I notice a small detail in the difference between Congregational and Episcopal Churches, of the kind that seems to indicate far more. In Episcopal Churches, the altar and the pulpit are mostly off-limits for congregants. There is an unspoken rule that one does not enter certain areas during a service. In Congregational Churches -- at least in my personal experience -- congregants will hurry to the front to whisper something to the minister in the pulpit, send her notes during the service, or even sidle up beside him for a moment -- all done fairly discreetly however. OBSERVATION: I think it all signals different relationships -- above all, that in the Congregational Church, congregants feel like participants in what the Church is doing.
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