PLANO – As daily lives become more entrenched with technology, a Plano church has decided to spend more than $1 million to reach a new generation of tech-bound Christians.
The Well at St. Andrew United Methodist Church is a $1.3 million facility with a focus on technology and offering young folks a different kind of place to worship.
Construction crews are putting their finishing touches on The Well, which will hold its first service on Sunday. The 600-seat building will feature 104 feet of project space for videos, seven projectors and a 25-foot long high definition screen.
"Worship is not just a matter of sitting and watching something. it's a matter of encountering God in a new way," said Julie Klossner, worship coordinator.
The idea behind The Well: a sensory worship experience, where young congregation members don't just hear the message, they enjoy it.
"We just think that this is more likely to reach a generation that's more used to an iPad than a hymnal," said Arthur Jones, pastor at The Well.
Jones, 28, is a fifth-generation Methodist minister who says the Plano church is going to reach a younger audience.
"The average age of our worshipping congregation is 57. The average age of people within a five mile radius of the church is 36," he said.
Sunday's service will be anything but traditional. There won't be a choir. There will be a rock band.
"We're trying to use an alternative kind of sound, a rock kind of sound with the projection video and lighting. These are all just tools to communicate the message," said Micah Peacock, a worship leader.
The message is the same, says the pastor. But what's different is the way it's delivered.
