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Churching

3 fan pages of church leaders: Tim Keller . Brian McLaren . John Hannah

Find a church by browsing my index of churches

Worship comes in all kinds of forms and means, places and styles. I’m a church connoisseur, and I love to experience the many ways of worship. I love high church, low church, smells and bells, dress up Sunday best, dress down come as you are, loud music, somber reflection, beautiful architecture, inspirational preaching.. as long as there’s a variety. Routines get me down. Look it- people don’t like going to a movie that is predictable, why settle for church services that are mundane, rote, routine, and predictable?

The Unauthorized Guide to Choosing a Church ~ by Carmen Renee Berry

This list includes most of the churches at which I’ve worshipped, in no particular order. (I have forgotten a few here and there.) I personally would like to add a commentary and review of each church worship experience, but knowing how over-sensitive some Christians are about their church and faith, public reviews and ratings might not go over too well. Right?

Washington, DC metro area:

Washington International Church (DC)
National Community Church
Gaithersburg Community Church
Bridgeway Community Church (Columbia)
Cedar Ridge Community Church (Spencerville)
Seneca Creek Community Church (Gaithersburg)
Journey’s Crossing (Gaithersburg)
McLean Bible Church, and its gen’xy Frontline

National Presbyterian Church (Washington DC)
Truro Episcopal Church (Fairfax)
Immanuel Bible Church (Springfield)
Fourth Presbyterian Church (Bethesda)
The Church of the Saviour (Washington DC)
Holy Cross Antiochian Orthodox Church (Catonsville MD)
Chinese Bible Church of Maryland (Rockville)
Christ Central Presbyterian Church – EM (Vienna)
Chinese Community Church of Washington DC (Chinatown)
Chinese Christian Church of Greater Washington (Silver Spring)
Church in Bethesda
Bridgeway 242, a church community (Arlington)
Ambassador Bible Church (Vienna)

Raleigh, North Carolina::
Grace Bible Fellowship (Cary)
Providence Baptist Church
Raleigh International Church
Triangle Vineyard Christian Fellowship (Cary)
Raleigh Chinese Christian Church
Westminster Presbyterian Church
Chapel Hill Bible Church
St. Francis Catholic
Asbury United Methodist Church
Kings Park International Church

Winchester, VA:
Bethel Lutheran Church
First Assembly of God
First Baptist Church
Fellowship Bible Church
Calvary Baptist Church
Grace Community Church
Grace Brethren Church
Sunnyside Presbyterian Church
Jubilee Christian Center

Dallas, TX area:
Asian American Baptist Church
Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship
Fellowship Church (Grapevine)
Vox Veniae Dallas
First Baptist Church of Dallas
St. Matthew Episcopal (?)
Plano Chinese Alliance Church
Scofield Memorial Church
Prestonwood Baptist Church
Eagle’s Nest something charismatic church towards Denton
Arlington Chinese Church
Dallas Chinese Bible Church
Evangelical Formosan Church (Garland TX)

Lexington Park, MD:
SAYSF Bible Church
Faith Bible Church
Patuxent River Assembly of God
First Baptist Church

Elsewhere:
Redeemer Presbyterian Church (New York City)
Spirit and Truth Fellowship (Philadelphia)
Queens Chinese Alliance Church (New York City)

Mosaic (formerly The Church on Brady)
Newsong Community Church (Irvine, LA, North OC)
Evergreen Baptist Church (Los Angeles)
Saddleback Community Church (Lake Forest CA)
Rock Harbor (Costa Mesa)
Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa
First Chinese Baptist Church of Fountain Valley (CA)
Chinese Evangelical Free Church of Monterey Park (CA)
Grace Community Covenant Church (Palo Alto CA)

Blacksburg Christian Fellowship (Blacksburg VA)
Dayspring Fellowship (Blacksburg VA)

Mars Hill Fellowship (Seattle)
Onnuri Korean Church (Seattle)
Quest
Church at the Center (Seattle)

Evangelical Free Church (Hagerstown MD)
Disciple Christian Church (Charlotte NC)

Community Christian Church (Chicagoland)
Willow Creek Community Church (Chicagoland)
Lakeside Community Church (Lake Bluff IL)
Austin Chinese Church (Austin TX)
Second Baptist Church (Houston)
Chinese Baptist Church (Houston)

engaging churches for the emerging culture : while I may not have visited all of these, they are definitely for the connoisseur, and these are my personal observations based on buzz and/or experience

Mosaic
hottest creative arts in East LA and Hollywood, Erwin McManus is beginning to hit the conference circuit, concurrent with his [first] book getting published, An Unstoppable
Force; Urban Mosaic is a nightclub service in Hollywood on Sunday nights, the best use drama and arts and metaphors.. Erwin’s study in philosophy propels his engagement with emerging culture

Solomon’s Porch
founded by Doug Pagitt, after connecting pomo pastors together via Young Leaders Network, and caught the bug himself.. progressive thinker, organic, and forming new expressions of Christian spirituality while connecting to traditional practices

Ecclessia
Chris Seay’s new venture after launching UBC Waco; very creative and progressive thinker, able to grasp non-linear progression of postmodern thought, and engages it with the Gospel metanarrative.. new book coming out, The Gospel according to Tony Soprano; friendly relational guy (I like that)

Rock Harbor
nice laid-back So.Cal., graphic designer on staff, interactive worship with weekly communion, homegrown worship songs from Todd Proctor (a worship ldr/ musician who got his start with Shepherd Ministries)

Newsong
Dave Gibbons’ engagement from a mostly Asian American context has raised great awareness for the multicultural mix and a postmodern ethos

Mars Hill
Mark Driscoll’s been one of the most vocal (and vitriolic) in engaging postmodern ethos, tho’ his street-fighter fundamentalist roots don’t rub well with feminist-friendly pomo leaders.. church fits Seattle context well, with gothic sounds, look and
feel; intentional [aggressive] church planter

Warehouse 242
innovative concepts of spirituality and outreach, founder coined the term “normal people” for non-Christians

Axis
Willow Creek got a late start on it, but they’re looking good with engaging pomo ethos

The Next Level
hot church in Denver with Tuesday night public worship and Sunday core teaching (reverse Willow, eh?)

Calvary Church Newport Mesa, now called The Crossing
led by Tim Celek, who authored Inside the Soul of a New Generation

Graceland (at Santa Cruz)
one of the church-in-a-church approaches to engage next gen, prob most prominent in modeling coffeehouse worship; Dan Kimball has quite the haircut..

Frontline
Washington DC’s megachurch has its form of church-in-a-church, homegrown worship music, fair use of multimedia, with a multimedia specialist on staff; advocate of intergenerational partnership, hosting their own conferences now

The River
Northern Cal’s engagement with postmoderns and multiple engagment in six areas, including ethnic diversity mix

Chapel Hill Bible Church
Tim Conder is Young Adults Pastor at CHBC, and well acquainted with Young Leaders Network and other pomo ministry leaders and ethos; great personable guy

Capo Beach Calvary Chapel
Chuck Smith Jr.’s expression of engaging pomo ethos, with some progressive thoughts on the organic aspects of church life

Here’s a list from Easum & Bandy (church consultants):: www.easumbandy.com/FAQS/postmodernchurches.htm

emerging culture churches (formerly known as “postmodern or “Gen X”)