This is ABSOLUTELY fascinating. I do feel like there’s a global move of the Spirit to bring the body of Christ back to liturgy. I have also found myself more drawn to Catholicism in the last three years as God has developed my friendships with Catholic friends. I still identify as Evangelical, but I am more invested in understanding liturgy and the sacraments than I’ve ever been.
This is an incredibly well-written, well-researched, and insightful piece, Madison. Thank you!
Thank you so much, Christina! I entirely agree. In the back of my mind, I’ve been thinking of this as a move of the Spirit (I keep finding myself in what feels like divinely appointed conversations about Catholicism) but I’ve been hesitant to use that language preemptively. I’m glad to hear I’m not alone in that feeling!
I've also noticed this trend, but thought it might just be because I consume Catholic media. It's cool to think that there truly is a trend of people coming towards Tradition!
There really is a movement it feels like! I don’t think there is enough data that’s covered it to say for sure but I would not be surprised if dioceses have another record year in baptisms and converts!
Also considering I attend a small Baptist university in Alabama, having such great multitudes of people interested in the faith feels like it says something!
I've also seen the trend towards high-church and a return to tradition in my Baptist spheres. For me, I appreciate the reverence in more high church and orthodox services. There are so many things in life saying I'm the number one priority, so when I go to church, I want to be reminded that it's God who is important.
Subscribing and looking forward to more! This was exactly my experience—feeling like I was all alone in turning to the Church only to find that it’s happening all over. I’ll be saving this to share with those just beginning the journey home. Thank you!
Thank you, Eric! I found your Substack a few months ago and enjoyed reading parts of your story. It truly is an amazing and freeing moment when you realize you are not alone in this journey!
I remember last year being surprised when asking a guy reading a philosophy book if he’d heard of Aquinas and he said yes. Also that he’d been thinking of RCIA and started attending the Latin Mass—but was a student at a local Assemblies of God college! I was astounded because with the sad restrictions on the Latin Mass nowadays, I didn’t expect an outsider to be able to find it! We talked and hung out thereafter. He is now moved back home on the east coast and is going to take instructions from the FSSP (a Latin Mass order of priests).
I myself am a convert to Catholicism from Pentecostalism and a brief flirtation with Anglicanism.
Good on you, sis. Thanks for sharing this. My own journey from non denominationalism into the Anglican priesthood kicked off properly in college as well!
Keep on praying and searching and then, whichever communion you end up in, remain a voice for the ecumenical movement. There’s truly been a crazy amount of progress made in interfaith dialogue in the last century.
I'm one of the ones who converted from a Calvinistic form of Protestantism to Catholicism. I thought of myself as an evangelical. I went to a Protestant college and grad school. Your post moved me to reflect yet again on why I did it.
I was dissatisfied with the fissiparous nature of Protestantism. All claimed to follow the Bible, but none could agree on what it meant. Some in my denomination were all for abortion etc. There was a sense that faith was equated with emotion, but you can't keep a permanent emotional high.
In looking at Catholicism I had the usual misconceptions. They worship Mary, evil Popes etc. Yet I was well aware that Protestants had sinful clergy and the Reformers were not all that saintly. Protestants had no problems finding idols, other then Mary, to worship. So, it took time to divest myself of my prejudices and mindset. I must be slow, it took me eight years lol.
I began to read the Church Fathers and Church history. That helped me see the continuity of the Church. It didn't skip from 100 AD to 1500 AD. I learned about the art, poetry, literature, music, and beauty that I had missed. I learned how the canon of the Bible was set by this same Church. I learned that Catholics don't worship Mary as some kind of goddess. I learned about monasticism and contemplative prayer. It opened up a whole new world.
Most of all I encountered the Eucharist. Yes, there are poorly done Masses. However, I found in the Mass a liturgical form of worship that fed my soul. The early Christians were Eucharistic Christians and I wanted to receive the Eucharist. They believed it was the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ. When I studied and prayed I came to believe that too. Then it was only a matter of time.
