Church Church Church

This past Sunday I attended Shoal Creek Community Church. It was the first church I have ever attended that I would feel comfortable bringing an "un-churched" person to. They have totally made the service seeker friendly. There is no group singing, no passing the offering plate, no raising your hand if its your first time, and a lot of normal everyday things like songs you'd hear on the radio and videos. The atmosphere was much like a coffee shop I attended a concert at in Columbia, MO. In the main room there was a free coffee bar with cookies and such, tables were set up all along the back and sides of the room, and then there were chairs set up in the middle. I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about it all. I kind of feel like it was just a show that was put on for me to take in. But I could tell that nobody leading it was doing it for their own glory. There wasn't really a part of the service that pulled me in and required me to participate. But is that wrong, or bad? There were several mentions of getting connected with a "group" so I could tell that they do want people to go beyond what they experience on Sundays. Is this what "the church" of 2008 needs? In order to reach our neighbors do we need to make Sundays the time for others to come in and not feel awkward, and then have other things throughout the week for those who want to be challenged and grow in their faith. Its pretty much the exact opposite of what any other church I have ever attended has done. This past sunday, scripture was taught, we were challenged to let it impact the way we live. That was good. Maybe Shoal Creek isn't doing everything right, maybe they are, but I think the important thing is that they trying.