(Thursday, January 22)
Thursday morning I had the chance to get together with 10 pastors from the Santa Cruz area at a really cool coffee shop (The Abbey) started thourgh Vintage Faith Church.  I asked the guys to describe the culure of Northern California and specifically, Santa Cruz.  It paved the way for great insight in how these guys are being missional in “Surf City.”

Here are some sound bites from our conversation, hope you are encouraged as you hear these guys process & wrestle with serious issues:

• Bobby Marchessault (Christian Life Center) - People in Santa Cruz are open to spiritual dialogue; they don’t like the exclusivity of Christ but they are open to spiritual dialogue.  Kem Meyer called Santa Cruz an area “that many people say makes San Francisco look conservative.”

• Chuckk Gerwig (Elevation Church) - anit religious feel in Northern Californai, like concentric circles that go out from San Francisco.  My goal is NOT to get people to come to church.  When asked what the goal is - the goal is to be part of the community.  So you may not get to be paid for that, there might be a need for a change in the area of full time paid clergy.  I must be outside of the bubble, must be slower in my approach to people and not so focused on merely trying to change their behavior.

• Brandon Kertson (Christian Life Center) - when comparing Northern CA to Southern CA, Southern CA is more of the CA “Bible Belt.”

• Omar Spence (Elevation Church) - my friends that have grown up here and don’t want to go to church.  santa cruz is so spiritual but they aren’t christian.  there is a stroke of legalism that is a turn off to some of my non-churched friends - take fall weekend parties for example, christians are notorious for having really nerdy football parties with chips and dip timidly yelling raaaa!  when a lot of my friends who enjoy beer and go absolutely crazy when someone scores think, “dude, these guys are going to neuter my party!”  Santa Cruz is so unique, it’s not a one size fits all.  What has worked for other places is probably not going to work here…

• Josh Fox (Vintage Faith) - 20 years ago parents would have been fired up to get their kids to church, but now, no way.  they dont want their kids to go to church.  People have a defensive attitude towards church.  We have to reintroduce who Jesus is.  Santa Cruz is a very sensual place, beautiful, lends itself to be emotional, artistic, in tune with feelings, creates an incredible greenhouse of creative expression - worship can take several different forms, a very expressive culture…we are balancing how we help lead and teach people about truth and what the bible says.  There has to a balance between expressive spiritual environments and the need for an intellectually sound foundation of truth.

(from L-R: Jesse West, Josh Fox, LV, Bobby Marchessault, Brandon Kertson,
Dan Lingenfelter, Omar Spence, Jared Michelson, Thud Gudnason, Chuckk Gerwig, Randy Boose)