I just visited Skyline Church for the first time last week. I enjoyed it but don't know much about it.

Anyone familiar with it?

Skyline (http://skylineokc.com/)

Anyone?....Anyone?....Bueller?

Guess I'm not the only one who hasn't heard of them.

If you've visited, you probably know more than anyone here can tell you :)

Is that the church in the old Kerr McGee complex? Or is it the one on Broadway. I get the two confused.

My wife and I go there.

What do you wanna know?

My wife and I go there.

What do you wanna know?

What religion? What kind of people do they kick out? What is their rules? The whole details.

:bow:

It's Christian. They don't kick anybody out. Rules? I guess the Bible.

It's a fairly new church. What I've noticed about it compared to other churches is how it's much more community service oriented...which more churches should be.

:) Join us!

I'm still traveling among all these churches, trying to find the right one. lol

The church is located in the old Kerr McGee complex. The entrance to the building is on Broadway between Kerr and McGee.

Is it a church plant by another church in town? Someone told me it was affiliated with Bridgeway. And/or is it part of the Mars Hill Church in town?

I was just wondering about it's background. There aren't a lot of details on the skyline website and nothing available at the church service.

A few years ago I got involved with a church that "seemed" great and too late I found myself in the middle of a dysfunctional beehive. Ever since then I always want to know a little more about a church's "resume" before I get involved. I've enjoyed the services I've attended so far, but feel a little uncomfortable because of the lack of information.

That said, I know that no church is perfect, but I've found there is a difference in "not perfect" versus a pattern of spiritual abuse.

So that's why I'm curious......

I can understand you're wanting more. Definitely something Luke or another member of the church will have to answer.

When looking around for churches and all the splits - this is worth thinking about...


"A Crude Lifesaving Station" - A Parable
by Theodore Wedel


On a dangerous seacoast where shipwrecks often occur there was once a crude lifesaving station. The building was just a hut, and there was only one boat, but the few devoted members kept a constant watch over the sea, and with no thought for themselves went out day and night tirelessly searching for the lost. Many lives were saved by this wonderful little station, so that it became famous. Some of those who were saved, and various others in the surrounding area, wanted to become associated with the station and give of their time and their money and their effort for the support of its work. New boats were bought and new crews were trained. The little lifesaving station grew.


Now some of the members of the lifesaving station became unhappy, in time, however, because the building was so crude and so poorly equipped. They felt that a more comfortable, suitable place should be provided as the first refuge of those saved from the sea. And so they replaced the emergency cots with beds, and they put better furniture in the now enlarged building, so that now the lifesaving station actually became a popular gathering place for its members. They took great care in decorating it beautifully and furnishing it exquisitely, for they found new uses for it in the context of a sort of club. But fewer members were now interested in going to sea on lifesaving missions, and so they hired lifesaving crews to do this work on their behalf, and in their stead. Now, don’t misunderstand, the lifesaving motif still prevailed in the club’s decoration and symbols — there was a liturgical lifeboat (symbolic rather than fully functional) in the room where the club initiations were held, for example — so the changes did not necessarily mean that the original purposes were totally lost.


About this time a large ship was wrecked off the coast, and the hired crews brought in boatloads of cold and wet, half-drowned people. They were dirty people and they were sick people, some of them with black skin, some with yellow skin. The beautiful new club, as you might imagine, was thrown into chaos, so that the property committee immediately had a shower house built outside the club where these recent victims of shipwreck could be cleaned up before coming inside the main clubhouse.


At the very next meeting, there was a split in the club membership. Most of the members wanted to stop the club’s lifesaving activities for being so unpleasant, as well as for being a hindrance to the normal social life of the club. Some members insisted upon lifesaving as their primary purpose, pointing out that, indeed, they were still called a lifesaving station. But these few were finally voted down and told that if they wanted to save the lives of all the various kinds of people who were shipwrecked in those waters, they could begin their own lifesaving station down the coast. And so, they did just that.


Now as the years passed, the new station down the coast came to experience the very same changes that had occurred in the older, initial station. It evolved into a club, and yet another lifesaving station had to be founded to restore the original purpose.


Well, history continued to repeat itself, so that if you visit that seacoast today, you will find a great number of exclusive clubs along that shore. Shipwrecks are frequent in those waters, but most of the people drown!"

I agree. The site lacks important information, which is usually a red flag to me. I wouldn't want to go to a church, not knowing the whole platter they serve.

Every church and religion claims to be the whole truth, so it basically leaves every one of them not really being the whole truth.

A lot of people grows up with a family with a specific belief and they are taught, influenced, and info planted in their mind that the specifc religion is the only true one.

America had given everyone the freedom to choose their own path, but the shady backgrounds of every churches and religions need to be dealt with.

They say there is hell, and then the others say there is no hell. They say celebrating holidays is forbidden, and then the others say most holidays doesn't affect the connection with Him (higher up - multiple names). They say women should not be married and must remain a virgin, and then the others encourage procreation.

I do know one thing is that every person that belongs to a church will not agree on everything said by the church. There will always be at least one disagreement.

