The Vintage Modern Church Brings Hope for the Future
With Church attendance on the decline and many churches closing their doors, there is still hope for the Church, says one Michigan Church Planter. Kevin Hester, a Church Planter at The Shore Church in St. Joseph, Michigan, believes his Vintage Modern Church could become a new trend. After planting his first church 7 years ago, he re-located the church to a Vintage (older vacant) church building. He then modernized the building and the churches services and ministries.
Kevin is doing it again. The Shore Church, which he planted a little over a year ago, began in a local middle school, but within weeks moved into a Vintage Church Building where he modernized things again. The Church building is what some might consider the typical white building with stain-glassed windows and a steeple. The sort of building that you might find in any U.S. city which had become vacant. With help from their sponsoring church and another
partner, they were able to do modern updates in technology with video screens on the inside and a digital sign on the outside.
The building isn’t the only blending of the old and the new at The Shore Church, Kevin uses modern outreach ideas, promotions and social media to reach unchurched individuals. Kevin knows that the Bible and God’s word don’t change, but he understands that methods and buildings may need to. Kevin believes that the Church should not be an entertainment center, but a worship center focused on pleasing God and not just ourselves. New studies show that people aged 20-50 are wanting the historical church look and feel, with the new technologies and programs.
The time of school and warehouse meeting places for church are on the decline. With almost 500 churches closing each week, Kevin believes there are plenty of buildings out there to blend the vintage and the modern together and we can reverse this trend. He wants to show that “Vintage” doesn’t mean old and stuffy and modern doesn’t mean no solid Biblical doctrine. A church building should be a place to express your relationship with God and His Son in a safe way. So, the next time you see an older vacant church building, God may impress upon you that this is an opportunity for a Vintage Modern Church Plant to Spring up!
(Source: Christian Newswire)
