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“Loud, Rude, and Obnoxious” Church

Orginally published on Tuesday, August 21, 2007 at 6:01 AM
by Todd Rhoades

Here's a quote from Chris Elrod, Pastor of Compass Point Church. Some 'unnamed' website has picked up on this quote and written Chris up pretty badly. I'm wondering about what you think about the quote... Take a read and let me know!

“For whatever reason Compass Point has received the scorn of other Lakeland churches and pastors since we began. In our early days a local pastor actually preached against us from his pulpit. When I asked him why he said, “Because Compass Point is loud, rude and obnoxious!” I totally dug that...it made me feel like a member of Motley Crue or Guns N’ Roses! You know, he never said we were unbiblical. He never said we weren’t reaching people for Christ. He never said we weren’t missional...he just said we were loud, rude and obnoxious. As a fan of pirates, hard rock and rebellion I like that assessment of us. Loud, rude and obnoxious has worked pretty well in reaching other loud, rude and obnoxious people for Christ...I think we’re going to turn loud, rude and obnoxious up a notch!!!”

Chris Elrod, Pastor of Compass Point Church

SOURCE


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  There are 21 Comments:

  • Posted by

    I love it when preachers take the time to decry another church from the pulpit…

    ...NOT…

  • Posted by Brian

    It is a well known fact that Motley Crue found their guitarist, Mick Mars, when they answered an ad that read, “Loud, rude, aggressive guitar player available.” Maybe there’s more of a Crue connection than he realizes?

    File this under “Things that make you go ‘hmmm.’”

  • Posted by Leonard

    But would they have let Carter be interviewed?

  • Posted by Mike Ellis

    Chris Elrod is a great guy with a fantastic heart for the Lord. If you haven’t done so lately, check out the back of the Bible. Jesus Christ is NOT coming back looking like a Breck girl in a white dress.

    I want to be “dangerous” to a dull and boring religion. I want a faith that is considered “dangerous” by our predictable and monotonous culture.
    - Mike Yaconelli

    The truly holy people I’ve met in my life are really interesting people. They’re a mix of the most incredible godliness and at the same time, the most unbelievable earthiness. I know a woman who curses like a sailor, but she’s the most holy woman I know. She is! I’m not kidding. We’ve created this image of what holiness looks like that’s just nonsense. Good holy people probably drink too much some times, and have colorful language, and there’s plenty of room in the Bible to see people like that. We have to see life for what it is, entirely more complicated then simple. Spirituality is not simple; it’s complicated. It gets messy sometimes.
    - Mike Yaconelli

  • Posted by

    I have read the above posts and was pretty disgusted… this guy idolizes Guns N Roses and loves Rock N Roll… HUH.  A lady that curses and is HOLY.  Peter cursed when he was backslid.  I want to be dangerous to a predictable Church world yes, I want to preach “1 Peter 4:17-18 17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?  18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?” That is dangerous to a loose living, do what you want, be rude, idolize rock bands and curse like a sailor religious people.  Lord, forgive me for wasting my time writing this post… PS Christ ain’t coming back looking like a rock star who thinks that pirates, hard rock and rebellion is cool.  See what he says about rebellion in his book called the Bible.

  • Posted by

    Shane, I also will ask the Lord to forgive you for writing what you posted.  I’ll also pray that everyone who reads it just ignores it.

    As for the subject, I’m not a big fan of Loud, Rude, or Obnoxious, although I have been told that our church is loud.  Actually it was a woman who brought her newborn into the service rather than leaving him in the nursery and when he started crying she said the music was so loud it made babies cry.  Well, our church does rock!  I’m also not a fan of Motley Crue or GNR, I’m more of a Bob Segar/Bruce Springsteen kind of guy, but I understand Chris’ sentiment.  And if I remember correctly, Jesus was considered something of a rebel in His time. 

    I would surmise from this that the median age of Compass Point is a somewhat younger that that of the church that called them Loud, Rude, and Obnoxious.  That church is probably dignified, somber, and dispassionate.  And it probably serves it’s congregation well.

  • Posted by RevJeff

    Who cares about being loud or rude.... do they teach about tithing and are they as cool as Todd Rhoades? Those are the real essentials.

  • Posted by Chris Elrod

    RevJeff - We’re not nearly as cool as Todd Rhoades...though we are working hard to reach that level.  I’m preaching on tithing this coming Sunday...as a amatter of fact.  I hope this clears up your questions.  grin

  • Posted by

    wow! I am new to this blog site and really enjoy the dialogue. I am a little blown away by this story and the comments though. Can’t we be loud and relevant and “cool” pastors without having to resort to immature responses that side us with rebellion, swearing, and drinking? Haven’t we forgot the definition of “holy” to begin with. I am not prescribing a hymnal and starched shirt but come on brothers, let’s grow up a little. If our skin is so thin about our methodology than maybe we should just be quiet, loving and polite.
    Maybe instead of celebrating works of the sinful nature that we all battle with, let’s demonstrate Christ likeness and let the fruit speak for itself. Dude!