The Church has many many many problems right now. Don't kid yourself. However, so did Israel at many points of their history and God remained with them. He does so with his Catholic Church. Conversion, both individual and corporate, is a life long process. I am so glad I became a Catholic. My parish is solid. Mass is done by the book, sermons are orthodox, we have adoration and devotions. The church is relatively modern, but has been nicely decorated and is attractive. I am blessed. There are many resources out there, Catholic Answers is a good one. I hope that others will consider the Catholic Church and find the joy that I have found in following Jesus as a Catholic.
I began attending an Anglican Church in early 2021. I was confirmed later in the year. I had been Baptist most of my life. I initially began attending out of curiosity. My Baptist church had closed its doors after many tumultuous years of struggling. I was immediately impressed with the respectful and honoring service at the Anglican Church. No one argues about worship style. The emphasis during worship is not the pastor’s sermon. The focus is Jesus Christ.
One more interesting shift is Protestants to Anglicans to Catholics. For many Protestants leaving the evangelical churches, Anglicanism is more a way station than a permanent home and they eventually find their way to Rome. I asked an Anglican bishop once why someone would stop at Canterbury and not just go on over the Tiber. His answer was, "I don't know."
I love this. thank you. Falling into the hands of the living God is transformative indeed. it gives me hope that so many young people are seeking something more in their relationship with God.
Great article! Cool to hear you’re very interested in Catholicism. I converted intellectually in 2018 though it took a few years for me to actually join and I was confirmed in Easter of ‘22.
Since converting I feel like the robustness of Protestant responses to Catholicism have increased, spearheaded by Gavin Ortlund, although I believe Jordan Cooper is actually the best on these topics.
Have you encountered any of their responses, and, if so, do you think they present a real challenge to someone in the process of investigating Catholicism? My post-conversion impression is that the arguments are convincing enough to keep some people Protestant, but not strong enough to actually convert someone away from Catholicism or Orthodoxy. More like stemming the tide than winning any converts.
I am familiar with Gavin Ortlund and have watched quite a few of his videos. Personally, I have often found his videos to be a “valid” response to Catholic teaching but at the same time not as strong of an actual argument when posed against Catholic teaching. It’s actually the lack of strength I’ve seen on the Protestant side in response to Catholic doctrine that I think makes it all the more convincing. I’m not familiar with Jordan Cooper though! I will have to look him up.
My husband and I gradually found our way from a childhood of non-denom churches to the Anglican/Episcopal church for similar reasons. Though I’m a firm believer God is found in the most ordinary of places, there’s something really other-worldly about the sensory experience in high liturgies with symbolic colors, chants, and incense. Mixed with a rich, expansive theology it draws the eyes and heart “up” in a way I haven’t experienced in other spaces. We haven’t looked back.
(May also be worth noting the Episcopal church is Anglican. Episcopalians are simply the American expression of the Anglican Communion.)
And I differentiated between the two since there is the ACNA (the Anglican Church of North America) and the PECUSA (Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States), but I appreciate the clarification!
That particular distinction is helpful, but it’s perhaps more interesting to note ACNA is not officially recognized by the global Anglican Communion like the Episcopal Church is. It opens up a larger conversation on what it means to be Anglican and who, from a numbers standpoint, gets tallied where. ACNA might have grown a couple percentage points, but numbers on Anglicanism in the US as a whole have dropped, or at least plateaued. As someone who has participated in both groups, and as a person interested in how folks choose churches, this all so fascinating. I look forward to more research on this! (I also recommend the work of Dr. Gina Zurlo and Dr. Todd Johnson via the World Christian Database!)
We converted to the ACNA in May of 2023 after lifelong membership in nondenominational mega churches. The three main reasons you offered were EXACTLY why we left!
I'm not surprised (but very impressed) by your article. I'm going through the discernment process to be an Anglican priest in the UK and many of the younger applicants grew up in nondenom churches and are now very high church. It may be with noting though that Anglican worldwide come in many flavors and can be high church or low church. The Anglican church I grew up in was super simple, no candies, no robes, worship songs with a band, conservative theology and lots of use of charismatic gifts in the service. The one I'm in now is very different and has robing, sung liturgy, preaching on the lectionary and socially liberal theology. If you go to a truly high church Anglican church you'll get all the incense, bells and Marian veneration of a Catholic Mass. It's just a different authority structure. Just thought you should be aware of the breadth of Anglican expression since this topic interests you.
