If You Could Visit Any Church, Anywhere …

Aug

If You Could Visit Any Church, Anywhere …

Posted on August 12th, 2009 in Church Life, Faith by Fred McKinnon

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If you could visit any church, anywhere ….

where would it be, and why?
(leave your answer in the comments area below)

http://travispaulding.com Travis

I’d love to visit Hillsong. I want to worship there for a couple services then go to church production disney world that is their production dept.

http://www.fredmckinnon.com Fred McKinnon

As I shouted through the wall into your office next door – I agree, I think Hillsong may would be at the top. I’d be as eager to be in their teaching environment, and see how things flow “off camera”.

http://heatherblankenship.wordpress.com Heather B

haha! Travis, that was funny!
I too would like to visit Hillsong and also Bethel Redding. My why would be the worship.
http://www.saintlewismusic.com/ Shannon Lewis

Man, that’s a hard one because I LOVE visiting churches of all sorts. My greatest interest are churches that seem to do an especially good job of emphasizing doctrinal depth, while still being very “experiential” – i.e., having a particularly good balance between “Word” and “Spirit”. In those circumstances, I’m often interested in what they’re singing, and how they’re singing it (the response of the congregation, and the style in which they play), as in many ways the music a congregation sings can have a greater long-term impact on a body than the preacher’s messages. That said, I’d love to visit:
Village Church of Highland Village, TX
Covenant Life Church (went there for WG08, but never been on a Sunday)
Vineyard Church of Columbus (been there for a wedding, but never a Sunday service)
Manna Church in NC
Sojourn Community Church in Louisville, KY

I’m sure that there are more, but that’s about as narrowed down as I can get!
http://www.facebook.com/poolehall Steve Poole

I cannot think of any real church, but I would love to attend a church where there was a variety of worship services. One Sunday would be Big Band Jazz, another Sunday would be small chamber music, another would be large orchestra arrangements by Clydesdale. Lari Goss, etc., another would be contemporary praise and worship, and another would be TobyMac-style worship. This church would also need to have no business meetings and the ministers would all walk around with a holy glow from spending so much time with God. OK, I think I just described heaven.
Pian0dude

I’d love to chime in and say the “big name” churches, however, I’d fear most of my motivation or desire to pick those would be based on spiritual and emotional connections I feel when watching their perfectly produced video clips online or DVD’s. I don’t doubt that true worship is occurring, but I’d question my motives.

I’d honestly have to say, I’d probably look for some place that was more stripped down and simplistic in nature. Some place I could go and not feel like I’m in a sea of “fans”. A place where I can go and just worship the One, without lots of distractions, etc.

Don’t get me wrong. If I ever got a phone call or an invite to come to a “big name” church, I’d most likely take the oppotunity in a heart beat.
http://mikeymo1741.blogspot.com Mike

I think Hillsong would be on my list.

Sojourn, also. I’d love to experience THAT worship in their “home court.”

UBC Waco one Sunday when DC*B is leading worship.
http://www.bernardshuford.com Bernard Shuford

NewSpring, at this point. Elevation runs a close second.
Chuck Hutcheson

Anywhere high up in the mountains – a monastery, a temple, a missions outreach, whatever. I want to get where it’s quiet & peaceful.
Maggie Cook

Well, I have to join the crowd and say Hillsong would be on it – but I would love to get a real sense of Gateway; Mariners (because of Stan Endicott) and Sojourn in Ky – nothing new here, I am sure!
John Estrellado

I’d love to go the the Hillsong church and Lakewood Church..
http://www.smalltownpastor.wordpress.com Marcus

I think I’d want to check out Newspring in SC because I love getting my butt kicked by Perry Noble and would want to experience that in person.
http://thejonmorris.com Jon Morris

Hillsong
for worship and environments
Newspring
to hear Perry Noble’s bluntness in person
Buckhead
to experience environments and great leadership
http://www.russhutto.com Russ Hutto

I’d like to go to “that” church where the majority of people are living life together during the week and where a mega service on Sunday isn’t the main thing.

But since that’s so tough to find in the culture we live in…umm…

I’d like to visit ALL of my blog friends’ churches (i know, i know, that’s not one but I can dream).
http://www.chrisfromcanada.com Chris from Canada

When I’m on holidays I try to visit churches that are VERY different from my own. I could go to any of the nearby hot, contemporary, big, techy, “with it” churches that are doing lots of things better than we are but I don’t think I’d find the experience very rewarding (I’d be continually thinking about how they do things better than we do) OR very helpful (I can look online and find lots of cool ideas for stuff to do).

I try to go to churches that are solid, biblical, traditional, liturgical – a church where I don’t know what’s going to happen next, where I really don’t have any kind of ownership stake in what’s going on. I’m there to be part of the community, in the presence of God.

