Would you like fries with that, sir?”
That question is almost expected when patronizing a fast-food restaurant.
But would it come as a surprise to hear it at church?
There is a trend afoot among congregations to establish cafés or coffee shops on their church campus.
Gary Nicholson, director of the church architecture department of LifeWay Christian Resources, saw this movement begin three or four years ago. It is “something I’m being asked to include in plans more and more in churches.”
Churches of all sizes are looking to designate an area for a café or coffee shop, Nicholson said. “It’s not a big investment of space.”
Dauphin Way Baptist Church, Mobile, in Mobile Baptist Association has a room it has designated “the café,” said Mary Yarborough, executive assistant to the pastor. This room, which can accommodate about 50 people, sports a Starbucks-like mural and is used for class meetings, small fellowships and Sunday School.
A sister church in the Mobile Association, Dayspring Baptist, Mobile, has a café in its two-story youth building, called The Shack.
Ken Whitton, Dayspring Baptist’s student pastor, said the café is open Sunday mornings, Wednesday evenings and during special activities. It even boasts an Internet café area. The youth building also features a worship room, game room, media room and rock-climbing wall.
Whitton called the café — which is staffed by volunteers — a good place to gather before services. Having the café goes along with the youth ministry’s “invest and invite philosophy,” allowing students time to mingle with visitors and develop relationships.
Sammy Gilbreath, director of the office of evangelism for the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions, said there are many reasons why churches establish cafés or coffee shops on their campus, such as for convenience, fellowship and building relationships with the ultimate goal of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. The latter is the crux of Intentional Evangelism, which is the current emphasis of the Alabama Baptist State Convention.
A café gives youth a place to meet, sit and relax, said Ryan Hand, interim fifth- and sixth-grade minister at Hunter Street Baptist Church, Hoover, in Birmingham Baptist Association. The church’s café is in its youth building, which has a rock-climbing wall, arcade and other amenities.
“There are so many advantages to having (the café),” he said, explaining that it draws young people to the church and keeps them in a safe environment after they arrive. Because food items are readily available on campus, youth are less likely to go elsewhere for something to eat.
In Huntsville, Whitesburg Baptist Church in Madison Baptist Association has a café that provides three meals daily on three weekdays and two meals on Fridays.
Known as The Caring Place Café, it seats approximately 55 and is located on the church’s south campus, about a quarter of a mile from its main campus, said Mary Lou Herald, Whitesburg Baptist’s food service director.
The café is in the center of a building that also houses a 650-seat formal dining room, indoor playroom, gym and weight room, among other things, she said.
The café is a “quiet, intimate setting, as opposed to a restaurant. … The tables only seat four people,” Herald noted.
She said men’s accountability meetings and Bible study groups often gather there early in the mornings when the café opens to get a bite to eat while they meet. Families and retirees also enjoy gathering at the café.
At other times, the café helps support other ministries of the church such as Upward Basketball and regional Awana gatherings. In addition, it has been the setting for wedding rehearsal dinners and smaller receptions, Herald said.
“It is so worthwhile,” she said. “It meets unbelievable needs.”
It is also an evangelism tool as church members invite their friends and co-workers to eat with them. “We have lots of evangelism materials around,” and people who are trained in the FAITH evangelism technique, Herald said.
She also noted that the church ministered through the café to a family displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
The café at Eden Westside Baptist Church, Pell City, in St. Clair Baptist Association is decorated to look like an outdoor garden, said Lynette Morris, the pastor’s secretary.
It is often the choice for such gatherings as baby showers, teas and Sunday School get-togethers, she said. “It’s a lot smaller setting than the fellowship hall” and so fosters a cozier atmosphere. Some Sunday School classes also use the café instead of going out to eat, Morris said.
Nicholson said the coffeehouse-café movement is taking a couple of different avenues. Some churches situate them right on their campus. Others opt to establish them as marketplace ministries.
At Montgomery’s Gateway Baptist Church, Montgomery Baptist Association, the coffeehouse-café idea has taken on a different look as the sanctuary is transformed into The Grove on Tuesday evenings.
The Grove is a Christian coffeehouse where young adults, ages 18–35, meet to fellowship with other Christians, said Bruno Resende, a Gateway Baptist member who works with both The Grove and the college ministry. People who participate in The Grove come from an array of churches.
“We’re very fellowship-oriented,” Resende said of the coffeehouse, which began a little more than a year ago. About 30 people come to the coffeehouse, which has sparked other ministries, such as outreachprojects in a housing community and Bible studies, he said.
Resende said the coffeehouse creates an environment where nonbelievers feel comfortable when they might not be willing to go to a church. Several people have recommitted their lives to Christ through their involvement in The Grove.
CrossPoint Community Church, Gadsden, in Etowah Baptist Association is in the middle of a project to construct a sports facility that will also be used by the church’s private school, said Randy Stafford, CrossPoint’s business administrator.The building will have a concession stand, a cafeteria and a “Starbucks-like coffee shop,” he said.
“It’s going to have a ‘hip’ look,” Stafford said of the coffee shop, which is expected to be open on the weekends in less than a year.
The church has a couple of purposes for the coffee shop. One is to provide a place for parents to gather during Upward sports. A second is to offer a congregating venue before and after youth activities. And the third is to ease vehicle traffic flow after Sunday services by providing a place to wait until the crowd thins.
Not too far from Gadsden is NorthPark Baptist Church, Trussville, in Birmingham Association, which anticipates that its café will be operational in July.
It will be located in a corner of the lobby, said Lloyd Wright, NorthPark Baptist’s associate pastor of assimilation and administration. He said the current renovation project will enlarge the lobby area. Some of that space will become the café.
The church holds three Sunday-morning services and the café will be a place for people to wait for the next service to begin. “It’s a time for fellowship,” he said.
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