why do you meet in a warehouse? The "church" is about the people rather than the place! Where we meet is convenient and relatively inexpensive.
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! why don't you have Sunday night service? Well, most people are still working out how they are going to live what they heard on 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 - about living out your faith with your family, friends, neighbors, on your job (respectfully and gently, mind you!) Being program/event driven is a modern trap that causes so many to confuse church busy-ness with being about the Father's Business (Google it - its a reference to something Jesus' said!). We don't need more weekly get-togethers at Church - we need more daily living-together with Christ! 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. what is the music like? It's us together expressing our feelings and experiencing God together. We do pay close attention to lyrics - our goal is to ensure that what you sing agrees with what the Bible says so you're reinforcing right concepts about God, life, love and faith. You can be sure the songs will be scripturally sound expressions of our love and praise for Jesus Christ and our desire to know Him and follow Him better! 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 Savior 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 Savior 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 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 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! |