This ain\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t your father\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s church<\/p>\n
By JONATHAN BLUNDELL Daily Light staff writer
\nWednesday, June 28, 2006 3:16 PM CDT<\/p>\n
You walk into a large dimly-lit ballroom at the Waxahachie Civic Center and notice a hard rock music video playing on a large screen in the center of the room. This ain\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t your father\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s church By JONATHAN BLUNDELL Daily Light staff writer Wednesday, June 28, 2006 3:16 PM CDT You walk into a large dimly-lit ballroom at the Waxahachie Civic Center and notice a hard rock music video playing on a large screen in the center of the room. People are milling around the room, … Continue reading This Ain’t Your Daddy’s Church<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[18,1],"tags":[219,2256,4654,659,498,882,2255,466,1864],"class_list":["post-1242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-faith","category-uncategorized","tag-church","tag-church-plant","tag-ellis-county","tag-grace","tag-love","tag-news","tag-non-denominational","tag-waxahachie","tag-waxahachie-daily-light"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pEnSo-k2","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/casadeblundell.com\/jonathan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1242","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/casadeblundell.com\/jonathan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/casadeblundell.com\/jonathan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/casadeblundell.com\/jonathan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/casadeblundell.com\/jonathan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1242"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/casadeblundell.com\/jonathan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1242\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/casadeblundell.com\/jonathan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1242"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/casadeblundell.com\/jonathan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1242"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/casadeblundell.com\/jonathan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1242"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nPeople are milling around the room, drinking coffee and meeting new friends.
\nImages of crosses, Jesus and candles flash on the screen as the video continues.
\nOnce the video fades to black a group of musicians walk on stage wearing shorts, t-shirts and flip flops.
\nThey begin to rock out to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Jesus music\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and as the lead guitarist breaks into a guitar solo, you realize this is something different.
\nThis is Encounter – and this ain\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t your father\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s church.
\nUtilizing a live band, a different setting and relevant messages during their Sunday gatherings, Encounter has more than doubled in size since it began meeting at the Civic Center last September.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We try and show people that Christ is relevant in their lives today,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Pastor Brian Treadway said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The setting\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a little different – we turn the lights down and let you bring coffee in during the service. The format\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a little different than a traditional church but we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not compromising the message.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153In the traditional church setting, I think people have been turned off by a feeling that they have to somehow measure up. People feel like they have to act a certain way or else they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be judged and condemned. People are also turned off by the language the church uses, the technical terms or Christianese. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a sense that the people in churches are plastic or phony and no one wants to be part of a group where they have to pretend about who they are.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nEncounter began nearly two years ago as a Saturday night outreach service at Ovilla Road Baptist Church.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153There was a group within the church who recognized that many in today\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s generation have tried traditional church and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not meeting their needs,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Treadway said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t match their style or meet their needs. Many have been hurt, burned in or bored by church, so they just sit at home and turn their backs on church and on God.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nThe leaders of ORBC saw a need and decided to create a service for those the traditional churches were not reaching out to.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Our goal was to create a place for the people turned off by traditional church to find a place they would be accepted and where they could find Christ – and fall back in love with him or fall in love with him for the first time,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Treadway said.
