Visiting three urban, emergent churches in one day provided a snapshot of some creative ministry in Pittsburgh. (I actually worshiped at four settings in one day(!), but the fourth church, while it is a thriving ministry, wouldn’t be called emergent.)
Three Nails, www.threenails.org/, affiliated with the Episcopal Church USA, describes itself as a cell church. The heart of the church are the small groups scattered throughout Pittsburgh. On Sundays the cells come together at an urban community center, first for breakfast, followed by worship with a praise band and the liturgy of the Episcopal Church.
Hot Metal Bridge, www.hotmetalbridge.com, recently purchased a restaurant/bar across the street from one of Pittsburgh’s many shuttered factory buildings. The hundred or so young adults crammed into the former dining area on Sunday afternoon for worship, after having spent four hours beginning to rehab their new digs. Quite a few of these worshipers were edgy: brightly dyed hair and an abundance of piercings and tattoos. Several members of this church operate a Christian tattoo shop, In the Blood. They invite their customers to a Bible study in their shop.
The Open Door, www.pghopendoor.org/, rents space from the Union Project, a community redevelopment organization. Like its landlord, the church has a vision for involvement in the adjacent, multi-racial neighborhoods. They meet for worship on Sunday evenings, and these hundred or so young adults and young families enjoy the multi-sensory and artistic elements integrated into their worship.
These three congregations are all adept at reaching certain young adults who would likely be disinterested in a traditional church. The people in these churches really like being together. They love their church’s vision for ministry, and they invite their friends to participate.
It’s too early to tell how these churches will develop. All three are less than five years old. Will they remain young, edgy and loosely organized? Knowing how organizations mature, that is hard to imagine. For now, they offer an intriguing and successful mission to urban young adults.
Posted in Missional Church
