So a group of evangelical and mainline Protestant leaders here decided to create one young adult ministry that would provide all of the bells and whistles required, without replacing church. Charlotte ONE does not perform baptisms, weddings, funerals or offer communion. It doesn’t meet on Sundays or have a single pastor in charge. Sermons are “bible-based” and generally evangelical in their outlook, but the leaders try to steer clear of controversial issues (religious and political) that might divide their sponsoring churches.
Charlotte ONE’s organizers see it as a kind of “funnel,” taking in a wide swath of people and trying to pour them out in the right direction. The group takes its motivation from Jesus’ words in John 17:23: “Let them be one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as much as you have loved me.”
Feedback suggests that the effort is meeting its objectives. In one survey, 98% of attendees said the program had “enriched [their] personal relationship with Jesus Christ,” and 42% said that it had helped them “connect . . . to local churches.” Another measure of success is that other religious communities are looking to reproduce the experience. Phoenix ONE launched this spring.
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