What is the worst church service you have ever attended?
This question was recently posed on Twitter/X by Carlos A. Rodríguez, founder and CEO of The Happy Givers, a Puerto Rico-based nonprofit organization seeking to fight poverty. Rodríguez is known for his provocative tweets, many of which center on issues of justice.
Many followers were quick to chime in with their worst church service experiences. Some responses recounted embarrassing, if not humorous, failed attempts at cultural relevance. Others highlighted troubling patterns of abuse and politicized theology.
One person described a Christmas Eve service in which a priest preached the sermon that “consisted of standing in the pulpit with two sock puppets and having them sing Bette Midler’s ‘From a Distance’ to one another.”
“I mean…maybe not ‘the worst’ but definitely cringe,” he added.
Another person brought up a superhero-themed church play, which included the character Loki hanging Ironman on a crossbeam while singing R.E.M.’s “It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine).”
Clips from that performance have long circulated online and have become the butt of numerous jokes.
On a more serious note, someone described attending a Christmas service at the Robert Jeffress-pastored First Baptist Church in Dallas, a service that featured an appearance by former president Donald Trump and ended with chants of “U.S.A.!”
Another person described a service in which it was reported to the congregation that “the youth pastor had been caught in a ‘relationship’ with a sixteen year old in the congregation. He got on stage to repent, along with his 8mo pregnant wife who publicly stated that God would bless them for working through it.”
Social Media Users Share Their Worst Church Service Experiences
Below are some more notable responses to the prompt: “What is the worst church service you have ever attended?”
The one where the elder teaching the class talked about the “War of Northern Aggression” is the first one that comes to mind.
Ken Ham teaching about dinosaurs.
Worst church service ever attended … go:
— Carlos A. Rodríguez (@CarlosHappyNPO) August 6, 2023
