An Outsider Visits a Presbyterian Church 

Hey, that’s my dad! Love this video, thanks for coming to Lennox!

I’m Orthodox and I was very much appreciating what the pastor was saying about salvation. Talking about how the the crucifixtion and resurrection were wholly necessary for our redemption.

I was predestined to love everything you do Matt.

BEING A PRESBYTERIAN IS SOOOOOOOOOO GREAT!!!!!!! GOD BLESS THE PRESBYTERIAN PASTORS OUT THERE AND GOD BLESS TO ALL!!!!!

As a Presbyterian I’m so glad you got around to covering our denomination. The Presbyterian church has a very rich history and worthy of delving into, and the Presbyterian church has produced some of the most important theologians in Christian history (at least modern, though some could argue of all time this far)

Best video series on RU-vid.

“Ebenezer,” for me, calls to mind the wonderful old hymn “Come Thou Fount”

As a Presbyterian, this was great!

Wow, I’m speechless! I’m not from a Christian background, but recently I’ve been getting the urge to visit a church. I tried looking up churches in my area and the one closest to me is a Presbyterian church. While looking up churches around me, I also realized that there are many different kinds of churches. I stumbled across your videos a few days ago (Thursday) and I was binge watching your visits to the different kinds of churches. I remember trying to search up Presbyterian church to see if you had visited one (Friday) or if anyone else had done an in depth review/visit, but I had found none. And voila! The video I was looking for popped up on my feed right now! Haven’t watched the video yet but I’m sure it’ll be a good one!

Aeyyyy glad I got to be here earlier! Matt I’d love to interview you! I tried sending a dm on Twitter. I’ve been loving your content and recently became a patreon!

I am new to the faith and went to church for the first time yesterday. I chose the Presbyterian church in my neighborhood not knowing much about Presbyterianism but thinking it looked like a nice congregation. Everyone was so welcoming, but there is a lot more to a Presbyterian service than listening to a sermon and singing a few hymns! There are calls and responses, specific prayers said by everyone in unison and periods when the congregation stands, sits and kneels. I liked the service, but I have so much to learn.

100% on the mark. I grew up Presbyterian, it never connected with me personally. I converted to Catholicism and now can can worship our lord and savior with my heart and mind and feel his presence. Ultimate goal - Christ is our only salvation and I found that in Catholicism, my relatives have found that in Presbyterianism. I think that is the ultimate goal of all Christians. God be with you, brother.

I’m a Catholic and I love hearing about other Christians. I love what you are doing and I pray for the reunion of all Christians everyday.

As a Dutch reformed fella this was great to watch, thank you Matt!

I'm from the Presbyterian Church of India (PCI) . But Church windows , we don't decorate like that, infact is plain, simple window. But its great seeing other churches especially from the west .

I don't mind telling you, of all the ones you've done, this has my ear. I'm amazed at how they look at God, His Word and Theology. I might have to look deeper because this really speaks.

You should tour a traditional Methodist Church! Also this provided so much insight into the general over view of a PCA Church! Keep up the great work! Thank God for people like you who are kinda nerds when it comes to the different branches of theology, you even get those of us who don't really know much about the history of different traditions interested in all this super cool stuff!

FINALLY! So glad to see us Presbyterians represented! Great video!

Great as always Pastor Matt! As a member of a reformed church, I really appreciated what you said about the confessional Lutherans and the Reformed feeling the obligation and "pressure" of church history and the Reformation. Having grown up in an Evangelical church, it was something that was sorely missed.

Not Presbyterian, but reformed and Baptistic. Enjoyed this pastor's hosting your visit and answers to your questions.

This was perhaps one of the most aesthetically pleasing churches I have ever seen, Matt. You pick out the good ones for this series :)

Matt, you are really so gracious about each and every tradition that you interact with. You find the absolute best in each one. It’s a REMINDER that we should be charitable with everyone. Thanks for doing these videos.

I have really enjoyed watching this series - I grew up half Baptist (father's side) and half Catholic (mother's side), and have filtered through a number of protestant churches and have recently joined a Presbyterian church. I hope you have an episode where you talk church history, their concept of a confessional church.

On a more serious note, thanks for the video Matt. As always, appreciate the great respect and seeing the heart behind different groups' perspectives

I love how you actually came at this whole project with an open mind. I’ve watched nearly every episode in this series, and it’s so cool to see how you’re really integrating what your learn as you go and pulling it j in to this bigger understanding of Christianity and of religion and faith in general. Keep up the great work!

Always happy to see a new video drop. And as a Messianic your Saturday uploads actually help keep me focussed on Sabbath.

Matt, I love this series you’ve done. It’s a brilliant method of creating dialogue across the denominational divides. Thanks for your work towards conversation and unity.

