Beer and Hymns?

I recently discovered an article discussing a new movement in the church.  The article was posted on NPR’s site, written by John Burnett, and titled, “To Stave Off Decline, Churches Attract New Members With Beer.”  Now the title is what caught my attention, because it obviously sounds a bit controversial; however, it was not so much the beer part that interested me, but the “stave off decline,” part.  I have never personally participated in drinking.  I do not have a problem with it, because the Bible clearly states that Jesus drank.  I have just personally never wanted to part take in this ritual, but have been around many people who do drink and consider them friends.

Now, the interesting part of this article dealt with churches doing outreach and trying to attract new members by offering night services with beer and in many instances actually meeting in “taprooms.”  They do not drink to get drunk and it was pointed out that in at least one of the meetings there was a two drink maximum.  They are gathering, eating, drinking, singing hymns, and worshiping.  Is this worship?  In History of Christianity class I was required to read a short book called Going to Church in the First Century.  It consisted of people meeting together, eating, drinking, sharing their problems, and then worshiping together.  By this definition people are worshiping.

The real question I have been wrestling with lately is what does modern outreach look like?  Are we going to the places where people really need the message of salvation or are we fishing from a pool of believers who are just continually looking for a new church?  I see this article and think is this brilliant or is this wrong, and how do people respond to this.  Well this is what Burnett wrote:

“Some patrons are understandably confused. They come in for a brew and there's a religious service going on in their bar. They expected Trivia Night and they get the Holy Eucharist.

"I tell 'em, it's a church service," says bartender Les Bennett, "And they're, like, 'In a pub?' And I'm, like, yeah. Some of 'em stick around for trivia, some of 'em take off, some of 'em will hang out and have another pint or two."

That's one of the objectives: A guy sits at the bar nursing a beer, he overhears the Gospel of Luke, he sees people line up to take bread and wine, he gets curious. Phil Heinze says pub church has now become an official — if edgy — Lutheran mission” (Burnett Blog)

Reading that section, makes me think that “Church-in-a-pub” has some real possibilities of reaching the lost and introducing many to the healing powers of Jesus.  The article list several locations of this happening.  The two many focuses for interviews and audio clips that the blog provides are from Oregon and Texas.  In reading through some of the comments though I found this to be widespread.  One person mentioned an orchestra tour they went on where almost every church visited had some form of this idea going on.  Another comment listed a group in Fargo that had started up.  It seems crazy, but Beer & Hymns is catching on and luring in younger crowds.  They socialize, drink, sing Hymns, and enter the presence of God.  I am left with an interesting image in my mind of the television series Cheers hosting a church service.  The theme songs hits upon the feeling of isolation that many of us feel from time to time and how there is a place you can go to get away from it all and everybody knows you.  Mixing that with the feeling we should get from church, but many do not anymore is an interesting concept I want to read more about.

What do you think of this concept?  Let us know drop in some comments and give us some feedback.