V4 was my toughest decision so far. I wanted to make sure that we experienced a large church, geared toward an unchurched/dechurched audience. I relied exclusively on web presences (web site, facebook) to locate this church, from among several who would fit the basic description. This particular church has several campuses in the metro area, including an "online" campus. We chose a physical location, rather than a virtual one. This location had four different Sunday service times to choose from (including a 5:30 PM option) - we chose 12:00 (Noon).
There was a line of traffic entering/exiting the parking area when we arrive a few minutes before the service was to begin. The parking lot staff and greeters provided a very efficient and friendly experience from the time we entered the parking lot until we reached the front door. Unlike our experience at V1, we had no trouble feeling like we belonged here, and that we were part of some exciting event about to take place.
The V4 church meets in what must have been a warehouse - the lobby and auditorium spaces were basic, functional and had very high ceilings. There was floor seating and stadium-style seating areas. The music was loud, but very professional. The songs were familiar ones to us.
The most surprising thing to us was the use of video in the service. Of course, the whole service is being projected live from two cameras. At first, it was a little distracting for me (a little too much metro-worship leader for my taste - see http://www.jonacuff.com/stuffchristianslike/2008/06/269-understanding-how-metrosexual-your-worship-leader-is-a-handy-guide/). However, during the message the speaker had a large, flat-screen monitor on a wheeled stand beside him and he interacted with it (reading scripture, key points, etc.) and it really worked. It made me feel less conscious about the video, and seemed to blur the line between the live and the virtual all being in the same space. This probably sounds kooky, but I know what I saw (or at least I think I know...).
No communion - that was a bummer. I know the logistics of bread and wine for thousands in a highly scripted, tightly scheduled event would be daunting, but without it I felt like I was missing something. If Jesus could figure out 5000 men (plus women/children) in the wilderness - I'm sure his tech savvy, modern day church could figure out a little bread and juice to remember Him by. I suspect that V4 is a generically named by-product of a traditional denomination that is not in the habit of observing the Lord's Supper on a weekly basis. I insert here a shameless plug for the Sacrament of Communion and think that it has more to offer church goers in this post-modern era than almost anything else we can do together on a Sunday morning. (I sense a follow up post coming on this topic)
Look for another follow up post on the overwhelmingly popular topic of Nashville churches in August - serving. For the last three weeks it is all we have heard about, in three different places. We have heard the good, bad and ugly on serving - and have a few observations to share.
The surprise of the mega church experience was how easy it was to feel welcomed and accepted. There was a sense of energy and excitement to be a part of a large crowd worshipping, listening and praying together. The general demographic was young (younger than us at any rate), seriously - really young. We found this encouraging. The message of grace, of acceptance, of service and sacrifice was delivered in an engaging and challenging way to a younger generation of believers, seekers and skeptics all in one place. There was a real sense of "belonging", that resonated with us. It was a good place to be on this Sunday.
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