|
|
|
 frequently asked questions - why do you meet in
a warehouse?Because
the "church" is about the
people rather than the place! Where we meet is convenient and relatively
inexpensive. We will probably buy some land and build a facility in the
future
(eventually it will be a better use of our resources) but for now, the
warehouse
is the best stewardship of our time and finances.
- what is the
typical attire? Everyday casual. If you like
to dress up, put on
your tie or favorite dress and have at it! If you are a t-shirt and jeans person, make
yourself at
home. In general, as long as everything's covered up, anything's pretty
much
okay. We recommend you wear to church whatever you wear throughout the
week.
Think of it like this: The same hands you may lift in worship Sunday,
are going
to be behind the steering wheel at rush hour Monday, playing ball with
the kids
on Tuesday, doing the laundry Wednesday, buying groceries Thursday,
eating
popcorn in a movie Friday, mowing the lawn Saturday - it just makes
sense to
wear the same clothes, to see the same sleeves on those worshiping arms
Sunday
as you 'll be seeing all the rest of the week!
- why don't you
dress in your "Sunday best"? Because God's more
interested in your
"Monday worst"! Look, "Sunday Best" is built on the false premise that
we need
to dress up as an act of reverence in order to encounter God . In the New
Testament, the
people who had Jesus arrested and crucified were also some of the best dressed
religious
people! God's interested in your heart, not your fashion.
He doesn't obsess over outward appearance. Dressing up
for church is vain - clothing your heart with respect and reverence for
God is
holy. You can do both - but in practice, people tend to get too focused
on the
fashion instead of the faith, so we just go with what matters most - the
substance, not the style.
- what is the music
like? We aim to use the same sounds you listen to in
the car, on your
iPod, around your house or on your computer. We don't believe "church
music"
should sound different than any good music you enjoy - the key is what
and Who
the songs are about, what they are saying. So you'll hear the same
styles of
music you hear at the mall or in your favorite restaurant. There may be
some U2,
or some Foo Fighter flavors in there. You may hear some country flavors
or some
Clapton stylings - you never quite know - maybe even some BB King, even THIN LIZZY or (eeegads man!) Jonas Brothers. But what you can be sure of is
that the
songs will be scripturally sound expressions of our love and praise for
Jesus
Christ!
- why
don't you market your church more? Advertising isn't wrong (of course not), but there's something more happening in the recent church
marketing
craze. Marketing is all about selling something - and we're interested
in
sharing - not selling. We've all seen the glamorous photos of the church
leaders
on the big billboards along the highways. They usually say something
about how
this church is the best at this thing or offers better of that thing or
is the
best and brightest and most upcoming whatever thing - you know the
clichés:
"Friendliest church in town", "Real Church", "Being Church, not Doing
Church"
etc. The problem is that marketing is built on the twin concepts of
competition and
customer service. Is the
Biblical picture of Church about competition and
customers? No. The Church of Jesus Christ is built on the
Truth of Jesus as
Lord and Savor and Head of one great universal Church down through the
ages made
up of people in nations all over the world who have placed their faith
in Jesus
Christ as their Savor and King. In any given town, on any given day, there are people who
go to
different locations to worship. Although the label on the outside may use differing verbage, the content
on the
inside is the same if they share the common faith in Christ alone: One Church, One Body, One Lord and Savior. So
marketing's
competition is not Scriptural. And that "customer service" concept? Well
first
and foremost, followers of Jesus Christ are to serve God, and then
secondly we
serve people. So marketing to people based on all the great things you
will do
for them is kinda "getting the cart before the horse"! We figure if
we're about
loving God with everything we have, and then (in response to His Spirit's
leading
and guiding) how to love and serve each other best, then the "Lord will add
daily"
like the Bible says in Acts. In Revelation chapters 1-3, you can read a
lot
about churches who thought they had things great but God's estimation of
them
was clear - He doesn't buy into slick marketing campaigns. If we're
about His
reputation instead of our own, He'll take care of the crowds. So we'll
settle
for promoting Christ and let Him decide if we need promoting!
- why is your
Pastor's photo not on your home page?Because he's ugly... 8o) The reason is that Pastors, Biblically
speaking, are
kinda like coaches - and not the multimillionaire pro sports types
either.
Pastors are more like High School coaches (sometimes they feel like
Little
League Coaches!) than celebrities and media personalities. They are
meant to
help us learn to love God and each other more effectively by teaching,
correcting, rebuking sometimes and encouraging God's people with His
Word and
living as an example of what it all looks like in the flesh and blood
world we
live in. We believe a Church is first and foremost about God and His
people.
Pastors are important, sure, but they are fulfilling their God-given
roles just
like anyone else so there's no purpose in elevating them or making them
the
"poster-boy" for a Church. Jesus is the only Star any Church needs!
- why don't
you have the typical staff pastor positions?We believe in utilizing
team leaders from within our congregation instead of professional
ministry
"experts" brought in from outside. We try to have a team of at least two leaders in most
positions of responsibility as it multiplies the pool of ideas, spreads
the load
more evenly, helps keep people from "putting people on a pedestal" as
often and
makes the occasional leadership transitions less disruptive for the
ministry
teams.
- why doesn't your Pastor insist on being being called "Pastor"?Because his birth
certificate doesn't have "Pastor" or "Right Reverend" or "Most High Holy
One" on
there!
Seriously though, Jesus said we didn't need to be caught up in titles -
we're
supposed to be about expressing our love for God and each other through kindness, compassion and serving one another.
You can call him "Pastor" if you like, or if you're trying to teach your
kids
respect for authorities (but you should refer to your Doctor as "Doctor _______", the
President of
the United States as "Mr. President" and the police you see around town as "Officer ______________" too - let's be
consistent!) If
not, then "Brian" will do just fine, thank you. He really doesn't care what you call him just as long as you don't call him late for dinner. (ba-dump- CRASH!)
- why don't you
have Sunday night service? Well, most people are still working out
how they are going to live out what they heard from Sunday morning.
Really,
church is not about the event. Sure, it is WONDERFUL to meet together
and
experience God's Presence in a unique way together, but we're careful
not to let
our focus become too event-centered. Church is to be Christ-centered,
and He's
with you always! The goal of our meetings is developing and deepening
our love
for God and each other - and we're all out there in your neighborhood,
and on
your job, and in your homes. We don't need more weekly corporate
meetings at
Church, we need more daily personal meetings with Christ!
- why do
you refer to your services as "meetings"? It's an old saying from the
Moravians: "this is a meeting - service is what we do when we leave!" We
like
the terminology because it reminds us that Biblical service is better
viewed,
not as a noun, but as a verb!
|
|
|
|
|
|
