A new stage: Forsyth's TrueNorth Church brings worship to movie theater
By SHEILA SMITH - FORSYTH - Pastor Steve Davis sat inside the large theater in Hickory Point Cinemas.
He wasn't there to watch a blockbuster movie on the giant screen. Instead, the pastor from North Augusta, S.C., was making sure everything was in place to launch his new church, TrueNorth, inside the theater.
The first public worship service will begin at 9:33 a.m. Sunday.
"My wife and I recognized the need for the style of church that we created - one that is seeker-friendly, not as many barriers with clothes and stained glass windows, and have an environment for people that was easy to come into," said Davis, 44, who launched his nondenominational church inside a South Carolina high school in 2004.
He started out with a handful of couples and has since seen the church grow to 600 members. He opened a second TrueNorth church campus in Augusta, Ga.
Instead of the traditional church building and hymns, you'll hear secular music playing at the beginning of worship, such as "Living on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi or "All You Need Is Love" by the Beatles, Davis said.
TrueNorth Church in Forsyth will be Davis' third launch but the first in a theater.
Renting space at theaters is a growing trend nationwide.
One major chain, National CineMedia, which manages 1,400 theaters nationwide, said it rents space to about 200 churches.
"These are multimillion dollar buildings, and it's great for the churches because of the low cost," said Barry Brown, director of worship services for National CineMedia.
Brown observed that most theaters sit empty on Sunday mornings, and he said there's an increase every year in the number of churches renting them.
Carmike Cinemas, which owns Hickory Point Cinemas in Forsyth and Strand 10 Cinemas in Decatur, also has been in the business of renting space to churches.
Last November, the Rev. B.K. Smith started Harvest Bible Chapel at the Strand 10 Cinemas.
That first Sunday service brought out 150 people to the movie theater, Smith said, and since then, an average of 110 people have come to worship.
"I didn't know what to expect, but now people know we are there. One lady came up to me and said she felt safe coming to the theater. She told me how she felt uncomfortable going inside a church," he said.
Smith said it's not about a building but winning souls and bringing the unchurched to God.
"If you are an unbeliever and never went to a church, it's like you need to know some secret handshake, but we get rid of all that. Now what used to be unbelievers are coming and inviting their unbeliever friends."
TrueNorth's Davis said he found that offering a different church setting tended to draw in more of the unchurched.
Because his church sites are portable, with no debt or mortgage payments, there is flexibility to open up more sites in the near future.
National CineMedia's Brown called this the multisite movement, with some churches choosing to be in multiple locations across the country.
Davis grew up in Mount Zion, and he finally has the opportunity to open up a church in his home state.
His sermons will be recorded and, through a digital stream, downloaded on the Internet and played on the big screen at the Forsyth theater.
His brother, Shane Davis, will be leading the worship service, which includes a live praise band.
Shane Davis, 38, is the former youth pastor at Tabernacle Baptist Church.
He admitted he is pumped and excited about using the Hickory Point theater to serve God.
"I will be the pastor of this church, doing all the pastoral duties on site. And Steve will teach and bring the message," he said.
Both brothers agree it's not about where a person worships but who they worship.
"Jesus said you come to worship me in spirit and truth. And the theater becomes our sanctuary, it becomes a place where God's people come together, and as we worship him, his spirit presides," Steve Davis said.
"It's a beautiful thing."
He wasn't there to watch a blockbuster movie on the giant screen. Instead, the pastor from North Augusta, S.C., was making sure everything was in place to launch his new church, TrueNorth, inside the theater.
The first public worship service will begin at 9:33 a.m. Sunday.
"My wife and I recognized the need for the style of church that we created - one that is seeker-friendly, not as many barriers with clothes and stained glass windows, and have an environment for people that was easy to come into," said Davis, 44, who launched his nondenominational church inside a South Carolina high school in 2004.
He started out with a handful of couples and has since seen the church grow to 600 members. He opened a second TrueNorth church campus in Augusta, Ga.
Instead of the traditional church building and hymns, you'll hear secular music playing at the beginning of worship, such as "Living on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi or "All You Need Is Love" by the Beatles, Davis said.
TrueNorth Church in Forsyth will be Davis' third launch but the first in a theater.
Renting space at theaters is a growing trend nationwide.
One major chain, National CineMedia, which manages 1,400 theaters nationwide, said it rents space to about 200 churches.
"These are multimillion dollar buildings, and it's great for the churches because of the low cost," said Barry Brown, director of worship services for National CineMedia.
Brown observed that most theaters sit empty on Sunday mornings, and he said there's an increase every year in the number of churches renting them.
Carmike Cinemas, which owns Hickory Point Cinemas in Forsyth and Strand 10 Cinemas in Decatur, also has been in the business of renting space to churches.
Last November, the Rev. B.K. Smith started Harvest Bible Chapel at the Strand 10 Cinemas.
That first Sunday service brought out 150 people to the movie theater, Smith said, and since then, an average of 110 people have come to worship.
"I didn't know what to expect, but now people know we are there. One lady came up to me and said she felt safe coming to the theater. She told me how she felt uncomfortable going inside a church," he said.
Smith said it's not about a building but winning souls and bringing the unchurched to God.
"If you are an unbeliever and never went to a church, it's like you need to know some secret handshake, but we get rid of all that. Now what used to be unbelievers are coming and inviting their unbeliever friends."
TrueNorth's Davis said he found that offering a different church setting tended to draw in more of the unchurched.
Because his church sites are portable, with no debt or mortgage payments, there is flexibility to open up more sites in the near future.
National CineMedia's Brown called this the multisite movement, with some churches choosing to be in multiple locations across the country.
Davis grew up in Mount Zion, and he finally has the opportunity to open up a church in his home state.
His sermons will be recorded and, through a digital stream, downloaded on the Internet and played on the big screen at the Forsyth theater.
His brother, Shane Davis, will be leading the worship service, which includes a live praise band.
Shane Davis, 38, is the former youth pastor at Tabernacle Baptist Church.
He admitted he is pumped and excited about using the Hickory Point theater to serve God.
"I will be the pastor of this church, doing all the pastoral duties on site. And Steve will teach and bring the message," he said.
Both brothers agree it's not about where a person worships but who they worship.
"Jesus said you come to worship me in spirit and truth. And the theater becomes our sanctuary, it becomes a place where God's people come together, and as we worship him, his spirit presides," Steve Davis said.
"It's a beautiful thing."
