“People thought [my becoming a pastor] was bogus,” said Pastor Stan Miller. “They said, ‘He’s lost his marbles’ and ‘He’s flipped out.’ It angered the media. They vilified me. Most of this came from my former colleagues at KUSI. It’s because I’m the only pastor and news anchor in the country,” said Miller. Pastor Miller took over Sonrise’s Unite service one-and-a-half months ago. “I was assigned this position. The guy who was doing it left for full-time mission work.” Unite is Sonrise’s “postmodern” evening service for young adults. I asked Miller what a postmodern service was. “I don’t know what the heck postmodern means. I tried to ask the old Unite pastor to explain it, but I still don’t get it completely. Your guess is as good as mine,” replied Miller. Miller concluded that it is a service geared toward younger people. “If you don’t reach kids by junior high, you’ve probably lost them by college. A lot of professors who are atheist preach a message against Christianity daily in their pulpits of the classroom. They can sway these kids and I don’t want to lose them. Kids are very much open-minded and receive [what the professors say], which is heresy.”
Three 15-foot video screens projected a timer countdown: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0. As the counter hit zero, the band emerged from backstage to lead worship. Noah Balcombe, the worship leader, yelled, “I’m excited to be here!” Balcombe bounced around and jumped as he led the worship. A pianist, drummer, bass player, two guitarists, and vocalists led the congregation in popular songs such as, “Here I Am to Worship,” “In the Secret,” and “Consuming Fire.”
Full Article: Sonrise Community Church