.
Amen 🙏 💯
Glad you've found what works for you!
We actually had a 'linger longer' at my ward (in the Seattle area) after the Sunday 2 hour block a few weeks ago with refreshments :) Many years ago when we lived in upstate NY, once a month on fast Sunday, we would break the fast together after church because of the distance people travelled to come to church.
Music: in sacrament meeting, piano, organ, stringed instruments like cello, viola, violin, and woodwinds are common. We have a harpist in our ward, as well as 2 organists, and 4 excellent pianists, a cellist and violinist, and they all play in sacrament meeting ocassionally. Hand bells are ok too. Acoustic guitar's are allowed to be plucked, but not strummed, as strumming is considered less reverent.
Yes, I've seen and heard many talented beautiful musical numbers in Sacrament meeting, and I like how we don't clap after them. Never seen a guitar there though.
I'm an evangelical violinist and have played at the ward Easter and Christmas services. I had to chuckle when you said strumming was less reverent than plucking! I wonder how David played his harp for King Saul?
@@janet-Spirit_of_the_Living_God I didn't make it up. That was literally a quote from the church handbook.
I would love to see Pastor Jeff (and Joy if she wants) go to a few Sunday School and Elders Quorum/Relief Society classes. That's where we dig into scriptural passages and doctrines; a teacher presents and the class is actively participating with comments, etc. It seems like Pastor Jeff's definition of a sermon is a cross between a prepared talk from the pulpit and a prepared lesson in a class. I'd love to see him react to a fireside or devotional too, since those are longer talks/presentations like sermons and they go in more depth than we usually have the opportunity for in sacrament meeting talks.
I've been to an LDS service before. Except for references to the Book of Mormon, there were a lot of familiar elements. We even sang a couple songs I know from my church. I think LDS people would feel more comfortable than they would expect in many Protestant services.
Yes, there were many aspects I've felt at home in Protestant churches... except overall it usually felt like a cloudy day, TBH, compared to when I go to my church, it usually feels like a sunny 4th of July. Yet they tell me my church is evil.
Haha. Protecting their flock from the Latter Day Saint comes when you begin to come regularly. Happened to me at a Baptist church. The more I came the more they prepared lessons to point out how my worship was wrong.