  • Posted by

    I don’t know.  I really like the quote and I think it could very easily have been said about Jesus.  Maybe all of our prayers should be - Lord, make me more Loud, rude and obnoxious so that some one actually hears your voice.

  • Posted by James

    “As a fan of ... rebellion I like that assessment of us.” -Chris Elrod

    “Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols.” - Samuel the prophet.

    I wonder who wins in this exchange.

    P.S.
    Mike Yaconelli(’s comments listed above are) is an idiot(ic).

  • Posted by Leonard

    James,
    The rebellion you cite in scripture is bad but it s a rebellion against God.  Chris is not endorsing this.  As for the late Mike Yanconelli being an idiot, I would say you might be a bit presumptuous in your judgment, especially if you are judging him on a couple quotes.

  • Posted by James

    Rebellion (the spirit of) is bad, period.  The inetersting thing to me is that people often cite Jesus as “the rebel,” when He was, truly, far from it.  All Jesus ever did was obey the Father.  Hardly rebellious.

    Yes, I know that there was a “rebellion” against “the system” and the “leaders” of the day, but was this rebellion or reformation, but this defense to me (even when I used it for myself) seemed fishy; almost as if Jesus’ “rebellion” made ours ok, even though what we really wanted was to just be rebellious and not fall under authority.

    One of the interesting things I found out in my study of Luther is that his intention was never to leave the Catholic church.  That blows me away even now.  He saw horrible things going on and yet did not “rebel” but instead attempted, out of love for his church and the people therein, to bring about reformation.

    As to the Yaconelli comments (that’s why I used these clever things - parentheses most people call them.) Sarcasm aside - my apologies - but his comments were stupid.  Moreover, and far more importantly, they say to people who are loud, rude obnoxious, foul-mouthed drunkards, that they can stay that way and be holy.  That’s worse than stupid or idiotic; it’s eternally dangerous.

  • Posted by Leonard

    I think you might be splitting hairs on this.  I was loud, rude and obnoxious as a kid because I invited lost people to Christ.  I grew up in a church that paid lip service to that mission but I was often the cause of a conversation or meeting simply because we refused to be a silent witness to Christ.  I was rebellious but not against God.  I think this is what Chris would also tell you if you were to ask him and while he may not be the conservative fundie poster boy, he certainly does not deserve the label as rebellious against God.  To give him that on a cursory read, without the benefit of conversation and research is too far.  Today I pastor one of those loud, rude and obnoxious churches.  Though so by churches who reach no one and whose struggle with holiness are hidden behind image and shame.

    As for Yanconelli’s comments, I really doubt the foul mouth drunkard sees these comments as permission.  If you think that then you might not know enough foul mouthed drunkards.  If you were to know Mikes ministry before he died, if you were to know his own struggle and his truth and grace efforts to those who struggled you would see these words in context of his life, ministry and in their use. 

    As for Luther, he may not have considered himself rebellious but those around him did, especially those who he confronted, those with power and those who had something to lose.  This is the kind of rebellion I am in favor of.

  • Posted by

    Wow, James, you’re making some pretty big leaps there.  You’ve gone from a church being called loud, rude and obnoxious and added that they are foul-mouthed drunkards.  Bravo for being more discerning than me, I had no idea they were also foul-mouthed drunkards. 

    And, yes, Jesus was rebellious against the religious authorities of His time, while he was obeying the Father.  You’re taking Chris Elrod’s comments about being called loud, rude and obnoxious and assuming (and you know what happens when you do that) that he advocates rebellion against God. 

    I’ve been invited to visit a few churches in our area and at a couple found the type of fire-breathing, hell and damnation, fundamentalist preachers I grew up with.  I thought they were loud, rude and obnoxious, but I’m sure if they came to our church they would say we’re loud, rude and obnoxious because we’ve replaced the choir with the church equivalent of a rock band.  Notice I said I thought they were loud, rude and obnoxious, but not less holy or less righteous.

  • Posted by Chris Elrod

    While I am thoroughly enjoying watching the comments here (Leonard & DanielR I owe you a meal)...no one has really asked the right question.  That would be...why were we (my church and I) called “loud, rude and obnoxious” and by whom?  James, I think the answer would be shocking...but I’ll let you chew on it for a while.  grin

  • Posted by James

    Normally, I try to keep my responses to no more than two posts, but I have to say something here…

    “Wow, James, you’re making some pretty big leaps there.  You’ve gone from a church being called loud, rude and obnoxious and added that they are foul-mouthed drunkards.  Bravo for being more discerning than me, I had no idea they were also foul-mouthed drunkards.”