Thanks for the video Matt! I appreciate you thanking the host and pointing out their role. It's a big responsibility to try to adequately represent the ideas of their whole church on the spot in front of thousands of people! I also appreciate you doing your best to find the most educated people that you can to represent these various denominations. I understand that it would be hard to find the right person for that in many faiths (including my own), so props to you for traveling and making a great series. Its so nice to be reminded how much we all have in common! I look forward to more videos in the future, especially if you could ever do some videos with someone from the church I attend :)

We have IC/XS/NI/KA over the sanctuary at my Catholic church. Another Catholic church about 5 miles down the road is very much in the "Ark" style, as if you were entering an enormous upturned boat.

I watched this two years ago when it released and cane back to see this church. Its really beautiful!

Matt I love what you do to point out and EXPLAIN the different views (and why they all make sense for those of us who find one or another makes sense to us). God does meet us where we are -- each of us!

Good stuff, Matt. I enjoy learning about the ideas of all believers. It is nice to know you offer a non judgmental open forum for this effort. Bless you, brother.

Really love the character and knowledge of Ethan, Seems like a great Pastor. Praise God!

I’ve been watching your videos since I discovered your channel last year, and I’ve come away feeling extremely blessed by all that you do, so thank you. I grew up in the Presbyterian tradition (in Australia), though I now go to a non-denominational church (which would probably be a bit closer to the American evangelical free tradition, but not quite as it has a baptist flavour lol). But, I’m excited to join you in your conversations with the Presbyterians (of the American flavour as I know it’s not exactly the same as the Aussie flavour - why do I keep using the word flavour? Lol), as it’s helping me to understand my childhood church traditions more. So thank you and God bless 🙏🏼

Thanks so much for talking to a Presbyterian! Been waiting years for this!

Matt because of your videos i come to understand that what ever we are doing and what ever we are building we r doing it out of the love we have for God… I think all these denominations are arguing on who loves God the most or who pleases God the most🥰🥰🥰. You are building bridges and I really appreciate it. God bless you brother.

Loved what you said about unity. Keep going with these excellent videos. Great stuff.

God, under His sovereign will, decided before the foundations of creation that Matt would be predestined to visit Lennox Ebenezer Presbyterian Church. 😉

Timothy Keller's denomination, if I'm not mistaken. Probably the most influential person on my life!

I’m excited that you’re finally visiting a Presbyterian church! Not Reformed, but I’ve always wanted to see you cover one in your fair and amicable way that you always give to everyone. Can’t wait to see the sit down talks from this visit!

Fantastic clip brotha!!!! I loved this! Thank you for doing this work and visiting all these different perspectives of Worship. Keep going! :) :) :)

I'm a presbyterian from Brazil and I love to see my denomination around the world! Thanks for the video

This was beautiful! This church exudes such reverence...it's hard to describe. I loved all of the comments of the pastor, as well. I especially liked his explanation of the EMPTY CROSS. I have never liked the Crucifix...with Jesus still hanging on the Cross. It was His Resurrection that was so powerful! Thanks for this video. I am a new subscriber to your channel and I have been "binge-watching" your videos.

I really enjoy these videos brother, thank you. Praise God!

WOW! Never in my life have I seen someone approach a matter as objectively as you do. You truly do shine a light on all the various beliefs that you encounter, all the while masterfully avoid offending anyone. You sir, really do go into these situations hungry to learn and because of it I am fascinated from all of your content that I have watched thus far.

So many similarities! Beutiful way to show how we are all brothers and sisters in Christ! I have found the most truth in my particular faith but I appreciate the opportunity to continue to search as I "practice" my faith. Thank you for your ministry, Matt!

Hey! Thanks dude. This was great. Good to see my people represented.

Great video. Thank you Pastor Ethan for sharing your church.

Another great video! Can't wait for part 2!

As always I love these series. This is close to my home. I am in Uniting Church and this denomination is part of uniting church.

I love this series of videos, love with conviction, brotherhood with differences is possible in Christ. I have learned so much and it has done much good, please keep it up.

I have been prayerfully considering which church in my area God would have me to be a part of. This video was encouraging. Looking forward to more from your channel.

What a stunning church. It is both simple and complex, rich and humble. And its minister seems like a very faithful shepherd.

loved all the information from the pastor. I a methodist at a young age, then a baptist but attend several bible studies who never mentioned their denomination but found out later they were independent Bible or Presbyterian who taught the Word verse by verse. joined serval Baptist churches but always spoke from a Reformed presprective and had very little company. finally moved to a PCA and am where my beliefs always were. thanks to a Pastor who really kept the focus on true Christianity and the Word. thanks for you probing questions.

Thank you for sharing this church. Much respect to this Paster and the congregation of believers.

Really love the connection to remind the people. That is clearly their core value and Pastor Ethan always pointed to that fact

Great job, Matt. And big thanks to Ethan. It's got to be stressful when you are kind of asked to represent an entire denomination. (I know that in my own denomination there is a WIDE spectrum of people)

Thank you. Great video. Your videos are hyper informative. Very grateful.