Thank you so much! And thank you for noting the differences! I must admit I am not deeply familiar with the Anglican Church so these differences are wonderful to know!
Thank you! I am familiar with the wide variety of expression within the Anglican church. Funnily enough, our parish is a mix of both high and low church elements, as it was originally birthed out of the Vineyard Church movement from California. We have a worship band and a pastor with tattoos, but also sung liturgy, preaching on the lectionary, and prayers of the people. I've visited others that are much more traditional and it's fascinating to see the variation in style but unity in identity as someone who grew up going to churches that were as dissimilar from one another in every way but Jesus.
That's really interesting, Wendi. Is that in the UK or the US? I know there are vineyard churches in the UK and they influenced some Anglican too. It depends somewhat on the UK if you're in a city or village context. The village churches often include more styles whereas the city churches "specialize"more as people are more likely to"shop around"
In the U.S. I live near Atlanta, Georgia. Our pastor spent a lot of time in the U.K. which influenced much of his conversion to Anglicanism, as well as the church’s shift that followed.
Another plus of high-church churches: Things aren't as dependent on a personality. When your deep desires are met by words that can come from the mouth of any ordained priest - "I absolve you, " "This is my body," - and sometimes that priest's face is hidden because he's facing toward God or behind an iconostasis, then his sin and defects don't tend to sink the whole ship for you, devastating and evil as they may be.
Interesting article with just-as-interesting statistics. I was raised as a Lutheran, converted to Non-denominational as an adult, and left that church 10 years ago. I’ve dabbled with going Methodist but currently am not attending church. I’ve begun a practice of contemplation and meditation that feeds my Spirit more than churches seem to. However, I’ve contemplated attending the Catholic Church near me so this resonates.
My question for you is this - do you feel the newfound willingness to attend the Catholic Church has anything to do with the current Pope? I absolutely admire Pope Francis and his stance on social and global issues, and he is without a doubt one reason I’ve considered attending mass. I also agree with the reasons you’ve stated as well.
This is ABSOLUTELY fascinating. I do feel like there’s a global move of the Spirit to bring the body of Christ back to liturgy. I have also found myself more drawn to Catholicism in the last three years as God has developed my friendships with Catholic friends. I still identify as Evangelical, but I am more invested in understanding liturgy and the sacraments than I’ve ever been.
This is an incredibly well-written, well-researched, and insightful piece, Madison. Thank you!
Thank you so much, Christina! I entirely agree. In the back of my mind, I’ve been thinking of this as a move of the Spirit (I keep finding myself in what feels like divinely appointed conversations about Catholicism) but I’ve been hesitant to use that language preemptively. I’m glad to hear I’m not alone in that feeling!
I've also noticed this trend, but thought it might just be because I consume Catholic media. It's cool to think that there truly is a trend of people coming towards Tradition!
There really is a movement it feels like! I don’t think there is enough data that’s covered it to say for sure but I would not be surprised if dioceses have another record year in baptisms and converts!
Also considering I attend a small Baptist university in Alabama, having such great multitudes of people interested in the faith feels like it says something!
I've also seen the trend towards high-church and a return to tradition in my Baptist spheres. For me, I appreciate the reverence in more high church and orthodox services. There are so many things in life saying I'm the number one priority, so when I go to church, I want to be reminded that it's God who is important.
Subscribing and looking forward to more! This was exactly my experience—feeling like I was all alone in turning to the Church only to find that it’s happening all over. I’ll be saving this to share with those just beginning the journey home. Thank you!
Thank you, Eric! I found your Substack a few months ago and enjoyed reading parts of your story. It truly is an amazing and freeing moment when you realize you are not alone in this journey!
I remember last year being surprised when asking a guy reading a philosophy book if he’d heard of Aquinas and he said yes. Also that he’d been thinking of RCIA and started attending the Latin Mass—but was a student at a local Assemblies of God college! I was astounded because with the sad restrictions on the Latin Mass nowadays, I didn’t expect an outsider to be able to find it! We talked and hung out thereafter. He is now moved back home on the east coast and is going to take instructions from the FSSP (a Latin Mass order of priests).
