Northview Christian Life Church
5535 East 131st Street
Carmel
Indiana
46033
Senior Pastor:
Steve Poe
Culturally relevant, trendy, simple Biblical truths preached in a non confrontational manner.
We lived in Carmel last year and attended the church from about November 2008 to about April of 2009.
This church is very comfortable. They have gone out of their way to provide creature comforts such as a faux Starbucks which is very trendy. I think the main attempt is to make the church relevant to the surrounding demographia which is primarily middle-upper class white folks.
There was a good attempt to make us feel welcome. We attended the new visitor (Sunday School) class to know the church better. They have a trendy and modern youth facility that is a great ministry to kids.
I loved that the church did a churchwide outreach program to show Christ's love in our area. That was cool- our group painted a fence at a soccer complex in Carmel. Some other groups went into the inner city to renovate a church.
The down side-
Again may be the size. They are HUGE with many church services. Unless you quickly get involved in a small ministry- it is likely that you will never know many people in the church.
Preaching: is very comfortable, non confrontational, warm and fuzzy. If I was to be harsh- I would say the preaching is very shallow. (ok- I'm harsh). I don't mind being offended if I'm wrong and the truth is coming from the Bible. I think our culture needs that.
One Sunday the pastor really ticked me off by using an illustration of how Christians shouldn't act by "making an example" of an acquaintance of mine (and friend sitting next to me). The Pastor was speaking of a missionary pilot who's wife and baby were shot in South America. The missionary was Jim Bowers. Jim was in the same mission that my parents were in (my parents attended the funeral). My friend sitting next to me knows Jim Bowers personally and grew up with him in South America.
The criticism was that when Jim Bowers was interviewed on TV sometime after the tragedy- when asked how he was coping- his response was "fine" (or something to that effect). The Pastors point in criticicizing Jim Bowers was that sometimes we (as Christians) mask how we really feel- and that we aren't being real.
He felt that Jim Bowers gave Christians a bad name. The pastor really crossed the line and was wrong on so many fronts. It was clear that the pastor didn't have all the facts and maybe wasn't sensitive to the mourning process. Anyway- I think it is very dangerous for any pastor to publicly criticize another good Christian.
Frankly, that episode became an obstacle to us wanting to get involved in the church and seriously harmed the pastors credibility in my opinion..
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Would it be fair to say, duteberta, that you have mixed feelings about the church...? That you found more to enjoy in the "creature comforts" than what most would consider the focal point of the church (the pastor)...? I'd love to know more. In any case, another wonderful use of our site. Thank you once more.
Actually- I'm really not impressed with creature comforts (candy) that churches put out there. BUT.. I know that does serve a purpose in a seeker church. I guess you have to do whatever it takes to "draw them in". Personally, however, I'm repelled by that. For me it turns worship into a marketplace. I guess that is why we have such a diversity of church styles and why each one can serve a useful purpose.
The challenge for me is to determine how far is too far. Or - is there a point at which a church violates some Biblical truth for the sake of bringing people in the door.
Yes- I am conflicted.
Duberta Thanks for coming back
It might help our non Christian - non believing readers to know what you mean by "violating biblical truth"
As you know many Christians disagree with each other about what this language might infer - so tell us what you mean.
I first rated this church listed under "Northview Church" as that is how they are listed on their website. I didn't see this until later, but wanted to add my 2 cents to anyone looking under this listing. Here is what I wrote there:
This church is a large church with four weekend services – 2 on Saturday and 2 on Sunday morning.
During our first visit, while waiting for the service to start when everyone was milling about and making their way in, the Senior Pastor came up and introduced himself, asked if this was our first time here and welcomed us. After church he saw us again and said that he was glad we could come today. On a subsequent visit weeks later, he remembered us and spoke with us again.
The dress is casual with the Senior Pastor wearing an untucked shirt and slacks or jeans. Five musicians and 3 worship leaders led the congregation in worship. While the songs were new to me, they were easy to sing and focused on our relationship to Christ. They had very good musicianship without distracting showmanship and it was easy to focus on God during the worship portion. The music was contemporary with an occasional secular song that worked in the context of the morning's message. The announcement segment of the service was accompanied by the two guitars playing jazz.
