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Updated History section to include the permanent closure of the organization. Added one entry to the guest speaker list.
 
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{{About|a church that uses the acronym SOTEC|content regarding the many like-named companies|TriGem Computer|and|Artelia}}
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{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2021}}
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| name = Scum of the Earth Church
| name = Scum of the Earth Church
| img = SOTEC.jpg
| img = SOTEC.jpg
| address = 935 W. 11th Avenue, Denver, Colorado
| denomination = [[Non-denominational]]
| denomination = [[Non-denominational]]
| founded date = {{start date|2000}}
| founded date = {{start date|2000}}
| founder = [[Mike Sares]], [[Reese Roper]]
| founder =
| seniorpastor = Mike Sares
| seniorpastor = Jessi Heilmann
| country = US
| country = US
| website = {{Url|http://scumoftheearth.net}}
| website = {{Url|http://scumoftheearth.net}}
}}
}}


'''Scum of the Earth Church''' ('''SOTEC''' or '''Scum''') is a [[non-denominational Christian]] urban church located in [[Denver, Colorado]]'s arts district, in that city's [[Lincoln Park, Denver, Colorado|Lincoln Park neighborhood]].{{citation needed lead|date=April 2016}}<!--ONLY LINCOLN PARK NOT SOURCED--> Its name is taken from [[First Epistle to the Corinthians|1 Corinthians]] 4:11-13, which includes [[Paul the Apostle]]'s statement, "We have become the scum of the earth." {{as of|December 2014}}, the Denver church was led by pastor [[Mike Sares]].{{update after|2016|4|20}}
'''Scum of the Earth Church''' ('''SOTEC''' or '''Scum''') was a [[non-denominational Christian]] church based in [[Lincoln Park, Denver, Colorado|Lincoln Park neighborhood]], [[Denver, Colorado]].<ref name=DR>[https://denverite.com/2017/10/24/scum-earth-church-wants-open-roller-derby-shop-denver/ Denverite website, ''Scum of the Earth Church wants to open roller derby shop in Denver'', article by Adrian D. Garcia dated October 24, 2017]</ref> Its name is taken from [[1 Corinthians 4|1 Corinthians 4:11-13]], which includes [[Paul the Apostle]]'s statement, "We have become the scum of the earth."


SOTEC's vision was to be "an outpost on the perimeter of God's kingdom seeking redemption in Jesus Christ".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Who We Are |url=https://scumoftheearth.net/who-we-are |access-date=2024-08-28 |website=Scum of the Earth Church |language=en-US}}</ref> Its unusual name and explicit mission statement of outreach to excluded young adults has attracted comment from both religious and non-religious sources.
SOTEC's founding aim was to create a ministry to young individuals who perceived themselves as outcasts, and therefore might not feel welcome at traditional Christian churches, individuals including [[Goth subculture|goths]], the [[Body piercing|pierced]] and [[tattoo]]ed crowd, [[punk rock]]ers, and [[skateboarding|skateboarders]], and it has attracted these, as well as the poor and homeless, ravers, and urban artists (and diverse other groups including students and [[professor|academics]], and immigrant and blue-collar families). Currently, the vision of Scum of the Earth is to be an outpost on the perimeter of God's kingdom seeking redemption in Jesus Christ. SOTEC uses a wide array of methods and activities to communicate its message, including bible study groups and podcasts, ministry programs to meet material and relational needs of congregants (food, shelter, guidance), artistic expressions that include exhibitions of art and poetry, as well as various other classes, groups, and activities.


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== History ==
Its pastors and others have described SOTEC as being [[Evangelicalism|evangelical]] in its theology, perspectives, and approach to ministry, and the church is a member of an association in the United States, the Alliance for Renewal Churches. Its impact extends beyond its local church ministries, in that its name and focus have drawn wide attention, leading to its being a point of discussion in relation to the [[Emerging Church]] movement, and in other venues discussing modern Christian ministry to young people and in urban settings.
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{{Multiple issues|section=yes|{{More citations needed section|date=April 2016}}
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{{expand section | source-derived information regarding the status and events of the title subject since the last recorded content here, in 2010-2011 | small = no|date=April 2016}}}}


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Scum of the Earth Church was founded by Mike Sares and [[Five Iron Frenzy]] vocalist [[Reese Roper]] in February 2000.<ref name="YonkeBlade05">As recalled by Mike Sares, to ''The ''[Toledo, OH]'' Blade'', see {{cite news |author=Yonke, David |date=October 15, 2005 |title=Religion: Ex-Toledoan shepherds social outcasts, Pastor founds Scum of the Earth Church |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=20051015&id=2WFPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=YgQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6282,4128194&hl=en |access-date=April 19, 2016 |work=The Blade |location=Toledo, OH |page=B3-B4 |format=print feature}}</ref><ref name="SwangerTollgate16">As recalled by John Swanger, founder and (as of April 2016), President of Cross & Clef Ministries, also in Denver, see {{cite web |author=Swanger, John |date=April 19, 2016 |title=SOTEC, Denver: Our affiliation with Scum of the Earth Church |url=http://www.tollgate.org/scum-of-the-earth-church---denver-colorado.html |access-date=April 19, 2016 |publisher=Cross & Clef Ministries |location=Denver, CO}}</ref> The initial idea grew out of a Bible study led by Sares, who had left his role with a Presbyterian church in Denver.<ref>[https://www.toledoblade.com/news/religion/2005/10/15/Scum-of-the-Earth-tends-to-the-rebels/stories/200510150018 Toledo Blade website, ''Scum of the Earth Tends to the Rebels'', article dated October 15, 2005]</ref> In Sares's recollection'',''
==Denver==
Leaders of record are:
* [[Mike Sares]], founding pastor, 2000– . {{as of|May 2016}}, still in leadership.{{update after|2016|4|20}}<ref name=Whitesel06/>{{rp|9.1}}<ref name = Merritt_RNS1Dec14>{{cite journal | author = Merritt, Jonathan | date = December 1, 2014 | title = Opinion: Misfit minister says pastors should 'pray their church loses numbers' | format = interview | journal = Religion News Service | url = http://religionnews.com/2014/12/01/misfit-pastor-says-ministers-pray-church-loses-numbers/ | access-date = April 26, 2016 | quote = Michael Sares is an evangelical pastor who has made a ministry kicking against the current. He pastors Denver's Scum of the Earth Church, an evangelical congregation famous for welcoming those other churches might turn away.}}{{subscription required}} The opening of the article also appears at the authors personal blog, ''On Faith and Culture,'' [http://jonathanmerritt.com/tag/scum-of-the-earth/ here].</ref> Ordained through the Alliance for Renewal.<ref name=Whitesel06/>{{rp|9.2}}<ref name = ARC/>
* [[Jesse Heilmann]], senior pastor
* [[Fran Blomberg]], senior pastor