I myself am a convert to Catholicism from Pentecostalism and a brief flirtation with Anglicanism.
Good on you, sis. Thanks for sharing this. My own journey from non denominationalism into the Anglican priesthood kicked off properly in college as well!
Keep on praying and searching and then, whichever communion you end up in, remain a voice for the ecumenical movement. There’s truly been a crazy amount of progress made in interfaith dialogue in the last century.
And more to come, I’m sure (and I pray)!
I'm one of the ones who converted from a Calvinistic form of Protestantism to Catholicism. I thought of myself as an evangelical. I went to a Protestant college and grad school. Your post moved me to reflect yet again on why I did it.
I was dissatisfied with the fissiparous nature of Protestantism. All claimed to follow the Bible, but none could agree on what it meant. Some in my denomination were all for abortion etc. There was a sense that faith was equated with emotion, but you can't keep a permanent emotional high.
In looking at Catholicism I had the usual misconceptions. They worship Mary, evil Popes etc. Yet I was well aware that Protestants had sinful clergy and the Reformers were not all that saintly. Protestants had no problems finding idols, other then Mary, to worship. So, it took time to divest myself of my prejudices and mindset. I must be slow, it took me eight years lol.
I began to read the Church Fathers and Church history. That helped me see the continuity of the Church. It didn't skip from 100 AD to 1500 AD. I learned about the art, poetry, literature, music, and beauty that I had missed. I learned how the canon of the Bible was set by this same Church. I learned that Catholics don't worship Mary as some kind of goddess. I learned about monasticism and contemplative prayer. It opened up a whole new world.
Most of all I encountered the Eucharist. Yes, there are poorly done Masses. However, I found in the Mass a liturgical form of worship that fed my soul. The early Christians were Eucharistic Christians and I wanted to receive the Eucharist. They believed it was the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ. When I studied and prayed I came to believe that too. Then it was only a matter of time.
The Church has many many many problems right now. Don't kid yourself. However, so did Israel at many points of their history and God remained with them. He does so with his Catholic Church. Conversion, both individual and corporate, is a life long process. I am so glad I became a Catholic. My parish is solid. Mass is done by the book, sermons are orthodox, we have adoration and devotions. The church is relatively modern, but has been nicely decorated and is attractive. I am blessed. There are many resources out there, Catholic Answers is a good one. I hope that others will consider the Catholic Church and find the joy that I have found in following Jesus as a Catholic.
I began attending an Anglican Church in early 2021. I was confirmed later in the year. I had been Baptist most of my life. I initially began attending out of curiosity. My Baptist church had closed its doors after many tumultuous years of struggling. I was immediately impressed with the respectful and honoring service at the Anglican Church. No one argues about worship style. The emphasis during worship is not the pastor’s sermon. The focus is Jesus Christ.
One more interesting shift is Protestants to Anglicans to Catholics. For many Protestants leaving the evangelical churches, Anglicanism is more a way station than a permanent home and they eventually find their way to Rome. I asked an Anglican bishop once why someone would stop at Canterbury and not just go on over the Tiber. His answer was, "I don't know."
This is a great synthesis of what’s happening in the Church.
I love this. thank you. Falling into the hands of the living God is transformative indeed. it gives me hope that so many young people are seeking something more in their relationship with God.
Great article! Cool to hear you’re very interested in Catholicism. I converted intellectually in 2018 though it took a few years for me to actually join and I was confirmed in Easter of ‘22.
Since converting I feel like the robustness of Protestant responses to Catholicism have increased, spearheaded by Gavin Ortlund, although I believe Jordan Cooper is actually the best on these topics.
Have you encountered any of their responses, and, if so, do you think they present a real challenge to someone in the process of investigating Catholicism? My post-conversion impression is that the arguments are convincing enough to keep some people Protestant, but not strong enough to actually convert someone away from Catholicism or Orthodoxy. More like stemming the tide than winning any converts.
I am familiar with Gavin Ortlund and have watched quite a few of his videos. Personally, I have often found his videos to be a “valid” response to Catholic teaching but at the same time not as strong of an actual argument when posed against Catholic teaching. It’s actually the lack of strength I’ve seen on the Protestant side in response to Catholic doctrine that I think makes it all the more convincing. I’m not familiar with Jordan Cooper though! I will have to look him up.
