Way Church Nashville
Way Church, a non-denomnational church in Nashville
900 Gallatin Ave,
Nashville, TN 37206
Sunday Service: 9am, 10:30am
Way Church combines a sense of authenticity with the electricity of a new church plant which makes for an exciting visit for any first time visitor. The first time visit included a message on money which of course can be the dread of any first time visitor but the level of authenticity and transparency just continued to bring excitement even for a first time visitor.
Arriving was a bit challenging – I’m still not 100% sure of the parking situation but there were plenty of cones and people in the parking lot to guide you in. They rent space from the Legacy School of Ministry so that’s the logo you see on the door but there are plenty of tents outside with people to assure you that you’ve come to the right place. Entering though does require guidance at this non-denomnational church in Nashville.
Guidance is definitely the word for the day. I arrived at 8:35 am for the 9am service but was too early and had to wait outside – I was told another 25 minutes but fortunately someone came to get me and showed me in within 5 minutes. When you enter, you have to go through the building, outside, and you end up out front and then re-enter the church from the outside. Once inside it’s a pretty standard setup.
Entering the sanctuary inside, there is a good amount of seating and an LED wall. Many people welcomed me as I sat pretty far away from the front. It seemed fairly female dominated however you could argue the guys were in the parking lot serving and I did see quite a few walk in later. As the worship team assembled in the front, I did wonder about where the song lyrics would show up at.
As worship started, the two song set flowed pretty smoothly. Lyrics appeared In 1-2 lines right above the worship team’s head, which means in theory you couldn’t have any one too tall up there for fear of blocking a whole section of lyrics. The two-song set was swift but the congregation was very participatory in it in the front and back. The middle was interestingly enough pretty mellow. After the worship set, the message began just as swiftly as the worship set ran.
The message was on “Only God for my Money”. The pastor was extremely transparent both on scripture and the need for the money. Scripture was the usual tithing verses however what set apart this message was what the money would he used for. The Pastor stated that the money would be used to help with a church plant in Charleston SC where they hoped to reach many (lost) people, needs within the immediate church family, a new location, and hopes to sow into other churches just as they’d been sowed into themselves. Sowing back and meeting needs were communicated clearly.
It was amazing that they talked about meeting needs in their own core family as well as their desire to sow into other churches like Charleston. To me that was meeting the Gospel head-on and helping spread it far and away. It was an explanation congruent with the great commission as well as acts of generosity to others less fortunate the bible calls for. The call to action was remarkably low pressure as well.
The call to action included a video of the couple planting the church in Charleston SC and a walk to the front to give and take a card intended to help you remember what you were believing God for. It also gave one the opportunity to greet the pastor.
I took the time to take a new member card and face it out as I walked by. The Pastor greeted me with a handshake. He didn’t greet everyone that way so I definitely took note of that. Another worship song ensued before dismissal.
At dismissal I followed everyone outside the building, around to the back where cars were parked. I was able to hand off my new visitor and get a gift bag with a Starbucks card in it. The gifts were branded for Way Churc, non-denomnational church in Nashville. I left this church pretty amazed with whatI saw and I’d say it’s a good church for anyone who wants to engage in a new church plant and experience the electricity that comes with that in a safe environment with a fairly transparent pastor that I believe has the potential to be one of the best in the city, given time.
