My first visit - Mars Hill Downtown Church

According to Stendhal's rules for inter-religious dialogue you should never compare your best with their worst. I took this in mind when selecting a Christian church to visit for class (we are to visit a church, mosque, and temple). Dr. M. stipulated that we choose a tradition outside our own, and I chose to visit a church that is not only outside my tradition but from everything I knew not an expression of Christianity that I would label "best" by any stretch. Mars Hill is a controversial mega-church of no firm denominational affiliation whose senior pastor is well known for making statements from the pulpit and via his blog that are easily interpreted as homophobic, misogynistic, and generally contemptuous and hateful of people who are not his particular brand of fairly fundamentalist "Christian." I guess I figured that wherever I go next, temple or mosque, no one will be able to accuse me of comparing our best to their worst. So let's get to it (following the assignment outline given in class to reflect on visits):

Church Attended: Mars Hill Church, Downtown Seattle location
Date: Saturday April 28, 6pm service


Description of worship space/meeting place: Mars Hill purchased a building downtown on Western Ave that used to be a nightclub, as I was informed by the very sweet young lady wearing a "I can help" nametag who met me at the door. She was able to ascertain that I was new as I entered the building by asking a couple discreet questions "How long have you been here?" ("Just arrived" I said.) "What brings you to Mars Hill?("Curiosity," I replied.) It is obvious that the space was once a music venue, and the church uses it very well. There is an entry area with free coffee, tea, and water before you enter the main auditorium. There are no windows and the orientation of the entire space (rather long, black walls) is the stage at the end. There was music playing over the sound system when I arrived and a massive screen was displaying announcements about the community - upcoming doctrine membership classes and an upcoming retreat at Suncadia resort.

Number of people in attendance: The room could probably seat a few hundred people, and was perhaps a third full. I spotted three people of color, two of which were on stage in the music or a pastoring role. The rest of the audience I read as white, under 30, and dressed casually but intentionally. The white male lead pastor wore a suit.

My expectations/pre-conceived notions: I have watched or heard excerpts from the preaching at Mars Hill, and read much of the media coverage about the ways in which community members who violate the stated practices or challenge leadership are treated. As a woman on a track toward ordained ministry (something Mars Hill is openly against) I expected to feel uncomfortable there. However I also have friends who attend Mars Hill, people I like very much and studiously avoid having any sort of theological conversation with. These are smart, fun folks and so I also expected there to be something compelling about the experience. It couldn't be all hate-speech and misogyny.

The Service: The service started exactly on time. A few minutes before go-time the screen ascended and a young, hip band took the stage, all male. Two minutes before start a large countdown clock was projected on the back wall informing us exactly when worship would begin. The format was music-sermon-music. The lead pastor of the downtown location welcomed everyone, showed up again just before the sermon to introduce the topic, and then again after the sermon to bring it home. The music was great, not the stereotypical individualistic empty love songs with Jesus' name sung repeatedly that I was expecting. Most were rock n roll versions of psalms or familiar hymns and they were done very well. When it was sermon time the giant screen came down again (the band was still playing and were completely obscured) and after a brief intro by lead-pastor, we watched a pre-recorded hour of Mark Driscoll preaching on location in Ephesus. I found Driscoll's sermon both repellent and compelling. The production values were very high, and he is a good preacher. But the theological content was disturbing(if not surprising) on a couple of levels. First, the way the episode was shot seemed designed to feel a little bit like a documentary, especially when the preacher discussed the history behind the text he preached on (Revelation). I would have been very impressed if I were not aware that many of the claims he made about that history are false. So the conflation of myth/tradition around the text and actual historical-critical data about it was troubling. The other content stuff was about what I expected - veiled references to Jesus as "the senior pastor" that suggested an authority from the senior pastor that is god-like, and a thinly veiled contempt for the people and places that do not conform to one particular person's vision of a faithful life. I also found it interesting, and have heard this so was expecting it, that while there are tons of pastors at Mars Hill - several for each location - only the senior pastor really preaches there. The implication, to me, is that there is just one man who speaks for God in this community. (Not to mention that it is a little odd to me, coming together at church and basically watching tv for almost an hour of the time I'm there.)

The service ended with music and, unexpected to me, communion. The practice for communion was interesting, a combination of what I've experienced in mainline denominations that see it as remembrance and not sacrament. There was little explanation offered, just an invitation to come to the front if you wished. I went, and once there took a pita bread from one plate and then had a choice of wine or juice to dip it in from another plate. The band played during this time. Finally the lead pastor came up, invited everyone to come out to eat at a local cafe with another pastor, made fun of that pastor for being old (he struck me as early 50s) and then it was done.

What I least enjoyed: The underlying either/or theology presented was the least enjoyable part of the experience for me. The membership class is called "Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe," a premise that I found simultaneously offensive and simplistic. I was also keenly aware that I am not their target demographic - and so wasn't greeted as warmly perhaps.  I sat in the middle of a row about halfway toward the front of the room. No one sat very close to me. During the meet and greet time one person said hi, but several others who were near chose to speak to each other instead of greeting me, despite my efforts to make eye contact. I've heard other folks who maybe appear younger or who look a little different than I do have had different experiences. I started to wonder if I was coming off as old, fat, or maybe a lesbian. I do have short hair and nails, wasn't wearing make-up, was there alone and wearing a wedding ring. I don't think I am usually read that way but as I compared myself to the other women present I felt pretty butch. I have heard that the Mars Hill culture is fairly appearance oriented - I remember a friend who was a member briefly telling me that she felt ostracized because she was larger than other women there - but I was still surprised. So much for my hip self image!

What I most enjoyed: I was surprised by how much I liked the musical experience. It got me thinking, truly. Also they do a great job with hospitality - it is all a little produced for my tastes but I am not their target audience, and I found the greeting person and free coffee quite pleasant.

What I learned: After this experience I can see why someone would choose to go to church here. Everything is designed to produce a sense of either belonging or a wish to belong to this particular community, something that people in the identity barren desert of their 20s and early 30s are really craving. There was more depth to some parts than I expected, like the music, and the highly produced and edited sermon wasn't boring. I left wondering what the other parts of community life are like - despite my distaste for the theology they're selling I found myself curious.

What would I do differently if I attended again? I'd love to go with Andrew, my husband, sometime and see if the reception is different when I'm obviously in a married heterosexual relationship. He looks younger and more like their target demographic as well, I think. I also am curious how the more traditional Sunday morning services compare to the Saturday night crowd. I don't know that I would "do" anything differently - based on this one experience there really isn't much to do at a Mars Hill worship service. The band plays the music and you can sing along or not - it is so loud that it won't matter to anyone else whether you sing. The sermon is pre-recorded, so there is no need to nod along or respond to the preacher in any visible way. And at least this time the people are fairly insular. I made it in and out only speaking to two people, the greeter and the one person who greeted me during the meet and greet time. I was open to talking to others - I smiled, made eye contact and lingered near the coffee for a bit, but no one said hi. Maybe next time I would try initiating, and see what that was like.