My husband and I gradually found our way from a childhood of non-denom churches to the Anglican/Episcopal church for similar reasons. Though I’m a firm believer God is found in the most ordinary of places, there’s something really other-worldly about the sensory experience in high liturgies with symbolic colors, chants, and incense. Mixed with a rich, expansive theology it draws the eyes and heart “up” in a way I haven’t experienced in other spaces. We haven’t looked back.
(May also be worth noting the Episcopal church is Anglican. Episcopalians are simply the American expression of the Anglican Communion.)
I totally agree God can be found in the ordinary!
And I differentiated between the two since there is the ACNA (the Anglican Church of North America) and the PECUSA (Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States), but I appreciate the clarification!
That particular distinction is helpful, but it’s perhaps more interesting to note ACNA is not officially recognized by the global Anglican Communion like the Episcopal Church is. It opens up a larger conversation on what it means to be Anglican and who, from a numbers standpoint, gets tallied where. ACNA might have grown a couple percentage points, but numbers on Anglicanism in the US as a whole have dropped, or at least plateaued. As someone who has participated in both groups, and as a person interested in how folks choose churches, this all so fascinating. I look forward to more research on this! (I also recommend the work of Dr. Gina Zurlo and Dr. Todd Johnson via the World Christian Database!)
We converted to the ACNA in May of 2023 after lifelong membership in nondenominational mega churches. The three main reasons you offered were EXACTLY why we left!
I'm not surprised (but very impressed) by your article. I'm going through the discernment process to be an Anglican priest in the UK and many of the younger applicants grew up in nondenom churches and are now very high church. It may be with noting though that Anglican worldwide come in many flavors and can be high church or low church. The Anglican church I grew up in was super simple, no candies, no robes, worship songs with a band, conservative theology and lots of use of charismatic gifts in the service. The one I'm in now is very different and has robing, sung liturgy, preaching on the lectionary and socially liberal theology. If you go to a truly high church Anglican church you'll get all the incense, bells and Marian veneration of a Catholic Mass. It's just a different authority structure. Just thought you should be aware of the breadth of Anglican expression since this topic interests you.
Thank you so much! And thank you for noting the differences! I must admit I am not deeply familiar with the Anglican Church so these differences are wonderful to know!
Thank you! I am familiar with the wide variety of expression within the Anglican church. Funnily enough, our parish is a mix of both high and low church elements, as it was originally birthed out of the Vineyard Church movement from California. We have a worship band and a pastor with tattoos, but also sung liturgy, preaching on the lectionary, and prayers of the people. I've visited others that are much more traditional and it's fascinating to see the variation in style but unity in identity as someone who grew up going to churches that were as dissimilar from one another in every way but Jesus.
That's really interesting, Wendi. Is that in the UK or the US? I know there are vineyard churches in the UK and they influenced some Anglican too. It depends somewhat on the UK if you're in a city or village context. The village churches often include more styles whereas the city churches "specialize"more as people are more likely to"shop around"
In the U.S. I live near Atlanta, Georgia. Our pastor spent a lot of time in the U.K. which influenced much of his conversion to Anglicanism, as well as the church’s shift that followed.
Another plus of high-church churches: Things aren't as dependent on a personality. When your deep desires are met by words that can come from the mouth of any ordained priest - "I absolve you, " "This is my body," - and sometimes that priest's face is hidden because he's facing toward God or behind an iconostasis, then his sin and defects don't tend to sink the whole ship for you, devastating and evil as they may be.
Interesting article with just-as-interesting statistics. I was raised as a Lutheran, converted to Non-denominational as an adult, and left that church 10 years ago. I’ve dabbled with going Methodist but currently am not attending church. I’ve begun a practice of contemplation and meditation that feeds my Spirit more than churches seem to. However, I’ve contemplated attending the Catholic Church near me so this resonates.
My question for you is this - do you feel the newfound willingness to attend the Catholic Church has anything to do with the current Pope? I absolutely admire Pope Francis and his stance on social and global issues, and he is without a doubt one reason I’ve considered attending mass. I also agree with the reasons you’ve stated as well.