Can Folks Afford to Join Your Church?

[Judas Maccabeus]

Are you suggesting that the only reason the ultra-conservative churches require dark colors is because "that's the way we've always done it?"

Yup. Along with a bajillion other things that don't makes sense, but no one will speak up.

And your source of knowledge on that is:
Official church publications?
Messages preached and topics taught in these churches?
Teaching heard at church-sponsored Bible schools?
Personal discussion with bishops, ministers, or deacons of these churches?
Other?

I don't get this "black car" stuff. I am an NMB who has joined a "Moderate Conservative " church, and I have never heard any mention of car color. No two look alike, and the only mention of choosing cars I have ever heard is how good of a deal it was. Frugality trumps color, even if color was a consideration to begin with.

J.M.

[gcdonner]

I don't get this "black car" stuff. I am an NMB who has joined a "Moderate Conservative " church, and I have never heard any mention of car color. No two look alike, and the only mention of choosing cars I have ever heard is how good of a deal it was. Frugality trumps color, even if color was a consideration to begin with.
J.M.

It is a special issue amongst the Horning Mennonites, also called the Black Bumper Mennonites. Some other groups require only that you have a dark colored group and then like the ever widening circle it gets more permissive as the ring sweeps.

[ShantyShaker]

I don't get this "black car" stuff. I am an NMB who has joined a "Moderate Conservative " church, and I have never heard any mention of car color. No two look alike, and the only mention of choosing cars I have ever heard is how good of a deal it was. Frugality trumps color, even if color was a consideration to begin with.

J.M.

I grew up with black Sunday vehicles, and I know the history of why black was the chosen color when they first allowed cars. But to me it makes no sense anymore, because if they buy a Sunday vehicle of another color, - they spend up to $2,000.00+ to get it painted black to meet the church guidelines.
In light of that, I couldn't have justified buying our last two vehicles because in my opinion they weren't worth spending that kind of money on in paint as they were both quite high milage and the current paint was sufficient to keep it from premature rust.
Just my observation.

[gcdonner]

I don't get this "black car" stuff. I am an NMB who has joined a "Moderate Conservative " church, and I have never heard any mention of car color. No two look alike, and the only mention of choosing cars I have ever heard is how good of a deal it was. Frugality trumps color, even if color was a consideration to begin with.

J.M.

I grew up with black Sunday vehicles, and I know the history of why black was the chosen color when they first allowed cars. But to me it makes no sense anymore, because if they buy a Sunday vehicle of another color, - they spend up to $2,000.00+ to get it painted black to meet the church guidelines.
In light of that, I couldn't have justified buying our last two vehicles because in my opinion they weren't worth spending that kind of money on in paint as they were both quite high milage and the current paint was sufficient to keep it from premature rust.
Just my observation.

The only time that I was chided about color, I started to paint my vehicle with spray cans. We left that church before I got beyond the hood...

[Judas Maccabeus]

I don't get this "black car" stuff. I am an NMB who has joined a "Moderate Conservative " church, and I have never heard any mention of car color. No two look alike, and the only mention of choosing cars I have ever heard is how good of a deal it was. Frugality trumps color, even if color was a consideration to begin with.
J.M.

It is a special issue amongst the Horning Mennonites, also called the Black Bumper Mennonites. Some other groups require only that you have a dark colored group and then like the ever widening circle it gets more permissive as the ring sweeps.

Yes, I know this, but anyone in an Old Order group like Weaverland (Horning) would not be on the internet to begin with. Also does not apply to work trucks, if my understanding is correct. It's not that big of a group, and the OP was about someone going a Nationwide church being asked to switch cars, which is news to me. The one thing I have noted in my more conservative brethren is that they remove radios. Good luck on that if they happen to buy a Mitsubishi crossover. Car won't run at all.

BTW It is my understanding they don't paint bumpers any more.

J.M.

[ken_sylvania]

The only time that I was chided about color, I started to paint my vehicle with spray cans. We left that church before I got beyond the hood...

How long did that take? And what did they all have to say about your chosen method of adjusting your vehicle's color?

[ken_sylvania]

Yes, I know this, but anyone in an Old Order group like Weaverland (Horning) would not be on the internet to begin with.

Weaverland seems to allow internet for at least business use. The split last year (or maybe the year before) was at least in part a rejection by some of the allowance of internet and smart-phones.

Also does not apply to work trucks, if my understanding is correct. It's not that big of a group, and the OP was about someone going a Nationwide church being asked to switch cars, which is news to me. The one thing I have noted in my more conservative brethren is that they remove radios.

If you take anything other that a black vehicle to some of the most conservative of the Mennonite Brotherhood (subgroup of Nationwide) churches, you can expect your ride to stand out like a sore thumb. Not necessarily the case among nearly all of the Nationwide churches though.

Good luck on that if they happen to buy a Mitsubishi crossover. Car won't run at all.

SUVs and crossovers seem to be scarce among EPMC, and I would have thought they aren't favored by the most ultra-conservative Nationwide either, but don't have data on that.

[Wade]

Yes, I know this, but anyone in an Old Order group like Weaverland (Horning) would not be on the internet to begin with.

Weaverland seems to allow internet for at least business use. The split last year (or maybe the year before) was at least in part a rejection by some of the allowance of internet and smart-phones.

Also does not apply to work trucks, if my understanding is correct. It's not that big of a group, and the OP was about someone going a Nationwide church being asked to switch cars, which is news to me. The one thing I have noted in my more conservative brethren is that they remove radios.

If you take anything other that a black vehicle to some of the most conservative of the Mennonite Brotherhood (subgroup of Nationwide) churches, you can expect your ride to stand out like a sore thumb. Not necessarily the case among nearly all of the Nationwide churches though.

Good luck on that if they happen to buy a Mitsubishi crossover. Car won't run at all.

SUVs and crossovers seem to be scarce among EPMC, and I would have thought they aren't favored by the most ultra-conservative Nationwide either, but don't have data on that.

When we were attending a Nationwide church the deacon mentioned about not liking our SUV. I said it was free and we had no money for anything else. He said that it would be fine if we were to become members as long as the next vehicle after would be different. It was the oldest and highest mileage vehicle in the church parking lot as far as I knew. He seemed reasonable about it.

[gcdonner]

The only time that I was chided about color, I started to paint my vehicle with spray cans. We left that church before I got beyond the hood...

How long did that take? And what did they all have to say about your chosen method of adjusting your vehicle's color?

They were happy that I was making the effort, especially since it was only our second visit to that church. It would have been a challenge doing a whole van... The main reason I didn't get any further at the time was that I could afford to buy anymore cans of paint. We lived on a serious budget and even visiting the church was outside our budget, but we were trusting the Lord to help us. He did, but not at that church...

[Haystack]

When we were attending a Nationwide church the deacon mentioned about not liking our SUV. I said it was free and we had no money for anything else. He said that it would be fine if we were to become members as long as the next vehicle after would be different. It was the oldest and highest mileage vehicle in the church parking lot as far as I knew. He seemed reasonable about it.

Did he not like it because it was a SUV or for another reason?