February 4, 2010
By Susan Passi-Klaus

CHICAGO, IL – There is a familiar saying, "If you build it, they will come." Though the adage refers to a ball field in the movie Field of Dreams, one could argue the same words apply when it comes to building churches. Put up the walls, install the stained glass, open the doors…and they will come.

However, two Chicago pastors are taking a different approach to starting a new congregation. Instead of beginning with bricks and mortar, they are starting with hearts and souls.

For several months, United Methodist elders Trey Hall, 34, and Christian Coon, 41, have been at work throughout Chicago, building relationships that will be the foundation of the Urban Village Church.

"We're committed to creating a diverse Christian community in the heart of the city of Chicago," said Hall. "An ‘urban village' where in the midst of mass movements of people and the rapid exchange of ideas, we build relationships with God – relationships that change our lives and somehow often change the world."

Coon added, "When you go to a church where everybody looks the same, it can give you a sense of community, but we want that community to include a wide variety of lifestyles and backgrounds.

"We believe diversity gives people a much deeper look at how God works in the world."

It started with a simple conversation at the Corner Bakery on the corner of Washington and Wells in downtown Chicago. As the two friends talked about their futures, they realized they had something in common. Both had an interest in starting a new church that would be "bold, inclusive and relevant." From there the conversations continued, and a dream began to emerge.

Rooted in the South Loop and West Loop neighborhoods, but reaching out to the entire Chicagoland region, Urban Village Church officially started July 1, 2009. The last few months have brought Hall and Coon closer to launching weekly worship services and in late March, Urban Village becomes a reality. In the meantime the visionary duo – both who have served established congregations in the Chicago area –continue to take their vision for this new Christian community to the streets.

Over the past year, they have used Facebook and other social media to convene an eclectic mix of city dwellers for relational meetings in coffee shops, bakeries and bistros. Several times a week, they sit with friends and friends of friends, as well as perfect strangers, to ask questions. The number one inquiry is "If you were looking for a church, what would you be looking for?"

Here are some of the answers they received:

• A church that is open to everybody.

• A church that isn't hypocritical.

• A church that isn't sheltered from reality.

• A church not afraid to think outside the box theologically.

• A church where you can ask questions and where answers are not pat.

"It's been so fascinating to meet people where they are in their faith journey and to hear their stories," Coon said. "After this experience, I will never be the same kind of pastor. It's tempting to stay in your building and minister to the people who come there, but rather than waiting for people to come to us, we're trying to go to them and meet them in their own context."

"What makes a church is the people," Hall went on to say. "At the heart of this new community is real human life in all its beauty and messiness and struggle and love. We don't do God or ourselves any good by pretending otherwise and checking our unvarnished lives and curious brains at the church door. We believe the point of church is not to make people more ‘religious,' but rather to show people how to be more fully human."

So far, Urban Village United Methodist Church is a church without walls. It has no address, no blueprints and no pews ordered. In fact, sanctuary doors of this rethought church may open to an art gallery, a jazz club or a coffee shop. Pews might be park benches or bar stools. Instead of stained glass, there is likely to be a view of the Chicago skyline, a local park or a busy city street.

Moreover, Sunday worship will not be the only time these groups of seekers and believers gather. During the week, there may be a book discussion at a coffee shop in Andersonville, a parenting class in the South Loop, a "theology on tap" conversation at a West Loop pub, a group of friends sharing a picnic at a concert in Millennium Park, or a team of colleagues serving a meal to poor sisters and brothers downtown.

"We are trying to find where people are living their lives," noted Hall. "Are they with the sports team at a Saturday beach game, or at the park playing with their kids, or on their lunch hour in the middle of the work week, or in a bar after work? We're not trying to build a church where they will come, but instead a church that will go to them."

United Methodist News Service
Susan Passi-Klaus is a Public Relations Specialist/Writer at United Methodist Communications.