Rooted in the spirit of grace turned outward, Café Notes offers thoughtful words for everyday Christian living, written to help us grow, persevere, and keep hope alive

Diners, Cafes, and The Church

by Terri Main

I grew up in a small town. Every Sunday, after church, we would go to the local diner. You would see people there in their Sunday best. Back then people dressed up to go to church. They were from different churches.

I remember there was this one long section with a single booth seat and multiple tables. And the regulars had their own ad hoc seating. We usually found ourselves next to the folks from the Salvation Army. Then a little further down were some Baptists.

Interestingly enough, all those side doctrines – divorce, eternal security, modes of Baptism, gifts of the spirit – which sent us to different buildings didn’t seem so important when sharing bacon and eggs, a steaming cup of joe, and some pancakes.

When I first heard “Johnny’s Café,” I thought about those times in that small town diner. I agree when John sings about wishing the church could be more like Johnny’s Café.

I’m not anti-church. I was born on a Sunday and was in church the next Sunday. I attend church every Sunday my health permits. I’ve taught Sunday school, lead youth groups, and ran Bible studies.

The institutionalized church has much to offer. However, it too often becomes a top-down performance rather than an interactive experience. The people sit in the pews, sing along with the worship team, listen to the sermon, go home, and repeat the process the following week.

This isn’t always the fault of the church itself. I attended a church that had 3000 people on Sunday morning. Only 30 showed up for the Wednesday night Bible study.

Nevertheless, this type of worship as performance can hinder actual fellowship. Smaller churches in smaller communities may be better at this than megachurches. Although I attended a large church that provided many small group opportunities for fellowship, and a smaller church that barely knew you existed.

I think that’s why the song Johnny’s Café resonates so much with us. There’s a place for the formal, organized practice of Christianity. But there is also a place for something less formal.

As the Catch MemberPartner director, I hope this place can become that for our community. So, pull up a chair, visit our social media platform The Lunch Counter, or join our MemberPartner exclusive Roundtable topic-oriented discussion forum. Sadly, though, you have to bring your own coffee.