Thanks for the encouraging comments. I was going to send you a link to a Time Magazine article about Johnny Cash’s great-nephew but I saw in one of your blog posts that you were already aware about His significance.

First of all, thank you for your comments.

I do not know if you are “independents” or if you are affiliated with some organization that are your “overseers”, but after looking at your list of potential buildings, have you ever thought about renting the gymnasium of a church at the same time as the church is having services in their own sanctuary?

A very prominent church in my town did this with an “upstart” missional church plant. While the very prominent church had the traditional and contemporary services, the missional church was simultaneously having a missional service in the unused gym. Two distinctly separate churches with two separate memberships meeting at the same location at the same time, sharing the same facilites / parking lot.

Other places I have seen church plants get started was the Boys or Girls club gymnasiums, the YMCA / YWCA, the National Guard armory (but move to a local park on Guard duty, annual gun show, or annual Chinese knockoff tool sale weekend), one church (that failed) even tried the Masonic temple (home to some arts events and jazz concerts when not in use). An upstart black church started out in a union hall auditorium before buying a church building where another church outgrew it.

We have looked at the possibility of renting space in strip malls, storefronts, school gymnasiums / auditoriums, abandoned warehouses / department stores factories, hotel banquet rooms, business park conference centers, other churches (Sunday evenings when they have no service), and even mini-storage warehouses with electricity and climate control

I have to admit that I too was “excited” while at the same time “perplexed” when I read the well written and well thought-out article. I liked the fact that you did not state your concerns based on the churches theology (I looked at their page and their blog and it comes across as seeker-sensitive which I do not per se have a problem with; but from reading some of your other content, you do) but based your concerns on the factual financial feasibility of seeing this into existence and having to explain to God one day how you squandered almost a million dollars of his resources (if that happens).

My brother owns the protected territory franchise rights to a nationally known sub sandwich shop and decided to originally set up shop at his local indoor mall. You are right about the space per sq.ft. is the most expensive in most cities. After nine months, he was losing money and realized that to make money, he had to drastically increase volume sales to succeed. He also realized that the majority of his customers were college aged customers more than straggling mall traffic or mall employees.

To survive, he decided to move operations to a strip mall within walking distance of the college when his lease expired to continued success / profitability and increased walk-in business.

I am afraid that the final outcome will be exactly what you stated when you said that “overburdening and overtaxing the regular members and frequent attendees with constant pleas for more money for the balance of the rent plus standard operating expenses such as salaries and other bills / utilities / financial obligations, etc.?” and that people will tire of both the “unique novelty” of the mall church and the constant letters, and pleas every Sunday morning (especially at the end of the month) for money and eventually leave and the church goes under.

Once again, thanks for your article

God Bless,

After reading that article, from Crossrhythms, I too have lost alot of respect for the group.

However, you comments did make me remember how in the early 1990’s, Star Song records (who was the Newsboys record label) used to place this paragraph into the liner notes of every CD they released. In fact, this is typed directly from the White Heart – Highlands CD 1993

At Star Song, we work diligently to be a company that values ministry, as well as artistry. Our mission is to serve artists who have a call from God to create art which is Biblically sound, aesthetically excellent, and meaningful to you, the listener. You have a right to expect that the singers and songwriters live real Christian lives. Although, they are sinners being saved by grace, just like you and me. In short, we earnestly endeavor to see that the art and artists we present to you reflect the Kingdom of God. Please pray for us as we seek to follow the Lord in our calling, that we may continue to be a company “Where Artistry Meets Ministry”

Sincerely,
Darrell A. Harris
President

Funny how it seems (in some cases) now in retrospect, artistry never met ministry, but ministry in many realms of being has turned into artistry……

Hmmmmmmmmmm

He is going to clean house soon.

—

Stephen Worrell

“dominionist vaudeville” LOL!!!

I dunno about you but I really feel that the Lord is going to clean house soon.

I think maybe the two “cops” are just two guys who borrowed or rented police uniforms for this skit, and they were helping their buddy show how if you call on God’s name, you can even escape the long arm of the law, no matter how disruptive you are.

I think this was dominionist vaudeville.

I mean, it was like the two cops were doing all these long, dramatic pauses to let the guy play to the camera, like they were in on it with him. Two real police officers would have never given that guy so much time to talk, nor would it have taken them that long to arrest him.

For 18 centuries all organized churches and all official Christian theology embraced the “Tribulation Index” (that is, the essence of it without using the label). In recent years a Nebraska “rustler” has been changing it into the “Rapture Index.” For more info Google “The Rapture Index (Mad Theology)” and “Open Letter to Todd Strandberg.” For some background on “rapture rustling” read “Pretrib Rapture Dishonesty” on the “Powered by Christ Ministries” site. But, pardner, you’d better take some tranquilizers before you lasso any of the above items!