A pub church is a Christian Church which meets in a public house or similar establishment. Their purpose is to exist as an authentic Christian community, located in a way that is more accessible to non-churched people. They understand themselves to be "without the external trappings of more traditional churches." As Archbishop Rowan Williams has commented:
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"If 'church' is what happens when people encounter the Risen Jesus and commit themselves to sustaining and deepening that encounter in their encounter with each other, there is plenty of theological room for diversity of rhythm and style, so long as we have ways of indentifying the same living Christ at the heart of every expression of Christian life in common. |
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This can take a number of forms. Sometimes a public house is purchased, and used as a church building,[1] retaining the pub feel in decor and lay out. Another approach involves renting a room in a pub,[2] and even allowing customers to bring their alcohol into the meeting room. Still others take the form of a small group that sits at a table to talk and pray.
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In the UK examples can be found in Nottingham - Eagle's Nest Church,[2] Brighton, London - Church on the Corner,[1] Cardiff and Swansea. Currently, a community of believers in Fishers, Indiana are meeting at The Pub at Pinheads under the ministry name of "Leavener;" also a group called "Connect Rome" meet at a local bar named McCrobie's in Rome, Georgia.[3]
This may be an example of what Nicholas M Healy calls "ecclesial bricolage."[4] The church picks up various aspects of its culture, and attempts to use them in its mission, sometimes unaware that each aspect has both positive and negative possibilities. In this case, the advantages of mission activity may not outweigh the difficulty of demonstrating a distinct community investing in clearly different values. This is because of what might be sacrificed in order to be "relevant." Newbigin comments that the church should be both distinct from its culture and comprehensible by it.[5] Ecclesial bricolage can upset this finely tuned balance.