Grey Stone Baptist Church on Hillsborough Street Christian Music

Grey Stone Baptist Church on Hillsborough Street

July 27, 2008 – 10:42 am

“Elevation” is the title of a new music and worship service that will launch Aug. 24. Grey Stone’s pastor, the Rev. Clay Waters, said he set out “to tailor-make a service that would really be specially for people who have an unchurched background, where church is totally new to them.”

The plan is to present church as “a nonthreatening atmosphere where they could come in their jeans, T-shirt, and feel like they don’t have to be a particular type of person to be accepted at church,” he said.

“You can embrace Christ without having to embrace a particular ritual or a routine. You can come as you are.”

“Unchurched” is a term defined by religion researcher George Barna as one who has not attended a Christian worship service for at least six months.

In a country that claims a 90 percent belief in God, there were about 75 million unchurched adults in 2004, according to Barna. Sixty-two percent of these consider themselves to be Christians.

According to the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, some 16 percent of Americans are not affiliated with any religion.

And these are the people Grey Stone Baptist Church hopes to reach with “Elevation.”

“We have several generations who have never been to church,” Waters said. He acknowledges that the Southern Baptist Church tradition may carry with it certain restrictive stereotypes that may make some young people wary.

Waters said he wants to move beyond a set of rules for a genuinely meaningful and enjoyable experience at church.

“We’re not just against some things,” he said. “We want you to know what we’re for.”

Among the things the church stands for, he said, is the belief that God is both loving and forgiving.

“If you’ve never opened the Bible before, if you’ve never read the first word, that’s OK. We want you to take the journey and find out what the Bible teaches,” Waters said. “People are pleasantly surprised as they find out about the love of Christ.”

The church is working with a marketing firm to create information cards that will be sent via direct mail to some 6,000 people in the 18- to 30-years-old age range. A “launch team” of eight twentysomethings within the church has been formed to start a buzz about the service.

A one-page overview of “Elevation” reveals Waters’ goals for the service. There are four elements he calls “Pieces of the Pie” — a casual setting, contemporary music, media that connects, teaching that challenges.

Student minister Jeremiah Hambrick is in charge of the second component, the contemporary Christian music.

“The music in this service will draw from Hillsongs United, Chris Tomlin, Passion albums and other modern worship artists,” Hambrick said in an e-mail.

“We will probably play about five songs each Sunday. We want music to be an entry point that lifts Christ up and prepares people to hear from God though the message.”

“We don’t want our music to feel like a concert,” Hambrick said, “but we want it to be concert quality. We want people to sing along and focus on Christ. We hope to help provide an atmosphere of worship through a multimedia experience.”

Hambrick, who played in bands in high school and college, said he is excited at the prospect of the new worship band eventually moving beyond performing cover songs to original material. Sean and Travis Blake of the band The Lineage will play bass and drums, and church member Todd Synan will play rhythm guitar.

“I think our main goal as a band is to serve the church and Christ by providing a quality worship experience,” Hambrick said. “I want people to walk out and think, ‘That made a difference in my life and I am coming back.’ ”

The setting for “Elevation” is a newly renovated gym on church property, built in 1980. The building is going through a massive makeover that adds a stage, and sound equipment for the band, for church plays and other events. Foldaway basketball goals will stay in place for athletic activities.

Waters said the gym renovation was driven by the “Elevation” concept. The new look will have a coffeehouse feel with wireless Internet, he said.

Part of the plan includes opening the gym early on weekday mornings and providing free coffee for students and commuters.

Once “Elevation” begins, Sundays will become an endurance test for the Rev. Waters, 36. After rising at 4:30 a.m., he will preach at the 8:45 a.m. contemporary service, the 11:15 a.m. traditional service and then at the 12:30 p.m. “Elevation” service.

“Yes, I will be exhausted,” he said.

There are typically 700 people in attendance at the morning services, and Waters is optimistic the first “Elevation” service will draw at least 100 and grow from there.

“It takes time for the buzz to be created.”

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