New Church Worships In Bar

In Matthew 18:20, Jesus said, “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them” (NIV). To a newly formed Western Ohio church, that applies to all settings – even if the backdrop is beer and a mechanical bull.

The Dayton Daily News reports that the Country Rock Church in Sidney, Ohio, hosted its first worship Sunday evening at Pub Lounge, a bar located near Interstate 75. The Rev. Chris Heckaman says it’s an ideal spot for a church.

“The idea behind the new Country Rock Church in the Pub Lounge is to reach people where they are,” Heckaman told the Dayton Daily News. Heckaman is also the senior pastor at Sidney First United Methodist Church, which indicates that Country Rock is likely a spin-off ministry. “We've got a generation of folks who have grown up outside the church where pews, stained glass windows, robes and pulpits don't mean a thing. Jesus never formed a church. He never built a building. We're not trying to win people over to church culture. We want to minister to them where they are.”

A local group, the Don Fischer Band, played at the worship and, according to WTOL, Heckaman preached on how staying on a mechanical bull is similar to life.

The story did not reveal whether or not alcohol was served or available for purchase, but food and other items were. In a somewhat related story, Church Solutions reported in March that Mars Hill Church in Seattle recently purchased and renovated an old nightclub. In that case, however, the building does not also function as a drinking establishment.

Sidney is located 40 miles north of Dayton, Ohio, and 95 miles north of Cincinnati.