The Brooklyn Tabernacle - Brooklyn (NY)

5 /5 Lidia Okura: People are super nice . Love the choir and we feel always welcomed! Kids staff are amazing too , well organized and safe

5 /5 Cynthia Thomasson: We went for Sunday Worship service at 9am. It was a beautiful service and I felt the presence of God . The congregation was so friendly. The music was just spectacular and not just the Brooklyn Tabernacle choir but the whole congregation singing was so good!!! The pastor and sermon was directly from scripture and I left feeling blessed and grateful for the experience! I wish I could attend every Sunday in person but I can Live Stream it. The Tabernacle itself is a beautiful building as well! The paintings upstairs were so beautiful as well.

5 /5 Larissa Rivello: We came from Florida and decided to visit the church after seeing some videos online. From the moment my husband and I arrived, everyone was incredibly friendly and kind. From the greeters at the door to the church members who came up to us afterward to ask how we liked it. We truly felt so welcomed. The choir was amazing; I was in tears during the very first song. Pastor Jim was also wonderful, and I genuinely felt the presence of the Holy Spirit while we were there. We definitely want to come back on our next trip to the city.

5 /5 Paul Vivas: Fantastic experience, great service! First I want to say THANK YOU to Brooklyn tabernacle staff. This is a church that is so welcoming! We came here and wanted to experience a different kind of Church than the ones we had in Europe, we were also not too sure how easy it would be to get in, etc. The point about many other reviews is true, turn up early is probably a good idea. That is exactly what we did. We arrived early on a Sunday this summer we were really warmly welcomed by the staff, they actually went through the trouble of giving us so information in French (as that is our main language) which we really appreciated. I also want to comment on something, a lot of people (specially European like us) ask how you can be dressed and what is the dress code. Here I feel like saying: dress like you would for your Church in France, Spain, Germany, Switzerland etc. You would not turn up with shorts & T-shirt on a Sunday morning service. You actually dress up, which all the locals here do to. So make sure you do the same! I am saying this because I saw (on that day a few Germans & French dressed in shorts) and I was quite shocked about. Here to be noted the Church let them in (because they are nice), but those tourist were really disrespectful. I know too that people will say that in summer it is too warm & hot in NY, but what I did was carry long trouser for the service then later changed into shorts in a bar. Anyhow overall FANTASTIC experience and really appreciated the signing, sermon, the whole service in fact! Thanks again to the Team of Brooklyn Tabernacle!

1 /5 Knowing: Though the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir is nothing short of phenomenal—their voices truly elevate the spirit—the overall church experience does not feel warm or cozy. Instead, it feels more like entering a commercial cathedral than a house of worship. Visitors are ushered in with efficiency, asked to stand in line, and directed with a formality that feels more procedural than pastoral. To be fair, those greeting at the doors do offer genuinely kind and welcoming smiles, embodying the best of Christian hospitality. But this warmth is quickly overshadowed by the almost militaristic presence of security, which at times feels more like entering the White House than a church open to the weary and seeking. What is most striking—and frankly disappointing—is when leadership stands to address the congregation and explicitly invites those who are “just visiting” or “touring” to leave. It comes off not as spiritual guidance but as exclusion, especially considering how many people travel long distances just to worship, not to spectate. That moment casts a shadow over the entire service. Many visitors quietly get up and leave after such announcements, and it’s not hard to understand why. It simply doesn’t feel like the message of Christ. This raises the question: What would Jesus do? Would He draw lines between regulars and travelers? Would He see these guests as distractions or as the very people He came to reach? I can’t help but think that Jesus, with His arms wide open, would have conducted Himself—and led His congregation—very differently. I know my words may not carry much weight, especially when leadership is elevated to a level where their word is treated as final, even unquestionable. But I share these thoughts with humility, and I promise you I’m not alone. Many feel the same way but perhaps don’t have the words or the space to express it.