IN Nanaimo, a church planted on the northern outskirts of the city just 10 years ago, The Meeting Place (TMP), has grown to 500 – and is now ready to plant anew.

Affiliated with the Fellowship Baptists, TMP  was started by Dave Koot and Rod Kolke in 2000, after Koot and wife Colleen left a Mennonite Brethren church plant in Ladysmith, and enough of the membership came along to shut the earlier effort down.

TMP meets in a theatre. The congregation makes a deliberate effort to reach out to newcomers who often have no experience with church, using movie and pop culture references, and keeping up-front financial and spiritual demands to a minimum.  

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The church’s services are short – one hour maximum – because, said Koot, “that is how long people tell us they want to be in church. TMP has a strong volunteer base which provides multi-levelled child care, easing into Sunday school.

The consciously post-modern approach has paid off. Now, reports the Fellowship Baptist website fellowship.ca, TMP will plant a new church in Nanaimo’s downtown, using the city’s Convention Centre as its hall. Longtime TMP volunteer Garry Firth will be the new pastor.

“The Meeting Place,” said Koot, “is prayerfully expectant that this contagious passion for Christ will only blossom further, as more hearts and lives are reached, through this new stage of its ministry.”                            

– Steve Weatherbe

December 2010