NEWS FEATURE: Turn Up the Music: New Generation of Youth Rocks With Jesus

c. 2003 Religion News Service BROADVIEW HEIGHTS, Ohio _ The lights dim. The first pulsating sounds of electric and acoustic guitars fill the room, cranking up until the hard of hearing in the outer hallway can enjoy the music. Hundreds of people in sweats, T-shirts and jeans stand up as soon as the band starts […]

c. 2003 Religion News Service

BROADVIEW HEIGHTS, Ohio _ The lights dim. The first pulsating sounds of electric and acoustic guitars fill the room, cranking up until the hard of hearing in the outer hallway can enjoy the music.

Hundreds of people in sweats, T-shirts and jeans stand up as soon as the band starts playing. They will not sit down for another 45 minutes.


“The beat makes you move, want to dance. That’s me. I love that,” says 22-year-old Marlon Johnson of Cleveland.

Welcome to Sunday church services at the new 707 ministry.

This is the next generation of the Christian youth movement. The Jesus movement of the 1960s and 1970s and its offspring are aging with baby boomers into contemporary services that at times sound more like John Tesh or John Denver than rock ‘n’ roll. On the cutting edge now are new ministries for twentysomethings seeking a church to call their own.

In Northeast Ohio, the month-old 707 ministry already is drawing close to 500 people weekly at what in the daytime is the Cuyahoga Valley Community Church in Broadview Heights.

They chose the name 707 based on the verse in the seventh chapter of Matthew: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Services are held Sunday nights at 7:07.

“It’s probably the best thing that’s ever happened in the Cleveland area,” says 20-year-old Keith Cloonan of Strongsville. “I come here early and I stay late. … God is here. You’re connected with God.”

The growth in contemporary church services has been steady since the cultural revolution of the 1960s. Major movements such as the Calvary Chapel, Vineyard Christian Fellowships and other “seeker” churches grew out of the Jesus movement and its search for a personal experience of God. The use of cultural icons, such as contemporary music, found its way into many mainline churches trying to hold on to their young adults.

But what began as a revolution has in many cases settled into the equivalent of Christian elevator music for people in their 20s. The edge of the message and music has been taken away as some once-revolutionary churches evolve to appeal to the forty-, fifty- and sixtysomethings who now fill their pews.


In its place, new ministries are rising up to reach what is sometimes referred to as the postmodern generation, one of the least-churched generations in recent American history.

There are the 722 ministry in suburban Atlanta and the Frontline program in suburban Washington, D.C. Ministries combining a rock-worship sound, sermons and activities for young adults are experiencing success in their targeted appeals to Christian youth.

In Northeast Ohio, Cuyahoga Valley Community Church was one of the congregations that grew as it offered baby boomers an alternative to traditional worship. The Rev. Rick Duncan started the church 17 years ago. After years of renting space in a local high school, the church, with its mix of contemporary worship and casual dress, recently moved into a new building in Broadview Heights.

But Duncan, 49, says he realized the church had to go through a similar process to develop a ministry to reach the newest generation of young people.

“You have to interpret the gospel for each generation,” he says. “We don’t want a church filled with 49- to 65-year-old people.”

A year ago, the church hired the Rev. Dan Burgoyne, a chaplain at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz., and put him in charge of developing a ministry for young adults.


Burgoyne, 30, in turn hired the Rev. Ryan Wilkins, 26, a youth pastor at Bethel Presbyterian Church in Columbus, to be the worship leader.

The 90-minute service is about an equal mix of Christian rock and a sermon geared to young adults.

While many contemporary services have developed more of an orchestral sound, with piano and saxophones part of large musical ensembles, the band at 707 consists of a singer, a drummer and acoustic, electric and bass guitarists.

Think the contemporary sound of U2.

“Really, it’s rock ‘n’ roll is what it is,” Wilkins says.

As the music ends, the spotlight shifts to Burgoyne, who delivers his sermon sitting on a stool and wearing an Old Navy shirt and jeans.

On this Sunday, Burgoyne speaks about Christian freedom, encouraging congregants to “free” themselves from casual sex, Internet porn or any other addictions he says can separate them from God.

“When Jesus shows up in your town, it is never too late,” he says to the applause of the congregation.


After the service, a ministry fest encourages people to get involved in activities from small groups to white-water rafting trips.

Burgoyne says this generation wants to experience God in worship and to become part of a community.

“This generation is so hungry for something that is authentic, and they’re hungry for community,” he says. “They have a great cheese-o-meter. They can smell if you’re a hypocrite or a fake right away.”

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Worshippers say the 707 ministry fills a need in a Christian community that pays a lot of attention to ministries to serve children, families and seniors, but often overlooks young adults.

“This is awesome,” says Victor Lem, 28, of Broadview Heights. “This group is kind of like a second family for us.”

Many of those who attend go to their own church in the morning and come to the 707 ministry at night.


At Independence United Methodist Church, Sarah Carr, 27, says she is one of the only people her age in the congregation on Sunday.

When she comes to the 707 ministry, she can wear a T-shirt and jeans and sing along with music she appreciates.

“It’s a whole different fellowship here,” she says. “It’s open, praising God.”

On Sunday morning, Rachael Strickling, 26, is a lay worker at Southern Hills Community Church in Strongsville.

But she also looks forward to attending 707 on Sunday night.

“I think it’s definitely something I’ve been looking for for a long time,” she says. “I come and just relax here. … I don’t feel like I’m too old or too young.”

DEA END BRIGGS

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