That was a really nice church, I have to say though, as an Orthodox Christian, it was really somewhat entertaining to me to see him sort of dance around the concept of iconography and stuff, especially with those stained glass windows (which were beautiful, by the way). It's always interesting to see reformed churches who are still relatively "high church" (comparatively speaking, anyways). Wish you could've had time to sit down and work out some theological stuff with him. I know you always do, but make sure Rev. Sayler we all appreciated the opportunity to see his church.

Ebenezer-God sovereignty directed me to that passage the morning after my daughter was stillborn. Always a poignant reminder of God’s unfailing love…even when life doesn’t make sense

Athiest, turned protestant, turned Catholic here--i really appreciate your work. Well done bro!

I'm excited. I know that I'm often uncharitable towards Calvinism and could use some learning!

Matt- you’re amazing! Great work.

I love his church shaped like the ark! And those stain glass windows 😇🥰

I am a Presbyterian and am thrilled that you visited this church. The church that I attend is not as ornate as this church but has beams on the ceiling like this one that are seem to be pointing to God. I just did not pay it any attention before, but I will from now on. I did notice that a lot of the woodwork on the walls is very similar to my church which must be their for a reason. Anyway, I really enjoyed this visit and thanks so much!

What a fabulous church! In a world full of darkness we need the light more than ever.

How beautiful this Presbyterian temple is! And the pastor, with great wisdom and education, explained everything very well. I am also a Presbyterian, I am part of the Presbyterian Church of Brazil. Founded by the American missionary, Reverend Ashbel Green Simonton, in 1862. 💚

This is exactly what I needed for my novel project. Thank you!

It might be interesting to note that there is a theory that Norwegian stave churches, medieval wooden churches, were built to look like capsized Viking boats. The tips of the church are topped with dragon heads, much like Viking ships had dragon head ornamentations on the ends.

I look forward to future videos where you explore deeper into Presbyterianism. Please remember, there are branches of the Presbyterian church that do differ on key points. Whether PCA, Orthodox Presbyterian, PCUSA, EPC, etc. you will find general similarities but some specific differences that may surprise you. Please remind your audience that this is but one view of Presbyterianism. Thanks a lot for your content!

Love your comments about different expressions of Christianity!!!

Thanks bro, loved this episode!

Good video. I like seeing a Pastor who is willing to explain why they believe what they believe instead of pointing and saying they are right and you are wrong. When you begin to witness by telling someone they are wrong then you loose the witness right away.

Good old Press Button B’s 😊 my church although I use a Lutheran Church now because there are no Presbyterians in my new country. Good bless all, Ian

I like the stained glass windows a lot, very unique yet reverent style. I wouldn't expect them from a Reformed church.

the architecture reminds me of a medieval catholic parish church, and that speech about it being an ark is actually quite fitting, the space which he was referring to is called the nave, which means ship. I definately see a lot of echoes of Catholicism in that church, the art was especially evocative of that, it shows how close our traditions are, i remember reading a Presbyterian service book and being amazed at how close what i was reading was to the roman missal, many of the basic prayers and structure being the same. And the theology he had of salvation seemed related to our theory of salvation which ultimately goes back to anselm, although obviously there are stark contrasts, and the Presbyterian theory is in reaction to the catholic one. thank you for this series, it has really got me to think about the connections between me and other christians

Oooh, my denomination! I really love all of these church tours.

I really like how you focus on what makes us ONE in Him! You're taking all the things we as Christians have in common and showing them to us, the viewer, to remind us that as Christians, we are ONE in Him. I like what pastor Ethan said, '...the pastor's job is to remind us who we are and satan just wants to steal our identity...' There is a divisive spirit who wants us to focus on the things we don't have in common (stealing our identity) and you (Matt) are reminding us who (and Who's) we are...that we are ONE in Him together as the body of Christ, just as Jesus and the Father and the Spirit are ONE (St. John 17 20-23). "How good and how pleasant it is, when brothers dwell together as one!" (PSALM 133:1) Btw...cool trivia about the name Ebeneser. I always wondered what that meant in the song, "Here I raise my Ebenezer..." (Come Thou Font Of Every Blessing) and could not get past the only reference I had to the name, Ebeneser Scrooge (produced kinda a funny image in my mind)...makes you wonder, was Dickens trying to say that the protagonist in his Christmas Carol story was a stone of a man, yet even he was not beyond the grace of God (Spirit of Christmas), finding salvation he became the help of God (Eben-Ezer) to others in need? Here I raise my Ebenezer | Here by Thy great help I've come | And I hope by Thy good pleasure | Safely to arrive at home

I am a non denominational Christian and I really like the "ark" look of this church. I think that the theological implications of having church in an ark like structure is awesome and a genius idea!

