Young pastor brings Longview church into digital age

New pastor Eric Atcheson is brimming with ideas for bringing the congregation into the 21st century. "A lot of it is, "What is God calling us to do today?" he said.

Atcheson has created a Facebook page for the church and posts his sermons on his blog. He made sure the church appears on business search engines. "That's how folks look for churches these days," he said. "As a tool for evangelism, the Internet is fairly significant — and it's a way to keep in touch with people."

With a shaved head and neatly trimmed goatee, the 25-year-old Atcheson looks hip, and he hopes his demeanor connects with the young people First Christian needs to attract.

He's already noticed a couple of younger families in a congregation where most members are in their 60s. He started a new Sunday School class for young adults, which drew exactly one person the first week. Now it gets four or five.

Atcheson's presence is a testimony to the congregation's commitment to keep going after years of declining membership.

At one time, First Christian was one of the community's largest congregations, with about 350 people attending in the mid-1970s. But, as in many mainline Protestant churches, attendance dwindled. By the end of 2009, church attendance had fallen to around 40 people. And most were aging, leaving the congregation without young families.

The church considered selling the building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, and moving to another location. When former pastor Ron Naff decided to step down, church members started looking for a new pastor.

Atcheson called the process of hooking up with First Christian Church "e-church harmony," with the regional Disciples of Christ administrator playing matchmaker. Atcheson did a Skype interview, then came for a visit in August. "They called to call me as pastor the following week," he said.

Though some churches seem resigned to smaller congregations, Atcheson said he was impressed with First Christian's optimism. "They said, ‘We absolutely believe God is not finished with us. They absolutely do believe in this church.

"They gambled on someone who is young" and in his first full-time call, he said. "This kind of faith means a lot to me."

Lori Powell, the church board's secretary, said members were "impressed with his passion and his compassion and his intelligence and his sense of humor."

The church has started a monthly praise music jam session; goals include adding a Sunday School for young children.

Atcheson has another tie to the man who contributed the land where First Christian stands: He and R.A. Long both came from Kansas City. Growing up there, Atcheson started attending a Disciples of Christ church as a boy.

When he was 8 or 9, he announced to his parents that "I think I want to be a Bible prophet when I grow up," he said. His father remarked that many of them met violent deaths.

But Atcheson kept focusing on a career in his church. "I knew from a pretty young age I was fated for better or for worse to be doing something like this," he said.

When Atcheson was 18, he was scheduled to preach in front of his home congregation. The night before, a friend died in a car accident. Atcheson said his sermon about the Good Shepherd related in John 10 took on a new dimension for him. While he was talking, the sun shifted and a beam came over him.

"It gave me the physical energy to preach in that state," he said. "It was an incredibly moving experience. I tell people I don't know what a born-again experience means, but I do know what it means to have a God experience.

"Afterwards, my father sat me down and said, ‘If you don't at least consider a religious career, we did something wrong.' "

Atcheson agreed, and majored in religious studies at Lewis and Clark College in Portland. Coming from the Midwest was a bit of a culture shock, he said. In Kansas, students read the Bible as literature in public school English classes. But in the Northwest, he found, "faith really has been tucked away privately."

Atcheson then moved to Berkeley, Calif., where he attended the multi-denominational Pacific School of Religion. He graduated with a master of divinity degree in religion and psychology and a post-grad certificate in Jewish Studies. "It's something that I think more Christians could use, that sort of exposure to other religious traditions," he said.

Still, "the running joke is that seminary prepares you for 30 percent what you actually do" leading a church, he said.

The fast-talking Atcheson said an engaging style can help grow a congregation.

During services, "My task isn't simply to offer truth," he said. "It's to hold your attention for however long I've asked for your time."

Atcheson's first sermon series is based on a book with an obvious link to his church: "Phoenix Affirmation: A New Vision for the Future of Christianity" by Eric Elnes. The book calls for commitments to environmental stewardship, social justice and artistic expression as well as openness to other faiths. "It's about what turns we can expect about Christianity in the 21st century," Atcheson said.

Though many new churches look more like movie theaters, Atcheson says there are advantages to a traditional church space like First Christian's. Sanctuary, after all, means a safe place where people can "open themselves up ... to be touched by God," he said.

He doesn't plan to erect a big screen TV in First Christian's "very beautiful sanctuary" or ask those in the pews to send him text messages during the services, as some churches have tried.

He can get his fill of tech toys at home.

"I'm a pretty active video-gamer," he said. Atcheson loves to watch movies with an eye for the ways that religion is portrayed in popular culture. "It makes me intolerable to watch movies with. I'm sort of like a God-geek."