Stop being a church in the community, and start being a church for the community. Reaching religious nones takes a willingness to do things differently.
Life in Deep Ellum is a cultural center built for the artistic, social, economic, and spiritual benefit of Deep Ellum and urban Dallas. We are its pastors.
Seven years ago our faith community received a 24,000-square-foot facility on the edge of Deep Ellum, the street art counterpart to the fine arts district in Dallas. And we made a crucial decision: Rather than renovating the building to serve our church body, we would develop the building as a community cultural center.
The vision was for a space where believers and those outside the faith would gather and do life together. So instead of investing in a reception area, we opened a craft coffee shop that is open Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Instead of a lobby, we have a 1,700-square-foot art gallery with shows rotating every four to six weeks. Our exhibits feature local artists, including many who do not share our faith.
Rather than meeting in a traditional worship center, we have a venue the Dallas community uses widely. Two of our favorite events from the last year were a fashion show that benefitted the Transplant Center at Baylor and a Red Bull Curate event. The latter occasion brought 20 of the city’s premier emerging artists into our building for a week that culminated in an art show attracting more than 1,500 guests. Read more
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