A Cardiff nightclub is the chosen venue for a church minister to address his congregation in an attempt to engage with young parishioners. The Reverend James Karran, 26, from Cardiff’s Ararat Baptist Church will hold “services” at Clwb Ifor Bach in the city centre.
And his flock will be able to buy alcohol at the bar and listen to live bands as part of the experience.
The ‘Solace – church in a bar’ nights will be held every Sunday from April.
According to the Ararat Baptist church website, the idea of the services, which is being run by the Baptist Union church branch Solace, is to “make church relevant and accessible to a 21st Century, post-Christendom society”.
It says the service “mercilessly strips away everything from church that is mere tradition and endeavours to get back to the core of what church is really all about.
“Don’t expect sermons, hymn singing, pews and pulpits here.”
The services, held every Sunday, will include debates on subjects such as the relevance of the church to young people.