Here is Buzz Commandment III:
Thou Shalt Hang Out at Wells [1]
Wells were ancient hang outs. They were the BC version of coffeehouses, chat rooms, and malls. Jesus didn't invite people to the synagogue. He hung out at wells. He was often accussed of hanging out with the wrong people at the wrong places. But Jesus didn't let that keep him from a party with a tax collector or a conversation with a Samaritan woman at the well. He went to where the people were. Maybe the gospel has been quarantined behind the four walls of church buildings long enough? The church is called to compete in the middle of the marketplace.
That's why we've built a first-class, fully-operational coffeehouse on Capitol Hill. It's a place where the church and community can cross paths. That's why the vision of NCC is to meet in movie theaters @ metro stops throughout the DC area. And that's why we do events at the largest nightclub in DC.
Coffeehouses, movie theaters, and nightclubs are postmodern wells.
I went into church planting with the traditional mindset: meet in rented facilities until you can buy or build a church building. But that trend is reversing. In the last few years, a growing number of churches have sold their church buildings and moved into rented theaters or schools or clubs. Others have kept their church buildings while launching multi-site locations in marketplace environments.
I just read that Second Baptist in Houston, TX raised $84 million to launch services in movie theaters across the country. Rock n Roll. Just about every week I'm dialoging with pastors of churches across the country that are thinking about moving into a movie theater.
Nothing gets me jazzed as much as redeeming places like theaters and nightclubs and seeing them used for God's purposes!
For what it's worth, blogs are postmodern wells. I'm psyched about our blog groups that have launched this semester. Digital discipleship!
The early church didn't have church buildings. And they fared pretty well :) It wasn't until the 4th century that churches started building "churches." Don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with church buildings. I'm not anti church buildings. But if we were building a church building at 2nd and F Street our neighbors would have opposed us every step of the way. But they love us because we're building a coffeehouse where we'll have church :)
I recently heard about a church that was building a community center for their community and they "rent" from themselves on the weekend for church services. I think that is genius! Crossroads Christian Church in Corona, CA, built a "postmodern piazza." Their church has a restaurant called Third Place Cafe. What great models. I think we need to build our buildings so they serve multiple functions--not just meeting places one day a week.
That's why we built Ebenezers--our coffeehouse on Capitol Hill. It is literally a coffee well. Instead of a few hundred people coming to church services every week we'll have thousands of people hanging out at our well every week! And we're hoping those people eventually get their spiritual thirst quenched as well as their physical thirst.
Bottoms up!
[1] John 4
Thou Shalt Hang Out at Wells [1]
Wells were ancient hang outs. They were the BC version of coffeehouses, chat rooms, and malls. Jesus didn't invite people to the synagogue. He hung out at wells. He was often accussed of hanging out with the wrong people at the wrong places. But Jesus didn't let that keep him from a party with a tax collector or a conversation with a Samaritan woman at the well. He went to where the people were. Maybe the gospel has been quarantined behind the four walls of church buildings long enough? The church is called to compete in the middle of the marketplace.
That's why we've built a first-class, fully-operational coffeehouse on Capitol Hill. It's a place where the church and community can cross paths. That's why the vision of NCC is to meet in movie theaters @ metro stops throughout the DC area. And that's why we do events at the largest nightclub in DC.
Coffeehouses, movie theaters, and nightclubs are postmodern wells.
I went into church planting with the traditional mindset: meet in rented facilities until you can buy or build a church building. But that trend is reversing. In the last few years, a growing number of churches have sold their church buildings and moved into rented theaters or schools or clubs. Others have kept their church buildings while launching multi-site locations in marketplace environments.
I just read that Second Baptist in Houston, TX raised $84 million to launch services in movie theaters across the country. Rock n Roll. Just about every week I'm dialoging with pastors of churches across the country that are thinking about moving into a movie theater.
Nothing gets me jazzed as much as redeeming places like theaters and nightclubs and seeing them used for God's purposes!
For what it's worth, blogs are postmodern wells. I'm psyched about our blog groups that have launched this semester. Digital discipleship!
The early church didn't have church buildings. And they fared pretty well :) It wasn't until the 4th century that churches started building "churches." Don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with church buildings. I'm not anti church buildings. But if we were building a church building at 2nd and F Street our neighbors would have opposed us every step of the way. But they love us because we're building a coffeehouse where we'll have church :)
I recently heard about a church that was building a community center for their community and they "rent" from themselves on the weekend for church services. I think that is genius! Crossroads Christian Church in Corona, CA, built a "postmodern piazza." Their church has a restaurant called Third Place Cafe. What great models. I think we need to build our buildings so they serve multiple functions--not just meeting places one day a week.
That's why we built Ebenezers--our coffeehouse on Capitol Hill. It is literally a coffee well. Instead of a few hundred people coming to church services every week we'll have thousands of people hanging out at our well every week! And we're hoping those people eventually get their spiritual thirst quenched as well as their physical thirst.
Bottoms up!
[1] John 4
3 Comments:
Hi Mark,
Great read. I agree that we need to get in the marketplace. Our four year old church plant started in a movie theater and then moved into a community center. We meet in an indoor amphitheater attached to the YMCA and the city library. Last Sunday I talked to a guy who came to the library to study for his MBA. He heard the music and message and thought it was worth bringing his family family to church. I love being in the marketplace! I think Jesus would have done this.
Great stuff. Taking it even further, how do we talk to those in our congregations about how important it is for them personally to hang out at wells? How do we balance encouraging them to get plugged into church activities while also encouraging them to invest in friendships with non-Christians?
As you know, one of the reasons I tried so hard to resist your offers to work at NCC full-time was because I was concerned about leaving my marketplace “well.”
While I want every NCCer in a small group and in a ministry, I also want to make sure that we don’t build Christian ghettos and spend all our time doing “church” activities. How do we encourage people to be involved in the life of the church AND to meet people and build relationships at the wells of their workplaces, sports teams, local community theatre, homeless shelters, and other communal areas?
HZ,
Great question. Truth is found in the tension of opposites :) So there will always be a tension between being "plugged into the church" and "connected with uncburched friends."
As you know, I'm pretty happy if we get two time slots each week--a corporate worship gathering and a small group. I think that leaves plenty of room for NCCers to cultivate other activities and outlets.
I honestly don't think that "going to church" more is the solution to what ails most Christians or churches. I want to be careful here because that is what some people need. But most of us are educated way beyond our level of obedience. We don't need to know more. We need to do more with what we know.
My four cents :)
PM
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