Sunday, Jun. 19, 2011

North Raleigh church offers a different kind of experience

North Raleigh Community Church looks nothing like the churches you're probably used to. Instead of pews, it has square tables that seat four. There are no statues of Christ on the cross or the Virgin Mary.

I didn't see stained glass anywhere.

When minister Doug Hammack was putting the church together, he wanted it to look less like a sacred space and more like a Bruegger's Bagel shop. He thought that would make it more inviting.

"If people want spirituality and they want community, I want them to feel welcome," he said.

The church, located on Ray Road, was the culmination of a spiritual journey for Hammack. He was a minister at a charismatic megachurch in Los Angeles before coming to Raleigh. He worked with teens there and noticed that they weren't connecting with the church or spirituality.

"It started me asking why, and then rethinking some of the fundamentals of how we do church," he said.

While Hammack was questioning, his senior minister was noticing differences in him. The minister pointed out that the church already had a method of doing things, and it wasn't looking for a new way.

At the same time, Hammack was finishing up a doctorate. He was taking one of his final classes on lifelong leadership development when his professor asked him to a meeting.

"One of the things he said was, 'You're not going to fit in any conventional church the way you're going,'" Hammack said.

The professor suggested that Hammack start his own church. Fifteen years ago, he moved to Raleigh to do just that.

The North Raleigh Community Church started in 1996. It has about 220 members. Hammack has struggled to understand the correct way to lead it in the face of competing knowledge from science and secularism.

"I was on a personal journey trying to sort out how to be faithful to the Christian heritage and yet think in terms that fit in the newly emerging worldview," he said.

The resulting unconventional style of the church is evident in its beliefs. Instead of "Thou Shalts" or "Thou Shalt Nots," the church says things like, "We believe in paradox and humility," and "We believe that sin is not that big of a deal."

Deep thought has gone behind all these statements.

The church's teachings point out that ordinary Christian traditions are rife with paradox. For instance, the fact that God is supposed to be all powerful but that people are supposed to have free choice, or that God is good but allows evil.

The church doesn't consider a person's life journey to be about resisting sin.

Rather, it recognizes that sin is damaging, but also points out that next to the grace of God, it's not that significant.

The services aren't that different from other churches. The changes come in attitude. North Raleigh Community Church believes in Jesus, but welcomes attendees no matter how much they doubt the normal Christian tenets.

"The best part is you come as you are," said church member LaDawnna Summers. "Whatever flaws you have, you're not expected to be perfect."

In fact, audience members even get the opportunity to critique Hammack's sermons.

Summers said people are frustrated with many churches and their focuses on belief rather than communion with God. North Raleigh Community Church offers another way.

"Focusing on practical spirituality is, I think, what some people are really looking for right now," Summers said.

North Raleigh Community Church teaches practical spirituality without the dogma.

The welcome message on its website sums it up best:

"We tried to find answers, but found doctrine.

"We now seek wisdom, and are finding Life.

"We tried to live good lives, but found frenzy.

"We now listen for the Inner Voice, and are finding Peace.

"We tried to be devout, but found empty religion.

"We now dance with the divine and are finding Contentment."