Biker church?

[Pergamum]

Reformation Montana - Seeking to Bring a Spiritual Reformation to the Big Sky State - RefMT Issues Caution Concerning Affinity-Based Churches

How do I graciously respond to other missionaries who are pushing the idea of planting "affinity-based churches"? The article tells a little about these efforts.

Also, someone I know suggested this to me:

A lot of affinity groups would not relate well to our traditional churches.

Maybe they would be accepted within the church but that is not their perception. That's the advantage of reaching them within their own social group. They can understand that they do not have to change all of their identity (although the gospel may call them to change some) to be a Christian or collectively be the church.

An illustration from the States is with the biker (motorcycle) groups. A lot of bikers would probably not feel comfortable in our NA churches. They might feel they would have to change much to fit in. So I believe a lot of Christian bikers have effectively moved out from our traditional churches and started churches that reflect that culture. I can't support that from personal experience but that is my perception of what has happened.

How would you respond?

 

[J. Dean]

No +10

Affinity-based churches do the very thing they proclaim to be against: they become exclusive in the name of inclusiveness. Small group outreach to certain groups (divorce care, senior citizens) within the context of church is one thing; revolving an entire church around a specific group is something VERY different.

 

[Edward]

Folks are, by their nature, tribal. Are you now a member of the Christian tribe, or still a member of your (affinity group) tribe? It's a sign of the power of the sin within us that when we seek to be with people like us, we look for factors other than a common faith.

And affinity group churches pander to this sin, rather than confront it. Are folks going to be more comfortable at their biker/cowboy/country club/young families church? Yes. Is that to be encouraged? No.

 

[Mushroom]

Cowboy Church? Yeeeee-haw!
I'm afraid not...

 

[Edward]

Cowboy Churches Net Directories

Some appear to be musicians or itinerant preachers rather than congregations.

 

[Zach]

Churches should be held together by the gospel of the Lord Jesus and not what we all like to do in our free time or what "people group" we identify with.

 

[Pergamum]

If by "people-group" you mean language, then (by necessity) the human race must divide up into churches that speak their own language (unless we designate a universal language for services, such as the Catholic Church did with Latin during the Medieval period). However, affinity-groups seem to push the people-group concept beyond ethno-linguistic distinctions and delve into hobbies/lifestyle preference distinctions.

 

[Zach]

If by "people-group" you mean language, then (by necessity) the human race must divide up into churches that speak their own language (unless we designate a universal language for services, such as the Catholic Church did with Latin during the Medieval period). However, affinity-groups seem to push the people-group concept beyond ethno-linguistic distinctions and delve into hobbies/lifestyle preference distinctions.

Sorry, poor word choice. I mean affinity group. I've heard the term "people group" used in missional church language to describe a group of people with like interests that one is trying to share the gospel with.

 

[PuritanCovenanter]

I don't like you and I am not like you. I don't like the way you worship and I find my way to be okay with God.

I have heard this. I have probably exhibited this during sometime of my life. The fact is that most of these people are violators of the scripture and just feel uncomfortable with a lot of the Bible therefore they have itching ears and start things up to please their sensual religion of Idolatry. I am positive that I have been guilty of it.

When my Son Daniel was 18 my three boys and I returned to the Congregation that the kids grew up in after a few years of attending another Church. During the worship they had four women dressed in black Leotards doing interpretive dance to Holy, holy, holy. Daniel just turned to me and said, "Dad, I aint thinking about God right now." As we walked out of the Service I told the boys I know where we are going to go to Church. I got a pleasant surprise. They were all for it and we haven't regretted going to a Church that takes seriously the idea that God tells us how to worship Himself in the scriptures. It has been really freeing and liberating in the Spirit.

 

[Eoghan]

I watched "Jesus Christ Superstar" as a play years ago at the Edinburgh Fringe. What struck me was that Jesus and the disciples were portrayed as punks. Jesus would never have identified with such sub-cultures - why? Because they implicitly have their own moral codes, ethics and ways of behaving - that is what makes them a sub-culture.

 

[crixus]

I agree with Zach's comment above. The message of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ needs to be first and foremost at every Christian church or gathering, before anything else.

 

[earl40]

Just curious what is y'alls opinion on churches that go after and seek the lost in "subgroup" of people who do not like how we do worship either because they have been burned by a particular church or denomination? Would you not recommend such a church to some people?

Here is an example.

Northland, A Church Distributed

I have to admit I do recommend this church to either previously hurt Christians or what appears to be seekers in Jesus.