How can a church without a pastor reach out and change its community? And why is this particular church meeting in a nightclub? The answer to both questions is creativity and vision. Mark Doebler, or Coach Mark as he prefers to be called, is the shepherd of The Grove Church in Peoria, Illinois. This three-and-a-half-year-old “Church for Men” has a strategy for changing the world that is, in the greatest likelihood, unheard of.
That’s the lead paragraph of an article found in the current issue of Worship Facilities Magazine. (Their online version can be read here). Worship Facilities Magazine has historically provided articles of mega-churches and their mega-facilities. No complaint. They’re the ones the fascinate most of us. However, WFM decided that there are far more churches of medium and small size than there are of the mega-variety, and that they had under-served that segment of the church world. So they have made a decision to begin including churches of various sizes and shapes as a way to encourage churches of all sizes. There is something to be learned from people at every level. This edition is their first step in that direction, and The Grove was selected to be the feature article. You can read the rest of this well-written article below….but don’t forget to drop by their site and see many of the other wonderful articles they have provided. You can also view a video about the building by clicking here!
The Grove, which purchased a former nightclub in December 2006, targets un-churched men with the goal of creating strong family leaders, strong families, and a stronger community focused on living for Christ. As a body, the members of The Grove have accepted that they have to be different from all other ministries in order to accomplish the calling placed at their feet. So far, they’re certainly living up to their end of the bargain. As a coach, Doebler spends his time preparing and inspiring his players, and is elbow-deep in game strategy, one of the most pressing ones being the ongoing renovation of their facility, the converted night club and adjacent grain barn, which was formerly an upscale restaurant. Everything about The Grove, from its ministry style to its building, is unconventional, but is a custom fit for making men relax so they can form meaningful and strengthened friendships with others of like faith and, most importantly, their Savior.
In the Beginning …
The church first met as a body in a living room in May 2004, but the “Church for Men” idea wasn’t born until the beginning of 2005. Soon after, three Grove members made an unplanned visit to a vacant piece of commercial property in an up-and-coming quadrant of the Peoria metro area. There were enough signs and not-so-coincidental coincidences (for instance, the fact that the original club was called “Second Chance”) that Doebler decided to check it out, too. The history of the property created some skepticism, but soon all involved felt the excitement and began to embrace the possibilities that such a unique environment could provide for their novel new ministry. “I thought to myself, this is a space that will definitely put un-churched men at ease,” says Doebler.
In spite of everyone’s high hopes, the three-story nightclub and barn building were held by a multi-million dollar real estate corporation, and the current church body was barely 80 members strong. “We were a church that had just [experienced] our grand opening, with nothing concrete to offer whatsoever,” recalls Doebler. But, the Word says God will keep no good thing from His children and The Grove ended up with the 18,000-square-foot space for $350,000, the real estate firm writing the remaining value off as a charitable donation.
The Grove members came home in January 2007, without an abundance of expendable funds to make the building perfect. To date they have spent approximately $30,000 on renovations, doing the work on their own. “We don’t have the resources to hire architects, engineers, and designers to come in and do the work for us,” says Doebler. “This will be an on-going project of love that looks a lot like someone purchasing a house and carefully restoring it to its inherent beauty.”
Creating a House of Worship
Doebler and church members will agree that living, worshipping, and working in the space “as-is” has allowed them to truly see what they want to do with it. And, although the nightclub aspect is an unusual legacy for a church, it has willed to The Grove some beautiful and rustic architectural elements, including natural timbers and beautiful wooden support columns, paver (kiln-fired shale or clay block) brick flooring, and two bars, one of which is believed to have come from the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. “The overall vibe of the building is very masculine. In many ways it is a bit rough around the edges, somewhat unfinished,” says Doebler. “Our goal is not to change and remodel, but to restore.” The team is interested in enhancing the facility, then allowing God to complement the natural with the spiritual.