Oh, another thing, I received several newsletter pinned to my car window the other day. I think they are still in the car. Well, during lunch at work, I read one of them. This pastor had said that all of our love must be toward God, nothing else. If we love anything, then God don't have all of our love, therefore we won't be accepted into Heaven. Yeah, okay, I wonder if this pastor is married? Does he love his wife? Does he love his family? Does he love his job? If yes, then this pastor, in his belief, will for sure not go to Heaven, since God does not have all of his love.

This pastor had said that all of our love must be toward God, nothing else.

I know the phrase "love God above all else" is very commonly heard in Christian circles. (Just Google it, you'll see what I mean.) I can't speak directly towards the flier that was put on your windshield, it may have been badly written or badly explained, but - generally - that phrase is speaking more about priorities or the "ranking" system a person uses in life.

For Christians it is talking about the concept that if you "love God above all else" it will cause everything else to flow from that. If you love and honor God, you will follow His guidelines, which includes loving and honoring your spouse, your children, your neighbors, your enemies, etc. By putting God first and loving nothing else more than Him - not your job, not material things - it defines your priorities in life. The Bible is very clear about the high level of love and commitment God calls us to have for others.

I would guess the flier on your car that said "all of our love must be toward God, nothing else" was a badly worded attempt to direct people towards that principle. Or it could have been someone's misguided interpretation of that general concept. Any nutcase can print up a flier nowdays! :)

You probably already realize all of the above, but it is frustrating to find such stuff stuck under your windshield wiper. My family was on vacation in Arkansas and after seeing a show we came out and the whole parking lot was plastered with fliers by some guy who was mad at another guy in town. Angry Man had printed a flier about their whole disagreement, including photos. It was a full front and back page lengthy discourse on their spat. He was takin' it to the streets! It would have been funny if it wasn't so sad. Anyway, I digress.....

So does anyone know what other churches the pastors at Skyline have been affiliated with?

Is it a church plant by another church in town? Someone told me it was affiliated with Bridgeway. And/or is it part of the Mars Hill Church in town?

If this is so, would it be at least somewhat accurate to consider Skyline charismatic and evangelical, even "Pentecostal-lite"?

So far it has seemed like a lite version of Life Church. Less flash and glamour, but contemporary music, etc.

Just drive up automobile alley on a sunday, you can't miss the bright orange cones that say skyline church on them. Park, and go in. I usually drive by it on my banana run to the homeland on 18th and Classen. Of course I take the scenic route through Heritage Hills and Mesta Park too.

I heard from someone at Crossings Community Church that it was started by some of thier members who split from the church. Its being held at Sandridge which now owns the old Kerr McGee bldg.

Tom Ward who ownes Sanderidge and use to go to Crossings is rumored to go to
Skyline now and thats why he is letting them hold services at Sandridge.

I am going this weekend to check it out.

I heard from someone at Crossings Community Church that it was started by some of thier members who split from the church. Its being held at Sandridge which now owns the old Kerr McGee bldg.

Tom Ward who ownes Sanderidge and use to go to Crossings is rumored to go to
Skyline now and thats why he is letting them hold services at Sandridge.

I am going this weekend to check it out.


Tom Ward and his wife attend Skyline faithfully. The church continues to grow every week and they have an outstanding children's program. This past Sunday there were 60 kids in attendance. My wife and I very much enjoy attending this church. Come check it out, I think you'll like it.

I don't even think it's been a year and they have a good crowd. But that's not terribly important. One thing I really like about Skyline is that there are different teachers nearly every week. I've seen at least 5 different speakers teach since I've been attending. I think that's important too.

Another thing, starting in September (I believe) is small groups. I think this will be where connections and planning will take place. This is a community service minded church from what I can see. And when the small groups start, I think the community service mindset will become action. Which is what more churches need... DO instead of SIT.

I heard from someone at Crossings Community Church that it was started by some of thier members who split from the church. Its being held at Sandridge which now owns the old Kerr McGee bldg.

Tom Ward who ownes Sanderidge and use to go to Crossings is rumored to go to
Skyline now and thats why he is letting them hold services at Sandridge.

I am going this weekend to check it out.

Just for some clarification, I also attend Skyline and have known the staff for many years. It is true that two of the pastors at Skyline served as youth pastors at Crossings for a long time. However, it isn't true that they split from Crossings. Both had been gone from Crossings for a couple years doing other things and decided to come together to plant a church in downtown OKC. I just wanted to make sure because a split isn't a true representation of what happened.

The thing that is unique about Skyline is the structure of the leadership. There is no figurehead, hence the different pastors speaking every week. This allows multiple people to use their gifts and also avoids the dreaded personality worship that is so common in churches today. The other thing that is unique is the fact that they are extremely committed to the city of OKC with no strings attached. They are committed to making OKC a better place in Jesus' name no matter who gets the credit. I love the heart behind that.

In many ways Skyline will feel like a traditional church at first. They have a Sunday morning worship with Children's ministry offering. The music is modern and the message is Scriptural and relevant. Where you will notice a difference is their focus on mission (not just global but local) and the structures they are putting in place to make that happen.

What is really exciting is that Skyline isn't the only church that is answering the call to urban ministry. The whole city is experiencing renewal, both civic and spiritual, and Skyline is just one of many partnering together to make a difference in OKC.

If anyone needs more specific information feel free to PM me.:ou2