On Sunday, the Grassroots Team started visiting churches in Asheville to learn, worship, and see what each one has to offer the city of Asheville. We’ve decided to visit two contrasting churches every Sunday for at least the next month. So, on Sunday, we visited a fairly large, traditional Baptist church on the west side of town and a “cool” contemporary church afterwards. I’d like provide a review of the two churches without giving away their identity, so here are some details on our experience:
Traditional Baptist Church / 8:30 am service
Pre-Service.We arrived at the parking lot of this large church building around 8:15 am and made our way into the foyer. Immediately, we stood out like a sore thumb…or some sort of rock band. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, though. The four or five greeters (average age: 75ish) were incredibly nice and seemed genuinely happy (and a bit surprised) to see us. Those of us with kids asked where kids church was, while the others found a seat in the sanctuary. The greeters seemed a bit clueless about kids church, but they directed us down a flight of stairs, outside, and into another building to figure it out. The kids church volunteers seemed as if they hadn’t seen a visitor in a while, or maybe just at the 8:30 service. Regardless, they were very helpful and nice. We dropped Elijah off and grabbed our pager. Yes, a pager to notify us if there were any problems with Elijah.
Service. The service started out with the 20-member choir singing a traditional hymn, while the worship director lead the congregation. There were a few announcements from the pastor, a couple more hymns, and then it was time for the sermon. The preacher looked and sounded very much like a politician; he was very well spoken and dressed to a T. The message was on the power of prayer and lasted about 35 minutes. A man then came up and talked about how we should tithe so that if we are audited in heaven, we won’t come up short. And wouldn’t you know it, they took the offering up right after. Another man made a few announcements and made a joke about how great it is to be a single man in their congregation because there are so many widowed women. He intended for us to laugh, and I sure did. The service ended as the pastor asked everyone to sign a petition at the door to help fight gay marriage.
Post-Service. As soon as I got out of my pew, a man asked, “Are you going to be joining us for Sunday School?” I haven’t been asked that question in maybe 20 years, but I politely told him we wouldn’t be staying. He said, “Uh….well, that’s too bad,” and patted me on the back. He was just as friendly as the greeters had been when we entered the building. I actually kind of wanted to stay because they were just so gosh-darn friendly. We picked Elijah up from the nursery. All the workers seemed to be in love with him, and it seemed like they took really good care of him while we were in service. Several people made comments insisting that we come back next Sunday. We met up with the rest of the group in the parking lot and they told us how the pastor and several others were very apologetic about us having to experience the first service. The next service was apparently the “contemporary one with guitars and drums.”
Summary. I really liked these people. Maybe their hospitality and friendliness reminded me of my grandparents, but I genuinely enjoyed being around them. The disorganization at kids church was easily overlooked. I still felt like my child was being cared for and safe. The music was not up my alley, but I didn’t mind. Hearing some good theology set to music was refreshing, although, as Shaun said, it felt a bit like a sing-a-long. I felt myself dozing off a couple times during the message, but I can say it really challenged me to fast and pray. In my opinion, mission accomplished. I won’t use this blog for political commentary, but I could have definitely done without the call to action at the end. Overall, our experience was positive. The people were friendly and genuine, some good Scripture was taught, and we left challenged and encouraged. I wish they were unapologetic for the way they “do” church. For the most part, we felt right at home.
“Cool” Contemporary Church / 10:30 am service
Pre-service. We entered the enormous parking lot, and told one of the parking attendants we were a first-time guest. He immediately informed the other attendants via walkie-talkie, and told us to park in the very front row. We got Elijah out of the car and made our way toward the building. Before we could enter, we were approached by our tour guide. She showed us around the building and took us downstairs to kids church to get Elijah checked in. As Steph was filling out some information on a card, our guide asked if I’d heard of their new series. I said no, and she told me the name of it and said it was “so uplifting” (queasy feeling #1). We headed back up to the lobby. The pastors (husband and wife) were greeting people, as others were attending the coffee bar and book store. I forgot to mention – downstairs there was a cafe with a live feed of the service on a flat screen and a Starbucks coffee bar. There was also a “family room” complete with lounge furniture and a giant flat screen with a live feed. For a large church, I thought this was a good idea so parents with fussy kids could still experience the service.
Service. We made it to the auditorium just in time to catch the last 30 seconds of countdown. When countdown hit zero, the lights started flashing, the band kicked in, and the camera guys were all over the place. Sadly, the sound was terrible. I was very surprised because it seemed they placed a high priority on production value. Regardless, we were immediately in sensory overload. The three huge screens were constantly changing camera angles of the band. The auditorium seats probably around 600 people, so the band on the screen seemed a bit overkill. The band sang some songs I recognized as the guitarists rocked their little hearts out. The announcements involved some witty banter from stage and some videos. They also prayed for a group going on a mission trip. I’ll skip all the other details and jump to the message. Oh my dang. I wish I could tell you the name of the series, but that would make it easy for you to google the church. One hint: It was based on a book. The guy in front of us happened to have the book on his seat, and I saw that it had a crystal ball on it (queasy feeling #2). The message was in typical contemporary-church spirit with 5 points, and it sure was uplifting. It was so uplifting that it was completely void of anything having to do with that kind of important guy named Jesus Christ (queasy feeling #3-7). I’ll summarize the message in three points: 1) Your dream is how you define God. 2) God will help you fulfill your dream. 3) A guy in the Bible had a dream. There were times I honestly couldn’t believe what I was hearing. After the pastor ended his message, he prayed and started the, “Maybe you’re here, and you don’t know Jesus…” rant. I though to myself, “How would they know who Jesus is? You haven’t mentioned him once!” The ending prayer soon ended, and the lights and music came back on.
Post-service. Stephanie got Elijah from kids church, and I spoke to the pastors in the lobby. Don’t worry, I didn’t say anything offensive. I just told them about what we’re trying to do in Asheville and thanked them for their hospitality. I got a free Starbucks gift card for being a first-time guest. Score!
Summary. The volunteers were friendly and competent. The service was well-produced. I got some free coffee. But, none of that mattered because the gospel of Jesus Christ was not presented. The worst part is that the congregation drank it up like water. We were all saddened to see such a great opportunity to be washed down the drain. Maybe we just attended an off-week. Maybe this isn’t normal. I sure hope so.
Final Thoughts
So, where would I attend and serve if I had to make a choice? The “cool” church was absolutely out of the question. The traditional Baptist church didn’t seem to have anything for our age group to be a part of (except Sunday morning service). I finally understand why most people don’t go to church. If these were my two options, I wouldn’t go either. I think most people see right through the show. I think most people are bored by just simply attending a service once a week. I think people want to be a part of something that challenges them and gets their hands a little dirty. A part of something that preaches the truth but places an equally high priority on serving others. A part of something all about the message and love of Jesus Christ. I just pray that we can be a part of that something in Asheville.
