Church service uses techno, technology to target unchurched
By Jeff Brumley Religion writer
March 15, 2003
A teen-age girl with low-cut jeans and a bare midriff skipped through the crowd of worshippers leaving church on a recent Saturday night.
As she caught up to her mother in the parking lot, she shouted loud enough for even passing cars on Jensen Beach Boulevard to hear: "Man, tonight was awesome!"
Such an unabashedly enthusiastic critique from a teen-ager would be music to the ears of any pastor. But it's especially encouraging to the Rev. Paul Thompson, whose First Baptist Jensen Beach is a month into an experiment in worship designed to stretch the concept of church to the limits.
"It started from a sense of frustration knowing there are some people we're just not going to reach on Sunday mornings," Thompson said.
The service is aimed at teens who are skeptical about organized religion and "young professional people who have just given up on church," said Thompson, 34.
What's happened is that people of all ages and backgrounds are showing up and creating what amounts to a unique community within First Baptist.
"It's its own church," Thompson said. "It's a church within a church. That's why we gave it a name."
The name -- hung from stylish banners in the sanctuary and printed on brochures and $25 shirts -- is "5:17, Different on Purpose."
The name comes from 2 Corinthians 5:17, a New Testament verse expressing belief that Jesus' followers are new creations. That Scripture illustrates the church's message that being a Christian doesn't mean having to think, act or worship traditionally, said Matt Solik, the church's pastor of music and worship who helped create 5:17.
"A lot of people are not coming to church on Sunday, many because they have to look a certain way, be someone they aren't," said Solik, 25.
"The whole service is designed around the concept to be 'different on purpose,'" Solik said.
How different is 5:17? Try this on for size:
The services begin at 5:17 p.m. on Saturday nights.
About 80 percent of the service is music -- all kinds of music.
The music ranges from techno to rock, slow worship and praise, and includes a regular mix of secular hits. All of it is performed by the church's own band, "His Own," with Solik as the lead singer and keyboard player.
The March 1 service opened with Bon Jovi's "It's My Life," from the album "Crush."
Solik said only those secular songs with uplifting, positive lyrics are chosen.
"You may not like all the songs, but you should like most of the songs," Solik said. "It's a very diverse type of music."
The remaining 20 percent of the service is taken up by Thompson's messages, which come in two or three bite-sized sections.
The messages present the basics of Christian belief.
"I'm not assuming anybody is Christian" at the service, he said.
A laptop computer is set up in the back of the sanctuary. It is connected to the church's Web site to allow worshippers to send anonymous e-mail questions on any aspect of the service or Christian belief. When appropriate, Thompson will answer the questions during the service.
Having the computer there, youth pastor Steve Carswell said, provides a way for people to ask questions "without feeling like we're going to come sit on your couch for three hours on a Saturday afternoon."
Solik himself is, in the context of a Southern Baptist Church, different. With his even tan, flip-flops and tussled hair, he looks more like a surfer than a Baptist worship leader. He found the job at First Baptist online and took it because it would enable him to live out his calling.
"My passion is for people who believe in God but don't like church," Solik said. His purpose is to help seekers "to know Christ."
The 5:17 concept is not about rejecting tradition, Solik said, but about adding to it. That's why First Baptist has a special program for seniors. That's why it has a blended, contemporary service on Sunday mornings and is about to roll out a traditional Sunday morning worship service.
"It's not so much the message that changes but the bait, and the people we are trying to reach," Solik said.
So far it seems to be working, he said. Attendance has ranged from 150-200 since 5:17 was launched Feb. 8.
"The biggest thing I've heard is 'I didn't know church could be this way,'" Solik said.
The atmosphere in the sanctuary March 1 resembled a club setting, with dimmed lights and a six-member band led by Solik.
In the back of the room were a table laden with snacks and beverages and Carswell standing by the computer.
Above and behind the band, lyrics and Scripture were projected onto a large screen.
While the band played, some danced and clapped while others simply stood or sat.Between songs, Thompson took the stage with Bible in hand.
"This may be a one-shot deal for me, so let me keep it on the line just the way it is," he said.
The way it is, he said, is that with God, life has meaning and purpose. Without God, it doesn't.
"I want to be real with you; I want to be honest. God's plans have a purpose. God is in control," Thompson said.
Thompson's messages and Solik's music are meant to reach out to seekers and church shoppers like Margaret Armstead, 31, of Jensen Beach. She attended her fourth 5:17 service March 1 with her three kids, ages 5, 9 and 11.
"If I was walking down the street, I wouldn't necessarily know church was going on," she said. "I can't even imagine what my mother would say."
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jeff.brumley@scripps.com
If You Go
What: "5:17 -- Different on Purpose."
When: 5:17 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturdays.
Where: First Baptist Jensen Beach, 1400 N.E. Jensen Beach Blvd., Jensen Beach.
Cost: Free.
Contact: (772) 334-2202.
03-16-2003, 01:37 PM