\nAfter nearly a year of Saturday night services in Ovilla, the church leaders made the decision for Encounter to venture out on its own, with a Sunday gathering.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We made the transition to Sunday after I felt an inward calling and the other leaders in the church recognized we would be more effective as a separate church,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Treadway said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Our goal is to simplify the church and to remove the bureaucracy you see in many of today\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s churches. When you come to church it shouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be about what clothes you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re wearing, who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s sitting by who or who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s on what committee. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s about a relationship with God.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nAnd Encounter is built around strengthening relationships, both with God and with mankind.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153People today have a longing for developing relationships,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Treadway explained. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why Starbucks, Barnes and Nobles and other places have developed places where people can come and sit, talk and enjoy community. We live in a hi-tech world but there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a longing for hi-touch. We want to encourage an environment where people are sharing their lives. We don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have it nailed yet but I think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s encouraging to see people meeting in homes instead of in an education building. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s something about a home that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s warm and comforting and conclusive to sharing life.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nTo improve those relationships, Encounter has worked to focus on community groups, a change from the traditional Sunday school hour. Groups meet in homes during the week and focus on a variety of topics, including overcoming addiction, creating community and a group specifically geared toward new believers.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We were looking for a change in the traditional Sunday school format,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Treadway said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We were looking for a more fluid format. People have a desire to live in community and in transparency with others. We want to provide a level and environment for relationships rather than sitting and listening to someone teach every week.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nTreadway admits that his passion for Encounter comes not only from a higher calling, but from his own spiritual struggles.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153My own experiences following Christ had become very rule based and routine and a man made standard,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Treadway said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Once I discovered that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m accepted by grace, it changed my perspective. As a church we want to break the bondage of legalism. Many people approach their walk that way. Our drive is to set people free from the bondage of rule-based relationships. We want people excited about church and God and want them to serve out of passion and not duty.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nWhen the church began, 80 people from ORBC joined Treadway to start Encounter. Today, more than 200 people meet weekly at the Waxahachie Civic Center.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The cowboy churches are similar in approach – just a different flavor,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Treadway said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Other pastors in the area have been very supportive. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve heard some concerns, but upon their own investigation they see we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve changed the method, but in doctrine we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve remained the same. When we focus on Christ, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s where we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen the greatest growth.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nAnd like the Cowboy Churches, affiliation with a particular denomination is limited.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see the word Baptist on our signs or in our advertising,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Treadway said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t hear the phrase on Sunday morning because it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s one of the stumbling blocks people have with the church today. Our only affiliation with Southern Baptists is our basic doctrinal belief and the fact that until September of this year, we receive financial support from the Baptist General Convention of Texas. They understand that we won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t advertise our Baptist connection and they don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have a problem with that.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nAnd while building relationships with others at Encounter, Treadway also encourages members to build their relationship in the community as well.
\nHe tells the story of walking into a mega-mart and getting help from none of the employees.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153If the employees ignore the customers then I think they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re missing the point,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he explains. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153In the same way I have to ask myself, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcHas the church of the living God been guilty of the same thing? Are we too busy with staying in fellowship with one another and avoiding the evils of the world that we absolutely miss the point?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Being a follower of God means getting out of your comfort zone. Scripture tells us to love the Lord your God with all your heart and to love your neighbor as yourself. We get so caught up in our own problems that we miss the point.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We want our church to be involved in every aspect of life,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Treadway said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153How can we make an impact on the community? The essence of the Gospel is loving God and loving others more than yourselves. We should be rubbing shoulders with those in need and looking for ways we can serve outside our walls.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nThe church has recently worked with Cowboy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s House in Oak Cliff and is looking to do future projects with Waxahachie CARE and other groups helping the needy in Ellis County.
\nTreadway said Encounter is simply a new approach to tell the Gospel story.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t taken any church and copied it,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Treadway said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Encounter is more of a conglomerate or melting pot of different ideas. I feel like we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re on the front edge of what God wants us to do.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nIn the future, the leadership of Encounter hopes to be able to meet in its own building. Due to scheduling conflicts at the civic center, the church is occasionally forced to meet in other facilities.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d love to have our own facility,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Treadway said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Something that is non-traditional looking and something that allows for a flexible worship environment and an interactive experience with Christ. We also want a place where young people can come and meet during the week and our children\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ministry can continue as a vibrant part of our church. Our children\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ministry is a great draw to the church and Brad Hayes has done an amazing job incorporating his different characters to help tell the stories of the Bible in a way the children can understand. Kids are excited about coming to church. And it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s set up like a junior-Encounter. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s lots of movement and activities they learn with.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nThe rapid growth of the church has been a struggle for Treadway and the church leadership, but you won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t hear him complain.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Our growth has occurred much faster than we originally thought,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Treadway said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153So we struggle with training and finding leaders. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been a challenge. The facilities we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re meeting in now have been a blessing. The civic center has been a great place to meet. But we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve put together a team and dedicated so many of our resources to finding our future facility that my workload has greatly increased. But even with the extra work, I wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t trade it for anything.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nTreadway finds reward in his work while watching lives change.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The reward is in seeing lives changed,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Treadway said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the biggest joy. Getting to see marriages brought back together, hearing people say \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcNow I love coming to church,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 people finding their \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcpassion groove\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 – those are the things you think about as you lay your head down at night and say \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcThank you God.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 \u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nEncounter meets each Sunday at the Waxahachie Civic Center at 10:30 a.m.
\nFor more information, visit www.encounterthis.com<\/A>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"