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BY MATT POOLE

Ecclesiastical Frankenstein, tattoo parlor, Bible fight clubs, and even sex were among some of the words shared with us at annual conference by the Rev. Jim Walker of Hot Metal Bridge Community Church.

The church was started five years ago when Walker, a United Methodist pastor, and Jeff Eddings, a Presbyterian pastor, wanted to do something dramatically different to engage people living near a bridge known as the 'Hot Metal Bridge' in the old steel city of Pittsburgh.

They started holding what we would understand as small groups in tattoo parlors, local bars, coffee shops and similar places. They used drama as a way to help people understand and engage in the Gospel.

The church is going back to forms of worship and fellowship mentioned in the book of Acts. Such groups sing, communicate the gospel through drama, receive Communion and end with sharing a meal together.

One of the ways this new church in Pittsburgh is engaging the culture with the Gospel is through Bible Fight Clubs. They are not your typical Bible study happening in a typical pastor?s study on Sunday mornings.

These are groups that meet together to actually state differing arguments about what is written in the Bible. Here are the rules:
1. Respect and love people, if not necessarily their opinions.
2. Say anything - no judging, no holding grudges.
3. Must fight - no sitting in silence.
4. Get to the point.
5. 'God is a Mystery' is not an argument.

Walker went on to add that the club is not about winning, but about valuing the argument. The point is to really listen to others. The Bible Fight Club ends with each person sharing what they learned from one of the others in the group.

The Bible study on May 25 at the Baltimore-Washington Conference annual session challenged us to question some of our assumptions. One is that the church is a building.

Another is seeing the 'good' people as inside the church and the 'bad' people outside the church. This leads to another assumption: that we need to go get the bad people and change them into us. This is where we get mixed up in our mission of 'making disciples.'

The shocker was when Jim explained that 'making disciples' was not putting body parts together like Dr. Frankenstein, but more like having sex. Disciples are not made or manufactured using church programs. They are reproduced by Christ?s followers being in authentic relationship with people who are searching for community.

He mentioned their focus was on 'koinonia,' a word that means more than just a potluck meal in the church basement. He explained that it was about going into deeper authentic relationships with people, not just the people who look like us, but the people in the community who were longing for real community. They understand church in simpler terms.

Hot Metal Bridge is reaching many young adults, a group many of us know is missing from our churches.

Walker pointed out that young adults are the least likely people to categorize themselves as 'Christian.' Although they are technologically connected to one another, their lives are marked by isolation. They are hungering for authentic community and can smell a hypocrite from a mile away.

According to Walker, they are looking for 'authentic intimate relationships.' Yet what they discover in life is more like 'superficial, alienated selfishness.' I would add that we probably all do.

Our annual conference session ended with much discussion about young adult ministry in our conference. I thought it worth noting the things Walker said in his talk about creating authentic relationships.

In talking about discipleship, he said, 'You cannot create a staff position, you cannot program it, you cannot throw money at it, and you cannot market it.' He also emphasized that it cannot be a 'one-up' type relationship, where we assume we are slightly better somehow than another person.

Walker has written a book based on some of the material he covered; it will come out in the spring of 2008. Meanwhile, if you want to learn more and see what others are writing, you can find a link to a blog about the Hot Metal Bridge Bible study on the conference Web site at www.bwcumc.org.

As United Methodists, we need to be challenged to rise up and start engaging our culture in authentic ways. It is time for us to start 'sneezing!'

Sidebar:
Hot Metal Bridge Faith Community offers 'dramatically different' liturgical drama scripts for sale.
See www.hotmetalbridge.com.