For the past year, I've been worshiping and serving at a church that receives a lot of criticism from most mainstream Christian churches and is often condemned by the more fundamental evangelical churches. I think The Venues brings a little order to un-organized religion without becoming what looks like organized religion. Maybe that's what bothers so many people that are members of one of the many churches (or Christian clubs) that are organized religion -- The Venues doesn't look like them.
A quote from our worship leader says it well -- "The Venues isn't a church for everyone,
... because it's a church for everyone!"
Being inclusive bothers a lot of self-proclaimed loving Christians.
Though not very traditional, The Venues is a non-denominational Christian church that teaches what Jesus teaches. Jesus said that all of the commandments are based on just two of them -- Love God with everything you've got, and Love your neighbor as yourself. More than anything else, teaching the love of God and encouraging us to love like God is the emphasis of the message at The Venues.
The Venues isn't a Christian Club and it doesn't have members or membership requirements. If you are a lover of God and a follower of Jesus, you are welcome to worship and serve with us. Even if you don't know God and feel alone and unloved, come hang out with us. The people that come to The Venues are truly the most loving and caring people that I have ever met.
Most of us have a story. Many have been shunned by other Christian churches. Some have been abandoned by friends and family. It is a pretty unique gathering of people. There are homeless people worshiping alongside of professionals, LBGTQ folks and straight people, and a racial diversity that looks more like our community than most area churches.
One of my favorite quotes about the Christian community is from Dietrich Bonhoeffer:
"Those who love their dream of a Christian community more than they love the Christian community itself become destroyers of that Christian community even though their personal intentions maybe ever so honest, earnest and sacrificial. God hates this wishful dreaming because it makes the dreamer proud and pretentious. Those who dream of this idolized community demand that it be fulfilled by God, by others and by themselves. They enter the community of Christians with their demands set up by their laws, and judge one another and God accordingly. It is not we who build. Christ builds the church. Whoever is mindful to build the church is surely well on the way to destroying it, for he will build a temple to idols without wishing it or knowing it. We must confess, he builds. We must proclaim, he builds. We must pray to him and he will build. We do not know his plan. We cannot see whether he is building or pulling down. It may be that the times which by human standards are the times of collapse are for him the great times of construction. It may be that the times which from a human point are great times for the church are times when it's pulled down,
It is a great comfort when Jesus gives to his church.
You confess, preach, bear witness to me, and I alone will build where it pleases me. Do not meddle in what is not your providence. Do what is given to you, do it well, and you will have done enough... Live together in the forgiveness of your sins. Forgive each other every day from the bottom of your hearts."
Perhaps this is what the founders of The Venues had in mind.
John <><
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