    I did not in anyway ADD that the “loud, rude and obnoxious church.” These were two separate comments.  the first (r,l&o;) being that of (not BY) Elrod’s church, and the second (the foul-mouthed drunkard statement) being the logical extension of Yaconelli’s comments.  I never in ANY way said that because a person - or a church collectively - is rude, loud and obnoxious that they are also foul-mouthed drunkards.

    Moreover, Leonard said, “I was loud, rude and obnoxious as a kid BECAUSE I invited lost people to Christ.” [emphasis mine] I think that might be a leap.  Maybe it wasn’t BECAUSE you were doing it, but the way in which you did it.  Just a thought.

    In closing (for real this time) I apologize if it seems that I, at ANY time, attacked Elrod’s person, character or church.  That was not my intent or purpose.  Instead, the idea was to focus on this prevelant notion of rebellion as an idea worthy to be embraced.  This idea was best implied by Yanconelli’s quote (i.e. “I know a woman who curses like a sailor, but she’s the most holy woman I know. She is! I’m not kidding. We’ve created this image of what holiness looks like that’s just nonsense. Good holy people probably drink too much some times, and have colorful language, and there’s plenty of room in the Bible to see people like that.").  Affirming a view such as this - whether, as Leonard said “I really doubt the foul mouth drunkard sees these comments as permission.  If you think that then you might not know enough foul mouthed drunkards.” (Just a side note, a have ginormous hugantic family full of foul-mouthed drunkards who constantly espouse ideas such as Yanconelli’s - i.e., “I can worship God just as easily at home watching the football game and drinking a beer as I can in church.” among ridiculous others) - without question paves the road for people who are nominal Christians to make no effort whatsoever to seek or pursue, much less desire, sanctification. 

    That’s all I have to say about this subject.

  • Posted by

    James, take a deep breath and relax.  I think you’ve taken this post and comments WAAAYY more seriously than either Leonard, myself or Chris has. 

    You seem to have a serious problem with what you see as (bad) rebellion.  Trust me, the rest of us do too.  I think we just beleive there is (bad) rebellion and there is rebellion that is seen as (bad) rebellion by some but is actually just innovation or other things some people don’t like.

    Have a nice weekend.

  • I’m known as a Confrontational Christian. I believe too many times opportunities are presented to Christians who because they have heard the “tolerance” cry so many times have become weak in presenting the Gospel of Jesus Christ to unbelievers. I agree, we should stand strong wearing the armor as this war rages on, but to consider “loud, rude and obnoxious” as a compliment to a Christian is ludicrous. Jesus emptied a temple with a whip of ropes, but He did it because His Father’s temple was being defiled. Calling a woman who curses like a sailor “holy” leads me to believe ‘Yaconelli’ has truly lost his way. A review of the acidity of some of the above comments between posters also leads me to believe it might be a good time to bath this subject in prayer. God Bless.

  • Posted by

    I think we are all making some huge assumptions on why a church would be called Loud Rude and Obnoxious.  Any counter cultural group, which is what we are, could recieve that label by simply not upholding the cultural norm.  I get criticized for simple things like saying that gossip is wrong - let alone on my disagreement with culture on the big ticket items.  Chris, if you are still watching the feed - I’m asking.  Why did they label you this way?

  • Posted by Chris Elrod

    Gary - Thanks for asking.  Lakeland is a rapidly growing town and has a high rate of unchurched people.  In the area of town where Compass Point planted you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a church - most are traditional Baptist or AOG mega-churches.  For years Lakeland has seen mainly transfer growth from one “flavor of the month” church to another...nobody really seeking out the unchurched and attempting to reach them.  When we (and several other local church plants) began...we got so much flack from the established churches because we were trying to “steal their people”.  The problem with that argument is that 91% of our people had no church experience before Compass Point.  When this came out several churches began to look for other reasons to down us.  One local mega-church got really ticked because we were going into area parks and handing out free bottled water on hot afternoons - no advertising just water.  Apparently they had some of their folks there for a “closed event” church picnic and came back commenting on how great it was to see a church reaching out with water instead of concentrating on inreach with a “closed” picnic.  I got the most interesting phone call from one of the pastors telling me “not to ever do that again” when their church was in the PUBLIC park. He also told me that I needed to quit speaking out from my pulpit about “prosperity preaching” not being Biblcal.  He realized that I never mentioned a church by name when I did this...but it was causing their people to question the leadership.  I thanked him for his phone call...politely told him I’d not be able to follow his “rules” for us...and offered to have lunch sometime around his schedule.  He hung up and began to bash us to the congregation whenever the opportunity arose.  “Loud, rude and obnoxious” are just a few of the things we’ve been called by that church’s staff.

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