Perspective

.

Nashville, TN:  On the heels of rediscovering grace last Sunday, I went to check out Midtown Fellowship with, appropriately, my friend Gracie. Midtown is comprised of three congregations:  Downtown, 12th South and Crieve Hall. Gracie invited me to join her at the the Downtown location, which worked out well since it is approximately 5 minutes from my house and since they offer an 11am service -- a welcomed time considering I've been up at 7:30am each morning this week (thank you, boot camp!).

Aesthetics:  The Downtown congregation meets at Rocketown, a non-profit youth outreach facility which normally hosts skateboarding and punk concerts. I loved the urban feel of the venue, though not seeing stained glass windows or sitting in pews made me wonder if this could really be a church... at least in the traditional sense. I chalked it up to being yet another step on The Great Church Search, but hoped I was hip enough to fit in.

Greeting:  Once we entered, the main lobby area was set up as a social mingle haven. You were able to help yourself to coffee, tea or water (with or without lemon) and given the opportunity to mix with other like-minded folks. No one went out of their way to welcome me, probably because I was already there with a plus one. I wondered if a newcomer, alone, would be met with enthusiasm or if the well-intended hang was more of a ramped-up version of finding the cool kids to hang out with in high school.

Community:  The approximate 250 attendees were young and white, with the exception of an older couple sitting on the other side of Gracie.  A part of me felt like I fit right into this crowd until I realized some of them were old enough to be my children.  (I have a similar feeling when I shop at Forever 21 and realize forever ended 16 years ago.)  And speaking of children - there were none to be found. Turns out "Kidtown" is a place where the 5th grade & under crowd goes to hang during the little-over-an-hour service.  It was nice to have a fidgety-free experience (minus my own personal fidgets.)

Music:  The musicians stood on the floor with the rest of us, stage left, which offered a chance to focus on the music, not the performers.  From what I heard, a single vocal, acoustic guitar, fiddle, piano (and possible synth?) collaborated for a mix of Americana / folk / country and old spiritual melodies. One song ended with the haunting repetition of "Hallelujah," ala Jeff Buckley.  Though I normally love some spirit-filled, gospel funk on Sunday mornings, this was a welcome calmer, reflective sound.

Service:  The service was simple:  two songs, a prayer, the sermon, another three songs, a final prayer and announcements.  The vibe of the church is that it was vibey.  String lights added luminous ambiance. A wall of handwritten prayer requests, lit by candlelight, was both meaningful and artsy. And everyone came as they were... which was pretty casual.  From t-shirts and jeans to vests and fedoras (and that was on the women) -- even the pastor wore khaki shorts.     

Message:  The sermon started out with a very specific and catchy topic (complete with creative logo on the screen): Dancing Lessons - A Study on the Book of Ephesians.  The pastor, who normally resides at the Crieve Hall congregation, began with an engaging question: how does our position and perspective affect our response to things?  I waited to see what sort of path he would go down to discuss this interesting topic, but felt that it never really got going.  Instead, he seemed to focus on using pop culture references to (from my perception) keep relevant with the young crowd. And I'm talking a LOT of references, where he mentioned song titles when speaking of biblical or religious ideals like Janet Jackson ("what have you done for me lately?") and Belinda Carlisle ("heaven is a place on earth").  And he even impersonated Hank Hill, as if he were on "Antiques Roadshow."  

Eventually he got closer to the question at hand and talked about the differences of being egocentric vs. theocentric. One way to not be egocentric would be to, in his words, "let go of our works and efforts to establish our identity."  I began thinking perhaps his too-relevant references were his effort to get a laugh and establish his identity as a hip pastor. Already, I was forming my next blog in my head, thinking of clever ways to describe the scene.  As I took notes, citing the latest Ace Ventura quote he dropped, I stopped myself with a thought:  perhaps I was using my blog to establish my own identity. Talk about casting the first stone! The initial rhetorical question was now personal -- how does my perspective of going to church each week affect my response? I began to see a pattern -- once I enter a new church, I immediately scan the room to qualify my blog checklist (aesthetics, greeting, community, etc.) instead of truly opening myself up to the way God's love is revealed in each establishment. I conjure up witty ways to describe the message or elicit a response from my "fans" (hi mom! :)) than to really allow the word to seep into my subconscious. Perhaps I had lost sight of the reason I started this journey in the first place.

Maybe the pastor isn't the one who's lost perspective after all. 

Denomination:  Midtown is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America.  The denomination was organized in 1973 but is divided from other Presbyterian branches, due to "doctrinal issues."  They adhere to TULIP:

Total Depravity

Unconditional Election

Limited Atonement

Irresistible Grace

Perseverance of the Saints

Overall:  The church felt like a cross between comfortable hang and trying too hard. The bit I will most take from this stop on the journey is a piece written in their WHO WE ARE description:  "We are strugglers.  Yes, it's true!  We are messy Christ followers who wrestle with all sorts of imperfections and shortcomings. Despite our deficiencies and weaknesses, he is constantly drawing us to himself and continuing his transforming work in our lives." THAT sounds like a pretty perfect perspective.  

Reflections on the Journey Thus Far:  Just when I think there's not a lot I can gain out of a Sunday morning, I am reminded there is always room for more learning, more growing, more reflection. (Including this beautiful reflection of the Nashville skyline in Gracie's glasses -- I was mesmerized!)

Contact:  

601 4th Ave S.

Nashville, TN 37210

www.midtownfellowship.org

Facebook page