The Mall Church – Good Idea?

As the Executive Pastor for a good-sized church in Chicago and a serial entrepreneur (see About Steve), I am always searching for different ways people are using to present the Gospel…to get the message of God’s love through His son Jesus Christ.I now see that there is a church which is being started at a mall in San Jose CA……Now, that is unique. Not too surprisingly, its called “MallChurch“. Here is their blog. I guess the strategy is to embrace our insatiable consumerism, and then figure out ways to work with it. “We’re going to get a store in the mall and use it as a missions hub to connect with the community,” says Joel Harlow,pastor of the new RCA church plant. The idea is to reach people where they already are. About 900,000 people walk through Oakridge Mall in San Jose, California, every month.

When the MallChurch store opens this fall, shoppers will be able to discover what the church is doing in the community and around the world, and find out about ways to get more involved. People will be able to sponsor a child through a relief organization or volunteer with San Jose non-profits like Habitat for Humanity. Discussion groups in the food court will explore spirituality, and a monthly Sunday worship will be held at the mall’s movie theater. MallChurch will also invite people to attend one of the neighborhood churches that Harlow and his team are working to launch in the surrounding areas.The MallChurch store, which will be staffed almost entirely by volunteers, is scheduled to open September 1. A month later, the church will host its first theater worship experience. Here is what they say about themselves:

About MallChurch

Silicon Valley demands action. The nice ideas of yesteryear don’t fuel the world with innovation. We expect everything to produce results. Our jobs, our schools, our city, our entertainment everything that doesnt produce gets left behind. And that is exactly what is happening to the church. Less than 5% of San Jose’s 945,000 people find their way into the doors of religious buildings on a given weekend. Were still good people. We still want the world to be a better place. Were just not trying to do that through religion. Its not that different from what Jesus did 2000 years ago. He too demanded action. He rejected organized religion, over threw the tables of hypocrisy. He started a revolution that didn’t just talk about heaven, but actually brought it to earth. MallChurch is a part of that same revolution. Jesus hung out in the marketplace, loved people unconditionally and when crowds gathered, he inspired them and challenged them and sent them home with something to think about.

So here is what were doing, Joining Jesus Where Life Happens. Our vision is to ENGAGE the marketplace, EMPOWER communities, and INSPIRE the masses. Join the revolution.

One of the busiest marketplaces in the world is the shopping mall.

Oakridge, a Westfield Shopping Town right here in San Jose, sees 900,000 guests in typical month. Now imagine if those 900,000 guests happened by a new kind of store. A store that had the warmth of Starbucks, the technology of Apple, the broad appeal of Target, the resources of Border’s, the opportunity of Craig’s List and the message of Jesus. Coffee, music, conversation, plasma screens, community service opportunities, books, t-shirts, CD’s, interactive displays… you get the picture. Not a place to sing songs and get preached at, but a place you can connect with people and explore the possibilities of living the life Jesus made possible.