Austin City Church

Let me begin this post with a confession. I found Austin City Church because I did a Google search with the words "theology" "pub" and "austin." Yes, I was looking for a place where people drank beer and talked about God. That search led to this link, where I found three churches in Austin which have theology pubs. Like many people, I've been following the emerging or emergent church movement and wondering if it is merely the latest fad or a true uprising of the picture of 21st century Christianity. Only time will tell, I guess. But, I digress...

Austin City Church describes it's Theology Pub in this way: Can God redeem the pub? We believe the answer is yes. The theologions of old, C.S. Lewis and others used to meet at the Pub after lectures and it was there that the really deep issues came out. Our group continues the tradition. This group is an open forum for any theological issue to be discussed. Bring your Bible, and your burning questions. I admit. That intrigues me. So, after having a late brunch at the South Congress Cafe, I decided to take a second trip this past Sunday and visit the church (not for their theology pub, but for their regular service, which takes place on Sunday evenings).

The church meets at the Local Color Austin Art Gallery. Actually, it was difficult to tell if they share the space or if the church meets there or what, but after doing a little research, I found this brief article in the Austin American-Statesman, which says it's both. The setting is wonderful. As they say on their website, We are a church that meets in an art gallery. Old cathedrals in Europe have stained glass. The changing art on the walls is our stained glass. All proceeds from the gallery go towards fighting for social justice here in Austin (Micah 6:8).

Entering the church, I was immediately taken in by the beauty of the place. Paintings hung on the walls on each side, there were candles burning, with very low lighting, at the far end of the church and people were standing around and sitting on couches, talking. I walked around and looked at the paintings, which were done by an artist named Anna Marie Adoniya. You can read about them here. They are amazing! The paintings had a hint of iconography and each one felt very meaningful. Up near the stage was a small table, with bread and wine for communion. Before going into the service, let me share a couple of things I noticed prior to the worship time. First, at the entrance were Lenten Fasting Guides. You'll note the directions suggest considering the spiritual direction of your church and the medical direction of your doctor or Whole Foods herbalist. If you don't live in Austin, you probably can't appreciate that as much as those who do! Second, sitting behind me before church started, I eavesdropped (I know, I know) on a couple of guys sitting behind me talking about fasting. One was giving the other some pointers (and excellent advice). He talked about various ways to fast (you can look at the fasting guide for further information on the partial, daytime and full fasts). He also stressed the importance of it being a discipline which points you to God and told the other person not to worry to much about getting it perfect or if he messes up. "What's important is that it is meaningful to you." I was impressed at the sincerity of the people at this church. All really appeared to be searching for meaning, discipline and for the love of Christ. Conversation flowed about spiritual matters - not deep, theological abstracts, but practical daily living for Christ.

The service opened with, "In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit" and everyone crossing themselves. It followed a liturgy, with the reciting of the Creed as well as responsive readings. We whispered the Lord's Prayer (apparently, that is a Lenten practice, although it's the first time I have heard of it). The band played and there was congregational singing. Again, beautiful music abounds in Austin and this was no exception. The music was contemporary, but not heavy rock style. The pastor, Jim Mueller, said something very meaningful prior to the reciting of the Creed. It was something like this: "As this creed has unified Christians for over 1600 years, let us pray it unifies us." That's not exact, but it's close. The church was made up of a very young group of people - I would guess the average age of the group would be about 23-27 years old. There were a few of us "older" people there, but it is largely a young group. There was a guest preacher (I think he used to be there and has now moved to another congregation) who talked about why the Gospel doesn't excite people like it used to excite the Apostles and early Church. His point was that many see the Gospel like bumper stickers you often read (he gave a few humorous, but very real examples). They see the Gospel as a means to one day "get to Heaven," rather than something that is in and among us at all times and everywhere. It was a very "here and now" message. That is the Gospel that the early Church was willing to lay down their lives for. Communion was also served, in litugical fashion, but not in a long, drawn out way. Following the service, they gathered for a soup supper (a Lenten soup supper).

My impression? Wow! This was probably one of the most moving experiences I have had in years. There was a point in the service in which I knew the Spirit of God was moving among us. You could feel it! The people are so sincere in their faith and it is so exciting to see people of this age taking their walk with Christ so seriously. I don't mean serious in a somber fashion, but in a sincere and honest way. There is something very special about being with people who are open, honest and truly themselves. No putting on airs. No checking to see what others are doing. Just opening their hearts to one another and to God. It is the gathering of those people where God can do truly amazing things and certainly I felt His presence in the hearts and lives of these people. If this is what an emergent church is all about, I can promise you it will transcend any trend or fad that passes through the Christian churches.

During the service, we prayed Psalm 51. In that prayer is the line, Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation. Standing in this beautiful place, among these beautiful souls, in the presence of and worshipping a beautiful God, that prayer was answered. I truly felt the joy of my salvation! This church, in many ways, is similar to Mosaic, another emergent church, in Austin. Both have an emphasis on relationships, on finding meaning, on expression of love through the arts. What a joyous experience at Austin City Church! If you are looking for a place to find true meaning and enhance your relationship with God, this place will challenge your mind and stir your soul.

A postscript to my visit. After getting home and reading more about the church, I discovered a little gem that was initially surprising, but actually made perfect sense, given the liturgy we experienced. Austin City Church is a mission of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. This connection really gives them a larger-than-local strength to support their very local approach to Christianity.