Creative Scribble

Have you ever tried to get a vegetarian to eat meat? While the PC crowd would say that’s mean and all the bullies who make Helen Keller jokes would do it in a heartbeat, the result can be rough. I’ve even known one that would gag at just the mention of the word and nearly puke at the sight or smell. So what if someone took it even farther and went to a PETA picket line and started grilling a bunch of filets or racks of ribs? The same group that tried to get Ben and Jerry’s to use human milk in their ice cream probably wouldn’t react too well. You’d end up defending yourself in the Supreme Court or something.

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So now imagine trying to convince your best-friend-turned-baby-cow-defender from PETA to go with you to your favorite steakhouse. One like Texas Tech football coach Mike Leach said you should take your first date. “You know, somewhere where they don’t really serve salad so she has to eat.” And not only did you convince your friend to go, but once you got there they were somehow put at ease. They didn’t feel uncomfortable or feel like they were among enemies. In fact, these meat eaters turn out to be a lot nicer and more normal than your friend imagined. As the evening went on, your friend simply picked at the salad but was at least willing to look at the menu. The next thing you know, he even asked you to try a bite of your juicy filet. He wasn’t convinced that he was ready to give up the vegetarian ways, but the next time you asked him to go with you, the “yes” came a lot easier. A couple of visits later and your friend had decided to make a complete one-eighty and join the world of carnivores.

What would that steakhouse look like? One that could take the most radically devoted PETA member and transform them into a good ole fashioned meat eater? It would no doubt be different. It would remove the stereotypes that freak out vegetarians while speaking a language they relate to. It wouldn’t show up at picket lines and grill filet but would relieve their fears and answer their questions about the “other side” they’ve never know.

When I envision the new church that will launch Fall ’09 in Powell, TN, this analogy fires me up. I believe this is the kind of church we must be. One that exists to see those who have given up on God and His church radically transformed into sold-out followers. One that doesn’t expect them to eat the meat right away but at least gets them to check out the menu. And – in their own time – try a bite and come back for more. Some will be brand new to the restaurant. Others will be coming back for the first time in a long time after trying the other diet.

Over the next 9 months I invite you to journey with me and our team as we seek to establish this kind of church. You'll hear from our techies, kids people, worship leaders and more. I invite your feedback and promise every blog will not be this long! We’ll deal with theological issues, strategy, processes and more. Our goal is to post at least 3 times a week so that one day this blog will be a history book of where we came from and how we got there.

Where is there? A spiritual steakhouse for PETA.

No animals were harmed in the making of this blog. Special thanks to Vince Antonucci from Forefront Church in Virginia Beach for this analogy and his investment in church planters.