Church in a Bar?

I just heard about it on the news.  A new church in Cleveland, Gateway Church, has launched by meeting in a comedy club.  Their target audience is urban professionals, and they wanted to meet them where they are at. 

I truly hope this works for them!  If they will hold unswervingly to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I am sure that it will thrive.  15 years ago, the church I am now the minster of met in a bar.  They rented a VFW (or something similar) hall, and had to clean off the bar before having church each Sunday morning.  I can’t tell you the number of men that I have talked to who used to belly up to that bar, and are now serving God faithfully at OCC!  Even the owners of the building came to know Christ throught the ministry of Ontario Christian Church, and when they passed away, they sold parts of the property and gave part to the church.  That building is still on our property, but has been completely remodeled to now hold a fellowship hall and classrooms.

Jesus certainly had dinner in some strange places.  I don’t think that people thought too much about that meal that he had at Matthew’s house after calling him from his tax collector’s booth.  His only friends were theives and prostitutes, and Jesus was questioned about this.  If only we could all be having a greater interest and presence in our communities.  Not all of our churches would do well in bars, but again, if God is for it, nothing is going to stop it!

I still remember Mike Breaux talking about eating lunch in a bar, and taking a lot of slack for it, but he ended up having great discussions about God and church with those who gathered in that bar. 

 Let’s not move all our churches to bars though…I would strongly recommend that recovering alcoholics stay away from a church in a bar!

No Crosses?

    I’m not real sure what to do with this!  This week my wife was at McDonald’s in the play place, and she got to talking to a few of the moms sitting there.  Now, my wife is an incredibly smart woman, and she will hold off on telling people that I am a minister as long as possible so that she can have a real conversation.  If you are in ministry, you know that as soon as people hear you are a preacher, the dynamics completely change, and most people quit being themselves. 

     Somehow, without really bringing it up herself, she got to talking to these ladies about church.  One of these ladies was really struggling with where to go to church.  Her family had tried a few churches, but had various (legitimate) issues with most of them.  One of her issues with a popular church in our area has me a little concerned.  In the visitor pack for this church, she said that there was a whole section about the cross.  It said that it might be noticed that there are no crosses anywhere in the building.  They said that the cross has a tendency to make people feel uncomfortable, and since they are trying to bring in the unchurched, they don’t want anything that will make people feel uncomfortable.

     I kind of wanted to say, “Well Duh!”  I am pretty sure I heard some smart guy who wrote a bunch of stuff in a book say that the cross of Christ is foolishness to those who are perishing. (1 Corinthians 1:20)  Of course it will make an unbeliever feel uncomfortable, but that is what it is supposed to do.  It certainly has a different meaning for those of us who are called by God!  To us, the cross is the power of God!

     I wonder if this doesn’t go along with what my friend sprocket has been blogging on http://insipidgarbage.wordpress.com.  There is a point that we have to recognize that even though we are trying to save the lost, and we are trying to win them to Christ, there is going to come a time that they will have to feel uncomfortable!  Being a disciple of Christ is not exactly supposed to be a comfortable thing.  Think about the statements that Jesus made; “Take up your cross daily and follow me.”  “Anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.”  Think of a Jew living in the 1st century in a shame/honor society when you hear this: “The first shall be last, and the last shall be first.”  “Love your enemy.”  How about the psalmist cries out to God to be broken, melted, and molded? 

    Of course, if we aren’t telling people that they are sinners in need of God’s grace, then we probably don’t want to make them feel uncomfortable!  I would really hate for someone to be uncomfortable here on earth…better that they wait for eternity!