Granger Community Church

On our way back from Minneapolis, Danielle and I decided to embark on a "great churches of the Midwest tour". You can read about it on Danielle's site. On Sunday, our "tour" took us to Granger Community Church in Granger, Indiana (just outside of Sound Bend). We waffled back and forth as to whether we were going to stop or not. How glad I am that we did.

What we experienced at Granger was a church that was not only passionate about doing everything excellently, but also one that was heavily investing in its community and reaching out to those who don't yet know Christ. From the moment we walked into their subtly beautiful building (it's rather unassuming, but it is a very well and creatively designed facility) to the moment we left the parking lot, I was in awe of everything about this place. The only bad thing we noticed was a lack of any kind of guest acknowledgment. In fact, Danielle talks about that in her post. The people were very friendly; ushers shook our hands and said "hi" and "good morning" and "welcome", but there was nothing that made me feel valued as a guest. I am proud to say that Grace definitely has a niche in this department. And although this was our experience, perhaps Granger figured out along it's journey that the method they use works. After all, average weekend attendance has gone from 4,000 in 2005 to 7,500 in 2008. Almost a 100% increase in three years. They've got to be doing something right.

As we hopped back on I-90 for the trip home, I began to think about Grace and Erie and whether a church like Granger could survive in Erie.

Granger was founded by Senior Pastor Mark Beeson (awesome blog) and his wife Sheila a little over 20 years ago. Because of their vision (and her investment in the youth/children of the church), Granger has grown into a community phenomenon in South Bend. They are even opening their first church plant this weekend in a town just east of South Bend called Elkhart. Here is why I think Granger has succeeded:

• They love Jesus. A lot. I could tell by the passion in Pastor Mark's voice on Sunday as he spoke of how he longs for the hearts of all people to be passionate for Christ.
• They invest heavily in the children and youth. They talk about it in the bulletin. Pastor Mark talked about it during the sermon on Sunday. They're not afraid to admit that they know that the church members/leaders of tomorrow are the children of today.
• Creativity and innovation is a way of life there. They settle for nothing less than the best. Innovative music. Video in every service. And they do it excellently. I love one of their vision statements:
  
  

  "ADVANCING OUR MISSION THROUGH THE ARTS
  Jesus Christ will be worshipped at GCC through a broad expression of the arts. Hearts will be touched, emotions stirred, minds opened and lives forever changed through the excellent and compelling presentation of the arts."

• Great communication. Their weekly e-news bulletin reaches almost 5,000 people. Church news and events are reserved for the believer's service that they have on Thursday nights. Weekend services (all identical, by the way) are designed as seeker services. Stunning brochures. A website that not only is brimming with information and creativity, but one that is used heavily by its members as a communication tool. Streaming video, service video, and a state-of-the-art media player on their website. Incredible.
• They are not afraid of change. In fact, Pastor Mark acknowledged two times in his sermon that Granger changes it's methodology often and that you have to choose to be okay with it if you are on board with Granger's mission (helping people take their next step toward Christ....together). Concluding his sermon on Sunday, he said this [emphasis added by me]:

  "Every change we ever make around here, every shift we make, every
  modification in some method or strategy; it is only so that people who want to hear can hear. It is so that we can say, and people will get it: lift your eyes! There is a God above all gods! Lift your eyes! Look to Christ and obey Him. This is our mission. It is what we will do."

WOW. I was speechless.

But could a church like this survive in Erie? Granger is a church located in South Bend, a city much like Erie:

• South Bend population: 107,789 (fourth largest city in Indiana)
• South Bend metro area: 316, 663
• Erie population: 104,000 (fourth largest city in Pennsylvania)
• Erie metro area: 281,000
• Both metro areas have populations that are near 40% Catholic with less than 5% of each population identifying themselves as evangelical protestants.
• Both cities have a substantial college student population.

Based on the above data, I don't see any reason why a church like Granger couldn't survive here in Erie. We have several great churches in town. Erie First, First Alliance, McLane, and of course Grace just to name a few. But is there a church in Erie that is willing to step out in faith and really GENUINELY reach the WHOLE city for Christ? Is there a church that is ready and willing to genuinely make a difference in the Erie community? Is there a church in this community that is willing to make history-making decisions without the fear of reprisal by [some of] its members? Is there a church in Erie that is so passionate for Jesus that they will do whatever it takes to make sure that they are doing all they can to cause the hearts of those that feel unworthy, unloved, and unlovable to beat passionately for Him?

Is there a church in Erie that is determined to offer their very best for Christ no matter how much pain and change they will have to go through?

I long for Grace to be that church. Unfortunately, I don't think we're there yet.
So I ask: what in the world are we waiting for?

Shouldn't we just shut off the lights and lock the doors behind us if we're not willing to be that church?

Doesn't God deserve it?