In Theory: Church, now playing at a theater near you

Q. The Rev. Ethan Maple of Indianapolis, Indiana, recently started The Movie Theater Church. His idea was not to build a physical church but to build a worship community in a comfortable and unintimidating place, like a movie theater. Churches rent theater facilities every week for worship, paying up to $1,000 for three hours. However, some critics of this believe that holding church in a movie theater sends the message that the church is not going to be there for the long run and “not here to stay,” according to a recent CNN article. Do you believe that holding services in a movie theater is the right strategy to bring people back to the church? Or does it do more harm than good?

Graham Bothwell: Whether or not we embrace the traditional concept of a church edifice, we all must keep up with the times and be in tune with the communities we serve. It always means looking beyond ourselves, and having hearts ready to help those who find us.

The best kind of family usually fosters a caring and belonging that we call home, but the family house is not of itself a home. It’s the same with church. There are many churches with buildings in locations that serve them well. There are also churches of various denominations affected by the increasingly secular nature of society, where the community receptivity to church is no longer so apparent.

Such churches are discovering ways to revitalize their organizations. As the CNN article relates, some meet in movie theaters and have increased congregations as a result. Whether or not these arrangements endure remains to be seen, but churches will adopt ever-new ways to progress. The Bible quotes Jesus as saying, “In my Father’s house are many mansions.”

The June 4 issue of The Christian Science Monitor carries an article called “Churches Without the Church,” about churches of several denominations that lost their buildings following foreclosures who now meet in homes or cafes. Other churches are copying this format because of its success. (See: www.csmonitor.com/2009/0604/p02s08-ussc.html.)

My own church is also moving with the times. For example: Some churches of Christ, Scientist, have installed facilities for remote participation via telephone or the Internet. Some churches have a combined church and Christian Science Reading Room (the latter essentially a bookstore) in a shop-front location, usually in a well-located position. Some others have rebuilt at new locations.