Visit #1

Today was visit number one.

Admittedly, it was hard to get motivated for this.  The past week has been a whirlwind of goodbyes, packing, loading, driving, unloading and unpacking.  We have experienced the double whammy of physical exertion and emotional exhaustion.  However, a commitment to dear friends helped to motivate us to make our initial visit on our first Sunday in Middle Tennessee.

I thought it would be appropriate to establish a few ground rules for blogging this experience.  They are:

1. Stay Positive - this is not an attempt to belittle or undermine the ministries represented by the churches visited.  It is not our place to judge so quickly when we know so little about the people and story of these local expressions of God's Kingdom.  The objective is to report our experiences honestly and candidly, but without malice.  The churches visited will remain anonymous, and names will be withheld to protect the innocent.  (Allowances must be made for sarcastic wit on occasion, however)
2. Keep Perspective - the tremendous challenge that faces every church on any given Sunday is to honor God, minister to the needy, challenge the complacent, shore up the struggling, provide familiarity to the faithful and impress a newcomer - all in 60 - 90 minutes of carefully guarded time.  It is not all about us.
3. Learn Something - the quest to find a local church to serve and grow with is not the only reason for attending.  We will aspire to learn and grow in the process.  The assumption here is that God will teach us through this experience.  

Visit #1 - 

I chose a church to visit based on a Google search for Christian Churches, Nashville.  I selected a prominently listed site and made an initial assessment based on the content of the home page of the site.  Service Times were listed, but not obviously.  What was apparent was that the website was primarily designed for internal users.  I noted (with some dismay) that our visit would coincide with the start of a 31 week series of messages based on a book entitled "The Story".  We elected to attend the 10:30 service offering. 

The church property was clearly visible from a major street, and we navigated into the parking lot easily.  However, the lot was very full and the flow of traffic was not readily apparent.  I remarked about the need for a parking lot team (exact wording withheld in the spirit of rule #1), and thought immediately of our friend Chris Cuilla with new found appreciation for the parking ministry.  Maybe when we find a church I will volunteer for their parking lot team - or start one if they do not have one.

Once we located a spot - far from the building - which allowed us extra time to survey the arriving crowd and walk off some of the extra pounds we have gained from eating out too much during our move.  We agreed that we would not drop any names, or mention our distinguished pedigree as church planters, or hint at church leadership experience in our past (as if this would really matter to anyone - refer to rule #2).  We wished to be treated just like the ordinary visitor.   

The highlight of Visit #1 occurred after we entered the building.  After running the gauntlet of greeters at the main entrance, we wandered around the lobby admiring the facility.  A gentleman named John (name not changed because John deserves full recognition, and because it is a common name) introduced himself, asked our names, and welcomed us to the church.  He explained that we were early (the 9:00 service had not yet let out at this point - a grim portent that church services tend to run longer in this part of the country).  John told us a little about the church, asked us if we were new to the area, and what had brought us to Tennessee.  He politely excused himself since he needed to go and prepare the communion for the 10:30 service.  

When the 9:30 service let out, we filed into the auditorium.   We were all handed traditional bulletins, folded pieces of paper with information about the service and the church printed on them.  The bulletin contained three inserts -an advertisement for a newly formed "singles" group; a "fill-in-the-blank" style outline for taking notes during the message; and a flyer for Church Development Fund (CDF).  In a cruel twist of divine irony, we happened to visit on CDF Sunday.  

After locating some seats near the middle of the room, a lady seated at the other end of our row came over and spoke to Rachel.  Her greeting was brief, and her primary objective was to make sure we did not take any of the seats that she was saving for her family, who had not arrived yet.  We moved over one seat to make sure we did not encroach on that family's space.  

This church meets in a renovated retail space, and the space seemed to work well for them.  Sound, lighting, video and music were professional quality and enhanced the overall experience.  The band was tight, and consisted of a "lead singer" worship leader.  (I am not sure if he was actually a worship leader or a lead worshiper - I just know that he had no instrument in his hands, only a microphone).  The set was four songs, a short verbal interlude by the guitarless leader transitioned between a couple of the numbers.  We recognized most of the numbers and felt comfortable singing and experiencing the musical expressions of worship together.  

Communion followed the singing, with "tithes and offerings" collected after the communion elements had been passed.  An Elder presided over both of these activities with some brief words and prayers.  

After this came the message.  Week one of "The Story" covered the first nine chapters of Genesis - an ambitious undertaking to be sure.  The pastor took the opportunities presented by the text to address several "hot button" issues; including creationism/evolution, abortion, the sanctity of marriage and the roles of men/women with regard to spiritual leadership.  The positions he endorsed were predictable, but one could sense a level of compassion in their delivery.  At a point near the end of the message the pastor introduced a video segment (about 6 mins in length).  The video was a powerful element in the context of the message. YouTube link is:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1Z9No9TPHM (we highly recommend viewing)

The sermon concluded with an invitation for people to come forward and profess a decision for Christ during a closing song.  There were a couple of responses, and it is clear that this is a growing church with a diverse group of people ministering and receiving ministry together.  One of the people coming forward placed their membership with the church.  The pastor welcomed this person to the family, and invited everyone to the "Pastor's Parlor" after the service to welcome this new member.  Interestingly, the second individual who rededicated her life to Christ, was not invited to the Pastor's Parlor.  

We filed out after the closing song and were greeted again by John.  He asked us if we wanted to meet the pastor, and we chose to decline.  Although the temptation to experience the Pastor's Parlor was strong.  We made our way out to the parking lot wondering what we had just passed up.  

Visit #1 left a couple of impressions.  We came away admiring a church for choosing a location and a ministry that places them in the midst of under-resourced people.  We also appreciated the effort made by John to speak with us and welcome us.  We realize it has been a long time since we were faced with the prospect of "joining" a church that we have little or no influence in shaping, and that is a humbling and terrifying feeling.  This church may be the best one we will visit, and yet there was little compulsion to walk the aisle and place our membership (although getting into the Parlor could be a factor).  We will see what next Sunday's experience brings.