Fred – I think that’s why the eucharist service we did at re:create this year was so impactful for so many. It was familiar enough that it held great meaning but it was foreign enough that we had to be present (in the truest sense) in every moment. Those are the kinds of experiences I can walk away from being refreshed spiritually, motivated in my own walk AND full of new insight on different things we can being to incorporate at OBC.

(As a side note, we did a one-off service this spring focused on our theology of communion. I took much of what we did at re:create and adapted it to fit our own context. Powerful stuff.
http://mandythompson.com mandythompson

I’m looking forward to the Church going nuts in Heaven – all nations, tongues, tribes, AND DENOMINATIONS…

Until then, there’s no “perfect” church that I would drool over.
http://www.faithchristiancenterworship.blogspot.com Justin K

I would have to say
Bethel Church in Redding California
Lakewood- in Houston
Hillsongs in Australia
New Life- in Colorado

Why?
I would have to say each place – because of the worship- each place has it’s own dynamic. each it’s own style- and it would be fascinating to see it.
Melissa Davies

I’d like to visit Cross Point to meet Pete Wilson
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=530448499 Leslie Sellers

Mars Hill in Grand Rapids, Mi. Hands down.

…because it’s a “mega” church, with non-typical view of things. Very outward & community focused, not about all the flash and glamour that most mega churches go for.

A close second would be Mosiac.
http://thehonnolds.com/TheWatersEdge Jeff Honnold

I’d have to agree that Hillsong would be on my list. However, A few I would also love to go to:

- Crosspoint in Nashville to hear Pete Wilson live and to talk with them about their Serving Saturdays

- Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley to hear Francis Chan

- Community Christian Fellowship in Texas to worship with Paul Baloche
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=686076613 Bridget Willard

Applegate Christian Fellowship
Medford, OR

They baptize every week in the summer and have communion every day!

I receive a lot of insight from Jon Courson.
stacy

It would have to be Clint Brown’s church in Orlando “FaithWorld” Love it and it is only 3 hours from me.
My husband grew up with Joel Osteen in Lakewood and it is still our favorite place.
http://www.whoisgrace.com Brian Lusky

The Village Church out in Dallas because Matt Chandler is one of the best communicators of the gospel I’ve ever heard, and I’d like to check out their musical worship.

I think as worship leaders we naturally tend to favor churches who we perceive to have good music. But I’ve grown more as a lead worshiper on account of great preaching than I ever have listening to good music.

I’m glad I get to have both, but I’ve seen a switch towards favoring preaching over music in my life in the last year or so, and it’s completely changed my effectiveness as a worship pastor for the better.

http://www.fredmckinnon.com Fred McKinnon

Quote:
I think as worship leaders we naturally tend to favor churches who we perceive to have good music. But I’ve grown more as a lead worshiper on account of great preaching than I ever have listening to good music.

Brian – that blew me away, my friend. WOW. Thanks for that!
http://www.shapingthespace.net David

I’ve experienced this same thing personally too Brian.
http://www.whoisgrace.com Brian Lusky

Thanks guys. It’s amazing that we get to talk about this kind of stuff and encourage one another from across continent (or globe in David’s case!). Crazy times we live in.

Thanks for all that you do to bring us lead worshipers together, Fred.

http://www.hiramring.com Hiram Ring

I would love to visit a church in a country where it is illegal to be a Christian. To join with believers meeting in secret in a basement to worship God and pray for Him to work mightily in our lives. I want to go where I’m living on the edge, so that returning to my church in the US will be an ever-increasing reminder of my need for Christ on a daily basis, and an encouragement to push the limits of my own world. Maybe I wouldn’t come back…

http://www.shapingthespace.net David

I’m with Hiram… I want to visit an underground church, or a 3rd world church.

Like, visiting Heidi & Rolland Baker in Mozambique and being part of what they do there and their X,000 church plants. Wow!

But…that’s at least partly because I’ve already been to Hillsong…lots of times…and know people who work at HillsongDisney too

Having said all that, I would love to visit Bethel to worship with Jesus Culture and Brian & Jenn Johnson on their home turf.

http://www.fredmckinnon.com Fred McKinnon

I second that – def. want to get out to Redding and worship at Bethel.

http://www.fredmckinnon.com Fred McKinnon

Hiram, wow, amazing. Thanks for sharing this … what a vision!

http://www.shaggyworshiper.com Dustin

Hillsong is top of the list for me, and I’m blessed to actually be going there in January to go to Hillsong College.

Bethel Church in Redding, California and IHOP in Kansas City would also be very, very high on the list.

Also, this idea I first heard from a friend of mine. I would love to go to one of the ginormous churches in South Korea. I don’t know the numbers, but something like 8 of the 10 biggest churches in the world are in South Korea, and during services in massive stadiums, the congregation is prone to breaking out in spontaneous praise. Being a part of that would be super cool.
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