The Montgomery Advertiser ran an interesting article this week. Apparently, it even caught the eye of Todd Rhoades over at Monday Morning Insights, a blog I frequent.
Rick Mason, a Lutheran pastor here in the tri-county area, has started a discussion group at the Pratt Pub in Prattville’s Bama Lanes. “Theology on Tap” will meet most Tuesdays, and the participants will be served up their brew of choice as well as a healthy discussion of “some of the things the church says and does that puts people off.”
Todd over at MMI asked readers to respond with their thoughts. I think the owner of the bar stated it best when he said, “It’s good he’s looking to reach people that don’t normally go to church. It’s not like he’s recruiting from other churches.”
That’s the key. As I look around at my church every Sunday, I realize that we are pretty much reaching those who have already been reached. Most of the growth we have seen so far has been transplanted growth. If a church is going to reach the community, it has to be a part of that community.
All too often, we in the church percieve ourselves as an institutional version of the Kevin Costner movie Field of Dreams. We tell ourselves, “If we build it, they will come,” then we spend our entire lives trying to figure out what it is. We try different programs, different forms of media, different services, etc. all in the attempt to define the elusive it .
Here’s a suggestion: Maybe instead of wasting all of our energy trying to define it, we should realize that we have a wonderful opportunity to engage our culture. Rick Mason is doing that every Tuesday night (except for the second Tuesday of the month) over at the Pratt Pub. He is meeting on neutral ground and willing to admit that the institution of the church sometimes alienates the very people that we claim to want to reach.
I only regret one thing – that Rick is doing it first. A couple of friends and I have been discussing this very idea for weeks, but now when we do it, we are going to seem like copy cats. That’s okay, I am not proud. Who wants to join me over at the Brew Pub for our own Theology on Tap?