Pub Church
Encyclopedia
A pub church is a Christian
Church
which meets in a public house
or similar establishment. Their purpose is to exist as an authentic Christian community, located in a way that is more accessible to non-churched people. They understand themselves to be "without the external trappings of more traditional churches." As Archbishop Rowan Williams
has commented:
This can take a number of forms. Sometimes a public house is purchased, and used as a church building, retaining the pub feel in decor and lay out. Another approach involves renting a room in a pub, and even allowing customers to bring their alcohol into the meeting room. Still others take the form of a small group that sits at a table to talk and pray.
." The church picks up various aspects of its culture, and attempts to use them in its mission, sometimes unaware that each aspect has both positive and negative possibilities. In this case, the advantages of mission activity may not outweigh the difficulty of demonstrating a distinct community investing in clearly different values. This is because of what might be sacrificed in order to be "relevant." Newbigin
comments that the church should be both distinct from its culture and comprehensible by it. Ecclesial bricolage
can upset this finely tuned balance.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
Church
Church Body
A local church is a Christian religious organization that meets in a particular location. Many are formally organized, with constitutions and by-laws, maintain offices, are served by pastors or lay leaders, and, in nations where this is permissible, often seek seek non-profit corporate status...
which meets in a public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
or similar establishment. Their purpose is to exist as an authentic Christian community, located in a way that is more accessible to non-churched people. They understand themselves to be "without the external trappings of more traditional churches." As Archbishop Rowan Williams
Rowan Williams
Rowan Douglas Williams FRSL, FBA, FLSW is an Anglican bishop, poet and theologian. He is the 104th and current Archbishop of Canterbury, Metropolitan of the Province of Canterbury and Primate of All England, offices he has held since early 2003.Williams was previously Bishop of Monmouth and...
has commented:
This can take a number of forms. Sometimes a public house is purchased, and used as a church building, retaining the pub feel in decor and lay out. Another approach involves renting a room in a pub, and even allowing customers to bring their alcohol into the meeting room. Still others take the form of a small group that sits at a table to talk and pray.
Examples
In the UK examples can be found in Nottingham - Eagle's Nest Church, Brighton, London - Church on the Corner, Cardiff and Swansea. Currently, a community of believers in Fishers, Indiana are meeting at The Pub at Pinheads under the ministry name of "Leavener;" also a group called "Connect Rome" meet at a local bar named McCrobie's in Rome, Georgia.Critique
This may be an example of what Nicholas M Healy calls "ecclesial bricolageBricolage
Bricolage is a term used in several disciplines, among them the visual arts, to refer to the construction or creation of a work from a diverse range of things that happen to be available, or a work created by such a process...
." The church picks up various aspects of its culture, and attempts to use them in its mission, sometimes unaware that each aspect has both positive and negative possibilities. In this case, the advantages of mission activity may not outweigh the difficulty of demonstrating a distinct community investing in clearly different values. This is because of what might be sacrificed in order to be "relevant." Newbigin
Lesslie Newbigin
Bishop James Edward Lesslie Newbigin was a Church of Scotland missionary serving in the former Madras State , India, who became a Christian theologian and bishop involved in missiology, ecumenism, and the Gospel and Our Culture Movement.-Biography:Born in Newcastle upon Tyne, Newbigin's schooling...
comments that the church should be both distinct from its culture and comprehensible by it. Ecclesial bricolage
Bricolage
Bricolage is a term used in several disciplines, among them the visual arts, to refer to the construction or creation of a work from a diverse range of things that happen to be available, or a work created by such a process...
can upset this finely tuned balance.