By Katrina Vander Kooi, summer intern
A new contemporary church is on the drawing board in Luverne.
The Rev. J.R. Henderson was hired by the Reformed Church of America in Minnesota to plant new churches in southwest Minnesota. RCA's goal is to start 80 new churches by 2005 and increase churchgoing by 10 percent.
"Ninety-four percent of Americans believe in God, but 70 percent of Americans no longer accept Jesus or the Bible as a way of life," Henderson said.
Henderson believes America is where missionaries are needed the most. "America has one third of the largest mission fields in the world, and it is the fastest growing," Henderson said. "Our own backyard is our mission field."
Henderson said he thinks there needs to be another option besides traditional churches in a community to draw in other members. That's why he hopes to start a contemporary church in Luverne.
"We want to reach out to another segment of the community," Henderson said. "The church will be culturally relevant, non-liturgical, expressive in worship, and have a strong basis in fellowship and fun."
Henderson thinks the words relevant or innovative are better words to use than contemporary. "Today's contemporary is tomorrow's tradition," he said.
Why Luverne?
There is a process for choosing a church location. Henderson researches communities to determine the number of people who attend church. He surveys the churches in the area to find the average attendance on a given Sunday. He then compares that number to the number of people in a community.
By his calculations, he found that 49 percent of Luverne residents do not attend church. "Luverne is actually one of your greater church-going areas," Henderson said. But, he believes there is a need in the community for another option for worship.
Henderson has now moved to Luverne in order to work more closely on the project. He has a wife, Terri, three daughters, one son, and one granddaughter. Henderson is originally from Kansas City, Kan., but has pastored for 20 years in areas throughout the country. His last call was in Archer, Iowa.
Henderson has pastored in traditional and contemporary churches. He has chosen to form a contemporary church because "that's just where the largest segment of the population is at," Henderson said.
He has planted two other churches, not affiliated with the RCA, in Oklahoma and Kansas, but this a new position for him.
The church is one foundation
To start a church, Henderson needs a core group of about 12 to 15 families. After two years, the church would be ready to hire a full-time pastor. Once that happens, Henderson plans to stay in Luverne but set up churches in different communities in southwest Minnesota.
At the moment, the church is meeting with a group of families from the American Reformed Church in Luverne to form a core group.
A few years ago, the American Reformed Church talked about forming another church. When Henderson came, he asked if any families in the church were interested in forming a new one. A few families were interested, and currently, they meet weekly with Henderson in different homes to discuss options and worship. Worship is informal and includes a variety of music. Henderson is planning to start a praise band where local musicians can join in the service.
One of the members is Randy Ehlers. "Traditional churches are not well prepared to bring people to a loving relationship with Christ," Ehlers said. "New contemporary churches have been more successful in this area."
At the moment, only members from the American Reformed Church are participating, but Ehlers said, "We welcome anyone in Luverne to join us."
For more information contact J.R. Henderson at 507-283-4475.