Brannon Burke - Church Visit #3

Brannon Burke – Church Visit #3

Antioch Community Church

Longfellow Elementary School, Wheaton, IL, 60187

November 2, 2014

Charismatic/Pentecostal

 I. Worship Service

            The worship service at Antioch seemed like a laid back version of any church I have been to. The pastor, Chris Otts, comes off as a friendly neighbor more than a learned pastor, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Since they are a relatively recent church plant (home base in Texas), the church still meets in a elementary school. The music itself was similar to anything you might find at any church: contemporary Christian music, though this was surprisingly good compared to what I had falsely and foolishly anticipated. Christie Otts, the pastor’s wife, spoke this week. The sermon was on orphans and was a part of a worldwide initiative called Orphan Sunday.

II. Most Interesting

            The first thing that I saw when I walked into Antioch was a woman kneeling during the opening music section. This is not necessarily new. However, during the next song, she danced in the front, waving a purple flag or sash. She was not a part of the service, nor was she doing this for anyone else but God. This is very new to me and took me a few minutes to get used to. At first, I was skeptical and was frustrated because it was a distraction to me. Then I was rightfully humbled and realized that she plays a beautiful role in the artistic nature of the Church. I think that it is easy for people who come from liturgical or semi-liturgical backgrounds to dismiss the more Spirit-centric churches, but I think that this can be really damaging to the greater body of Christ.

III. Disorienting or Challenging

            By looking on their website, I found that Chris Otts, the lead pastor, has no formal pastoral education. This is disconcerting to me, but certainly not enough for me to discredit Antioch and its mission to do good works within its community. All it says is that he was a graduate from Baylor University. Of course, I think that we all can preach the gospel and live out Christ-reflecting lives, but I think that there is something to be said of having a formal education in pastoral or church leadership.

IV. Scripture or Theology

            This section is closely related to the section above, for me. Compared to the churches that I am used to that dive deeply and thoughtfully into Scripture, Antioch seemed to be far more Spirit-centric than anything I am used to. This is not a bad thing, but I do not think that it makes for a complete church. Churches strongly rooted in Scripture and tradition need the Spirit just as much as Spirit-centric churches need Scripture and tradition. Compared to Willow Creek, which is foundationally stable and structurally sure, Antioch is definitely a church in progress, which is a beautiful thing to witness.