Through team work and with the help of the National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources (NAEIR), a non-profit organization that distributes resources to other non-profits, many enhancements have been completed. The former nightclub’s offices have been transformed into nursery and toddler spaces, requiring the removal of an old furnace, rerouting of vents, and sealing off a fireplace. The once damaged area is a lively and childlike learning space with built-in seating and cubbies under way. An adjoining 1970s billiards room is now the junior church room. It is the largest room in the children’s wing of the complex, and even though this area will be separate from the adult areas, the space will be equipped with technical capabilities to be used as additional all-purpose meeting space.
While what is now the children’s area was in some disarray, the nightclub nature of the space has been a blessing in many ways, not necessarily a curse. Nightclubs are innately dark, not an ideal atmosphere for stepping into His marvelous light, but with paint, new lighting, and hardwood flooring on the way, all courtesy of NAEIR, the sanctuary is now more inhabitable for all who enter, in both human and spiritual terms.
Conveniently, an existing tech booth allowed The Grove’s crew to set up shop in the sanctuary almost immediately, and the bar on the main floor is Sunday morning’s hot spot for the baked goods and beverages brought in by church members who own a local bake shop. It is also preferred seating for the first-time, uncertain visitor. The wealth of open space offers many flexible programming options, especially those centered around teens. In the nightclub’s heyday, bands such as Van Halen and REO Speedwagon frequented the main stage. Soon musicians glorifying God will take that same stage, and The Grove has three floors of space for the city’s youth to fill up.
On the Horizon
Beyond the main building there are many interesting gathering places for those all-important friendships to be forged. The former beer garden is now a commons area host to a distinctive silo covered in mesh wiring. In the coming months the wire will be peeled back to reveal a one-of-a-kind outdoor stage, creating the perfect atmosphere for summer concerts and weddings. Original to the building is a 1,000-square-foot loft that is currently serving as temporary office space for Doebler. Once permanent administration areas are completed, scheduled for 2008, the loft will morph into a meeting location available to the surrounding community by rental. With all this on the agenda, 2008 is already shaping up to be a busy year for the church, but Doebler and his teammates also plan to complete young adult space, continue upgrades in the worship center, and refurbish the commercial kitchen. Then in 2009, the church is slated to start up a bookstore and coffee shop that will be open to the community, one more leg of The Grove’s awesome, Spirit-led vision to minister to men.
Obviously, the new space is doing much more than just meeting the needs of the church’s current congregation of 100. “The building itself, being three levels, can accommodate as many as 300 on Sunday morning,” says Doebler. “And that doesn’t count children’s space or miscellaneous overflow spaces.” All that room provides vast growth potential for The Grove, but they intend to use what they need for now and expand to the upper floors as the size of their congregation and special events require it. Outside of the buildings there are blessings abounding, as well. The church’s retail surroundings have afforded them with 225 fully maintained on-site parking spaces, plenty of room for the thousands of Peoria citizens passing by the church daily to stop in on a Sunday morning.
The ministry business is one where location isn’t necessarily everything. After all, where a few are gathered in His name, He is there also. The Grove definitely understands why God led them to this location, though. They knew in 2006 the nightclub’s vicinity was a quickly growing one, but the area’s popularity and development have more than surpassed their expectations. Still, visibility alone is not what will make The Grove grow. Doebler, who realizes the real work begins once newcomers are in the door, says, “We must make creating a welcoming environment for guests our first priority. Our mission is to reach those who are not already a part of our body. There is no room to become complacent and satisfied.” And The Grove team won’t. Their vision continues to grow daily, and no idea, no matter how unorthodox, goes unexamined.
There are days that a team just feels a bit out of synch. That was our locker room yesterday. It started with an unusually large number of our team being gone on various trips for a variety of perfectly normal and legitimate reasons. But there is a tangible difference when many of your teammates are missing. The energy level is different, the level of enthusiasm is somewhat diminished. The environment created for guests is effected. Then, as the service unfolded, our music was a little of kilter. We weren’t quite as sharp as we needed to be. Then we had teammates that had a very challenging week and many were near exhaustion. It all added up to a less than stellar effort in the locker room this week.