The sermon was taken from verses in James but many other applicable passages were read and used throughout. This was a very good, scripture rich sermon with a focus on application. A memorable quote (as well as my memory allows) for the day was: “…there is such a thing as free will. We have the ability to make choices and they have consequences.” Amen to that!
Looking around after the service, we discovered the bookstore and cafe/coffee bar. What can I say? Books and coffee!
All in all it was a very comfortable, Biblical, worshipful service. We visited several more times and seriously considered making this our new church home. The only thing that stopped us was the size. We had been in a very large church a decade ago and opted not to do that again if we could find a smaller church that we liked just as much (which we ultimately did), but I often recommend Northview to people who are looking and live close to them.
Been actively attending NVCL for about a year or so now.
The church recently (April '10) opened a new, state-of-the-art worship venue. Some of the technical specs:
3 level seating.
Massive IMAX-ish center screen.
2-16:9 wide projection screens to host most of the media content.
The church also records the sermon for a satellite location in West Lafayette, IN.
Environment: 9/10
The environment is not like most big churches. I've never NOT been greeted by more than one person. Greeters to welcome you inside the building. Greeters to greet you as you head upstairs. Greeters to say 'hello' once inside the auditorium. The church draws a wide demographic... teens and 20-somethings to grandparents and everything in between. Predominately white, middle to upper class families which is consistent with its location in the city.
Music: 7/10
Some musicians are paid, some are not. Obvious which ones are (both in attire & musicianship) and which ones aren't. Vocalists are often pitchy, which for me, is a major distraction. Song selection is average. Seems to be top 40 Christian radio. They sometimes take the "seeker" approach and cover a "secular" tune (Life Is A Highway - Tom Cochrane). Not sure what to think about that. Transitions between songs can sometimes be awkward.
Speaking: 6/10
It seems most sermon series are co-taught by the lead pastor and a teaching pastor. My wife and I prefer the lead pastor over the teaching pastor. For the most part the sermons are thoughtful and reflective. Particularly enjoyed the marriage sermon series (April-May '10). The summer series, 'Road Trip' kinda weak. Teaching pastor, well, how do I put this? Sorta feels like when it's his turn to speak, he takes full advantage and crams as much in as possible. Earlier this year, bro did a 45-min sermon on the meaning and significance of communion. Normally don't leave services early, but on this we did. Absolutely BRUTAL!
Overall, a very comfortable place to worship. 7/10
Been actively attending NVCL for about a year or so now.
The church recently (April '10) opened a new, state-of-the-art worship venue. Some of the technical specs:
3 level seating.
Massive IMAX-ish center screen.
2-16:9 wide projection screens to host most of the media content.
The church also records the sermon for a satellite location in West Lafayette, IN.
Environment: 9/10
The environment is not like most big churches. I've never NOT been greeted by more than one person. Greeters to welcome you inside the building. Greeters to greet you as you head upstairs. Greeters to say 'hello' once inside the auditorium. The church draws a wide demographic... teens and 20-somethings to grandparents and everything in between. Predominately white, middle to upper class families which is consistent with its location in the city.
Music: 7/10
Some musicians are paid, some are not. Obvious which ones are (both in attire & musicianship) and which ones aren't. Vocalists are often pitchy, which for me, is a major distraction. Song selection is average. Seems to be top 40 Christian radio. They sometimes take the "seeker" approach and cover a "secular" tune (Life Is A Highway - Tom Cochrane). Not sure what to think about that. Transitions between songs can sometimes be awkward.
Speaking: 6/10
It seems most sermon series are co-taught by the lead pastor and a teaching pastor. My wife and I prefer the lead pastor over the teaching pastor. For the most part the sermons are thoughtful and reflective. Particularly enjoyed the marriage sermon series (April-May '10). The summer series, 'Road Trip' kinda weak. Teaching pastor, well, how do I put this? Sorta feels like when it's his turn to speak, he takes full advantage and crams as much in as possible. Earlier this year, bro did a 45-min sermon on the meaning and significance of communion. Normally don't leave services early, but on this we did. Absolutely BRUTAL!
Overall, a very comfortable place to worship. 7/10