Was raised Presbyterian but honestly haven't really heard all the details of their beliefs spelled out. This is informative and really interesting to understand the reasoning behind their practices! I will likely be converting to Orthodoxy soon, but this is so helpful in explaining my own background to give priests more context to work with.

Its a beautiful building- thanks for sharing

This is exactly what I love about these videos. We so often learn that we have something beautiful in common: We love Jesus! We may have differences in the way we express it, but that's ok!

As a South African Presby Minister , this was a pleasure to watch, thank you and thank you to the Rev.

Thank you for doing these videos. It's nice for the Christian community to get to know each other better. To appreciate the differences.

love this channel

Matt, you are a thing. Pastors should want to talk with you. You answer questions I never even thought about

Matt, not sure if you have ever visited a Christian and Missionary Alliance Church yet. I am a church pianist/keyboardist. Raised Baptist and Pentecostal. I have played for many churches. I spent about five years in a Christian and Missionary Alliance Church (CMA). This group has an absolutely fascinating history. Started by a Presbyterian minister that had became disenchanted with his Presbyterian congregation, when they protested his efforts to evangelize emigrants coming in to NY. Kind of a big umbrella theology. Famed author, A.W. Tozer was a CMA pastor.

Very interesting I love How this minister Explained The reformed faith . This is exactly how I would explain my belief in Christ

Thanks Matt, for acknowledging us…Joe and Linda Ha

I grew up at a korean Presbyterian Church in Dallas. The stain glass windows, choir and the organ is what I think of church. Right now, I'm just attending any local church (regardless of the denomination). I think I identify more non-denominational. It overwhelms me of which church to pick just because of the denomination. Thank you for educating the public on all the Christian denominations!

I grew up Presbyterian, now Catholic. Really enjoyed this video, especially your commentary on simple versus elaborate decoration. To clarify, Catholics do not do anything to try to impress God, it is all about worship of God. God bless!!!

Thank you so much for the series! Once again, I enjoyed this video And the perspective that it brings. I also got kind of excited because I live about an hour away from Lennox, South Dakota. I also have often wondered about that particular design style in churches because I see it frequently and churches in this area of the Midwest. I’ve often wondered if, at the time these churches were built, there was a major company or supplier that supplied beams like that. In my own town, several churches have very similar designs to the church in this video, and they are from A variety of denominations. In my small town of 10,000, there is a Presbyterian Church, Baptist Church, Methodist church, and reformed Church of America with a very similar design to the Lennox Ebeneezer Presbyterian Church. So I don’t know if it was a theological decision or an engineering and supply decision, but I’ve always wondered. Once again, thanks for the videos, and I look forward to seeing more.

Hi there. Im 38 years old and only just found my way to the Lord about 18 months ago. Its been hard with covid and not being able to physically attend church here in Australia, i currently am a member of a Pentacostal church. But i have been watching your videos lately to see what else is out there and have found them very helpful. So many denominations wich gets overwhelming as a new christian but i will know which one i belong when i feel it more passionatly i guess. Dont get me wrong i do like my church and its members are all lovely, friendly and welcoming but i just cant get around the whole speaking in tongues and the slain in the spirit processes. Just very strange to me. I will keep studying my bible and God will show me the way and where i belong. Thanks for the great videos guys.. 🙏👍

As a Presbyterian, I thank you. I appreciate your non judgment. We have specific things that mean a lot to us.

He sure puts a lot of significance on those beams. I thought there was just a sale on them in the 1970's. There were a lot of churches built that way.

Thank you for enriching our lives

Two things have struck me in this series. 1. If I'm traveling and want to worship somewhere I know enough of some of these other churches that I can worship with them. 2. I'm continually amazed that we all have the same book but have come to such different conclusions as how to act out our faith. Thanks for doing these dig into the trenches videis!!!

Glad you were able to visit a Reformed church!! I thought that was funny with the images of Christ as well. What’s interesting about the Reformed tradition during the Reformation is that it took place in many different places and some things weren’t exactly the same. I’m sure your interview will cover these things but images of Christ, holy days, exclusive psalmody vs inclusive hymnody were areas where not all of the Reformed tradition was 100% agreed upon. They may have to bar up those windows if some VERY Puritan minded Reformed show up haha Looking forward to the interviews. I hope the discussion on the sacraments gets into our use of sign and seal terminology. Anyways I love the Church catholic and pray daily for MORE unity. God bless!

Fun Fact: John Knox, *early* Presbyterian, whitewashed the interior of Edinburgh Cathedral and got rid of ALL the fancy stuff, Icons, etc. I find it interesting / funny that Presbyterians started as "back to basics", and now are more "high churchy".

I came to be Presbyterian about 3 years ago at my local OPC after a few years in a nondenominational church . The ordinary means of grace are extraordinary 😉