Martin
Luther King Jr. once said that Sunday Morning service is the most
segregated hour in the American Week. Many church attenders find this
true and dislike church going because of it. I've personally experienced
going to churches where I've felt excluded before the service, during
the service, and after the service. Going to Grace Community Church in
Goshen, IN has been an interesting experience for me.
Grace Community Church is surrounded by gas stations, scattered houses, and lots of land. This nondenominational church seems to be in the middle of nowhere compared to my home church which is surrounded by trees, neighborhoods, trails, and the downtown.
The church is a non-denominational mega church which is also becoming an emerging church. The attendees are mainly Caucasian and the generations range from babies in strollers to the elderly in wheelchairs. The lobby is fuller than the parking lot and the double doors are full of people trying to enter and exit. The welcome desk is surrounded by a sea of people. Some are trying to make their way to the coffee bar, some are leading a train of children, and some are nonchalantly socializing while oblivious to how many paths they block.
Each person is dressed casually with the exception of the competing women who wear their heels, clunky jewelry, and turtlenecks. The men, more lax than their wives, are dressed in jeans and a button down shirt. The youth wears T-shirts, and holey jeans paired with Uggs or tennis shoes.
The population of the church is a shocking 2,500-3,000 church goers. They have a separate room called 'The Link' for the overflow to go to watch a live feed of the service as well as live worship music. If you're sitting in the service, you'll notice how perfectly timed the live music is to when the feed comes on.
If you attend the church, you'll also notice a deep contrast of the music against a classic Mennonite church. Instead of hymns, they have modern songs. Instead of books, they have the words projected on the screens. Instead of no instruments or a piano, they have a full band and equipment to project the beat of the drums and the voice of the singers. No natural light is in the main rooms, instead, there are fog machines, colorful lights, and a disco ball to resemble a concert and encourage people to lose themselves in worship.
The staff is composed of Jim Brown, the lead pastor, Jon Rauch, the children's pastor, Jeremiah Olson, the worship pastor, Rich Yauger, the youth pastor, and Jeremy Byng, the next gen pastor. This group of men is in charge of leading the church body each Sunday morning at 8:00am, 9:45am, and 11:30 am. The one service that they don't technically lead is the Spanish translation service which is available during the 9:45am service.
Their statement of faith is composed of 12 main categories: The Bible, The One true God, The Lord, Jesus Christ, The Holy Spirit, Man, Salvation, The Church, Christian Life, Ordinances, Satan, The Second Coming, and The Future Life. Their theology encompass these twelve categories and expects the church to embrace, preach, and defend them. To go along with it, their mission is to preach the word, teach the way, meet the needs, and worship the King.
I interviewed Ben Ganger for a better look at the church and made my questions of contact zone based. His personal experience with the church began when he was about seven and got involved in the kids ministry. The church’s main goal, “to bring as many people to Christ as possible”, is something that Ben firmly believes in. This also includes membership which, depending on the church, may or may not be hard to acquire. “Anyone can attend for as long as they want without becoming a member, but to become a member, you must be baptized, tithe regularly, and be actively involved in one of the church’s ministries, like helping with running tech on Sunday mornings or teaching stories in child care or something like that.”
Grace Community Church is surrounded by gas stations, scattered houses, and lots of land. This nondenominational church seems to be in the middle of nowhere compared to my home church which is surrounded by trees, neighborhoods, trails, and the downtown.
The church is a non-denominational mega church which is also becoming an emerging church. The attendees are mainly Caucasian and the generations range from babies in strollers to the elderly in wheelchairs. The lobby is fuller than the parking lot and the double doors are full of people trying to enter and exit. The welcome desk is surrounded by a sea of people. Some are trying to make their way to the coffee bar, some are leading a train of children, and some are nonchalantly socializing while oblivious to how many paths they block.
Each person is dressed casually with the exception of the competing women who wear their heels, clunky jewelry, and turtlenecks. The men, more lax than their wives, are dressed in jeans and a button down shirt. The youth wears T-shirts, and holey jeans paired with Uggs or tennis shoes.
