By J1 reporter Georgie Longo

Over the past few years, non-denominational churches, or “mega churches” have been gaining a lot of attention in the media, growing in popularity via social media and sparking debate in the religious community, especially at Marian.

Non-denominational churches pose themselves as an alternative to traditional churches by promoting community involvement and active participation during their services. They tend to replace traditional liturgy with modern music and performances and operate on a larger scale. Most churches have an active presence on social media, trying to bring in as many people online as they can. Non-denominational churches reject traditional authority and operate on their own accord and emphasize a strong community presence based on faith alone, rather than tradition and standard rules.

At Marian, junior Brooke Berry has been attending one for the past few years, initially discovering non-denominational worship through a member of her dance team at her previous school, Bennington. She now attends Stonebridge Christian church.“I just enjoy how you can kind of just experience your like faith with God through so many different ways, and we do like 30 minutes of worship in the beginning, and I’m really into it now,” she said. She attends church as a way to connect with God, and Stonebridge allows her to do this in a way that is comfortable for her saying, “Yes, they’re not as strict, but we still study the Bible and follow the scripture.”

To many, including Berry, a non-denominational church feels, “Just more comfortable and not as strict. I feel like they’re definitely reaching a lot of people through social media and the way they advertise makes it feel like everybody is welcome.”

This modern form of worship has caused some to question, including junior Ellie Prososki, “I feel like non-denominational churches are based on money, and a denominational church is more about the actual religion rather than like putting on a show and learning.” Prososki is baptized as Catholic and attends St. Gerard’s Catholic Church. She enjoys a congregation centered around tradition and believes that, “non denominational churches make religion feel like a trend.”

Non-denominational churches receive a lot of criticism due to its lack of tradition, authority, and defined statements of faith. The world is always changing, so are people’s opinions on religion. The Christian faith is no exception and continues to evolve with the modern times. While some choose to stay on the more traditional path, non-denominational churches are a reflection of the shift in the way that faith is practiced and understood today. According to Theology teacher Zach Wulburt, “At Marian, while we are a Catholic school and our liturgies are based on the Catholic faith, we support students who have different faith backgrounds and respect their religious traditions.”