Are Drive-Thru Churches Catching On?
With a pastor in Lucas, Texas launching a drive-thru church Sunday, can we expect to see more?
There are more than 70 drive-thru or drive-in churches in the nation already. Such churches have appeared in news reports in the past, and seem to be attracting more attention. For those that are too busy to go to church and want to fit religion into their lives, a drive-thru church seems to be a solution.
Pastor Gene Schulle’s sermon was broadcast from a parking lot in the town of Lucas Sunday. It was available for people to listen to either from their cars or in their homes.
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Last week in Loma Linda, Calif., Shawn Heggi spoke to The Associated Press about his drive-thru "church." “It’s just a dirt field, but to us it’s a church,” he said.
Heggi, a truck driver and self-described spiritual counselor, conducts quick prayers from a blue tent along a Loma Linda roadside every day.
Meanwhile, in Daytona Beach, Fla., the Rev. Larry G. Deitch leads Sunday morning services at the Drive-In Christian Church, offering the option of indoor worship or outdoor worship alongside the attendees' vehicle "in the comfort of the shade."
The church's website advertises an open dress code. It has a choir, allows attendees to bring their pets, offers Sunday school sessions, and has summer camps for children.
These non-traditional drive-in and drive-thru services offer people worship, complete with a sermon, music, and prayer.
The open-air sermons could draw in a larger audience, and many of these types of churches get their start by taking over drive-in movie theaters on Sunday mornings, according to Time Magazine. The convenience factor not only attracts those who like to avoid formal events, but also the sick and disabled, parents of small children, and even celebrities who try to avoid the public eye.
Although many Christians are bothered by the idea of drive-in or drive-thru churches, such Sunday gatherings are seeing a surge in popularity.