The population of the church is a shocking 2,500-3,000 church goers. They have a separate room called 'The Link' for the overflow to go to watch a live feed of the service as well as live worship music. If you're sitting in the service, you'll notice how perfectly timed the live music is to when the feed comes on.
If you attend the church, you'll also notice a deep contrast of the music against a classic Mennonite church. Instead of hymns, they have modern songs. Instead of books, they have the words projected on the screens. Instead of no instruments or a piano, they have a full band and equipment to project the beat of the drums and the voice of the singers. No natural light is in the main rooms, instead, there are fog machines, colorful lights, and a disco ball to resemble a concert and encourage people to lose themselves in worship.
The staff is composed of Jim Brown, the lead pastor, Jon Rauch, the children's pastor, Jeremiah Olson, the worship pastor, Rich Yauger, the youth pastor, and Jeremy Byng, the next gen pastor. This group of men is in charge of leading the church body each Sunday morning at 8:00am, 9:45am, and 11:30 am. The one service that they don't technically lead is the Spanish translation service which is available during the 9:45am service.
Their statement of faith is composed of 12 main categories: The Bible, The One true God, The Lord, Jesus Christ, The Holy Spirit, Man, Salvation, The Church, Christian Life, Ordinances, Satan, The Second Coming, and The Future Life. Their theology encompass these twelve categories and expects the church to embrace, preach, and defend them. To go along with it, their mission is to preach the word, teach the way, meet the needs, and worship the King.
I interviewed Ben Ganger for a better look at the church and made my questions of contact zone based. His personal experience with the church began when he was about seven and got involved in the kids ministry. The church’s main goal, “to bring as many people to Christ as possible”, is something that Ben firmly believes in. This also includes membership which, depending on the church, may or may not be hard to acquire. “Anyone can attend for as long as they want without becoming a member, but to become a member, you must be baptized, tithe regularly, and be actively involved in one of the church’s ministries, like helping with running tech on Sunday mornings or teaching stories in child care or something like that.”
Your descriptions of the church are all on point. Especially with the things that surround it. I go by that church quite a lot when I go visit my family. It is in fact in the middle of nowhere. This mega church seems quite overwhelming. When I use to go to the middle school, I don't quite remember it being there. Do you know when the church first opened? Paragraphs 2-4, really give me a vivid image of how crowded the church can be. Good job on the blog post Olivia!
ReplyDeleteYou are very descriptive, and that is nice for someone who has never been to this "mega-church!" However, I would have liked a little more opinion. It was very fact-based, but I honestly couldn't tell you what YOU thought of the church after reading your blog post. I was given many clues by your well-thought, descriptive writing though!
ReplyDeleteThis church is so different from my own. I can't believe people enjoy going to such a crowded, over-populated church. I hope you did your large paper on this, because I want to read more!
Like Christina, I love how descriptive you are in this post. I haven't ever attended a mega-church, but your description helps me get a glimpse of what it is like. I especially like how descriptive you are when talking about the types of people that go to the church and what they wear. The worship style sounds pretty exciting but also very different from what I'm used to. I can't imagine attending a church that has 2500-3000 members - my home church only has around 125. It's neat that you are familiar with mega-churches and could compare it some with what you're used to. I really like getting a glimpse of what this kind of church is like!
ReplyDeleteYour description is great! I can really picture the location (and not just because I drive by it every day) It is on spot. I like how you compared it with your church back home, especially since you also attend a megachurch.
ReplyDeleteIt is also interesting to see how different it is from the classic church setting. It seems like it is trying to make itself a very open and inviting place. The less traditional songs and services help bring in a younger audience, I'm sure. This contrasts greatly with some of the more traditional churches, who are struggling to bring in youth.
I think it is odd that a mega-church would be planted "in the middle of nowhere." I would expect that a place built with the purpose of drawing and housing thousands of people would want to be in a location that most people get get to quickly and easily. Then again, considering that it is not in the area of a giant city, so maybe its location is meant to be equally convenient or inconvenient for people from all places around it. Or maybe the mega-church didn't fit the zoning laws of anywhere near residences.
ReplyDelete