{{blockquote|Several people who had been attending ... wanted to find ways to minister to young people who felt like outcasts and would never "darken the doors of a traditional church - people like skateboarders, goths, punk rockers, and the tattooed and pierced crowd ...<ref name = YonkeBlade05/>}}
==Seattle==
This sister church is variously described as having been founded by Denver pastors Mike Sares and Reese Roper,<ref name=ComrieFalcon07/> or by John Swanger.<ref name = NorimineDailyUW12/> Leaders of record are:
* John Swanger, 2003–2009. Described as founding pastor with 6-year tenure by Zach McCauley in 2012.<ref name = NorimineDailyUW12/> Status of ordination unknown.
* Zach McCauley, 2009– . {{as of|November 2012}}, still in leadership.{{update after|2016|4|25}}<ref name = NorimineDailyUW12/> Status of ordination unknown.


Sares and Roper then "decided to stop talking about such a church and go ahead and start one."<ref name="YonkeBlade05" /> The name was suggested by a member of the study group, adopted by Sares after some hesitation. It is based on 1 Corinthians 4:11-13, ([[New International Version|NIV]] translation):<ref name="HesseWestword10">{{cite news |author=Hesse, Josiah M. |date=December 21, 2010 |title=O Scum all ye faithful: Christianity gets the punk-rock treatment at this Denver church |url=http://www.westword.com/2010-12-23/news/christian-punks-jesus-christmas/ |access-date=April 19, 2016 |work=Westword |publisher=Denver Westword |location=Denver, CO}}</ref>
This sister church officially closed its doors in 2015.{{Citation needed|date=December 2017}}


{{blockquote|To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world - right up to this moment.<ref>{{cite book | author = ((Editors of the NIV ))| year = 2011 | chapter = 1 Corinthians 4:11-13 | title = Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV) | publisher = Biblica, Inc. | location = Colorado Springs, CO | chapter-url = https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+4%3A11-13&version=NIV | access-date = 19 April 2016 }} Note, this encyclopedic entry corrects the texts appearing in the ''Westword'' and ''CBS'' citations to the nearest version available, that of the NIV. The difference in the ''Westword'' quotation is only in the capitalization of "scum," which does not appear in the NIV and related biblical sources, and the slight difference that appears between the ''CBS'' presentation and the NIV is in a displaced phrase in the last sentence. Cf. Hesse (2010), and Cowan & Kreiser (2006), op. cit.</ref>}}
==Description==
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{{expand section | more '''up-to-date,''' source-derived descriptions of the church nature, structure, and practices | small = no|date=April 2016}}
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[[File:ScumoftheEarthChurch.JPG|thumb|Scum of the Earth Church, in Denver]]
Scum of the Earth Church, also known as SOTEC, or simply Scum, is an urban church located Denver's arts district and is described as a local Christian church unaffiliated with a [[non-denominational Christian|denomination]],<ref name=Whitesel06>{{cite book | authors = Whitesel, Bob | year = 2006 | chapter = Scum of the Earth Church, Denver Colorado [Ch. 9] | title = Inside the Organic Church: Learning from 12 Emerging Congregations | location = Nashville, TN | publisher = Abingdon | isbn = 978-1426748233 | chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?isbn=142674823X | access-date = April 25, 2016 }}</ref>{{rp|9.2}}{{citation needed|date=April 2016}}<!--LOCAL CHURCH PART AS YET UNSOURCED.--> although it is a member of a church association in the United States, the Alliance for Renewal Churches.<ref name = ARC>{{cite web | author = ARC Staff | date = April 19, 2016 | title=Members, Member Churches, Colorado: Scum of the Earth Church: Denver | location = Mansfield, OH | publisher = Alliance for Renewal Churches | url=http://arcchurch.org/members/scum-of-the-earth-church/ | access-date = April 19, 2016 }}</ref> SOTEC's pastors and others have described SOTEC as being [[Evangelicalism|evangelical]] in its theology, perspectives, and approach to ministry.<ref name = Merritt_RNS1Dec14/><ref name=BaderSaye06/> The parent church is located as of this date,{{when|date=April 2016}} in the [[Lincoln Park, Denver, Colorado|Lincoln Park neighborhood]] of [[Denver, Colorado]].{{citation needed|date=April 2016}}


Initial meetings were held at a coffee shop.<ref name="SwangerTollgate16" /> But continued growth led to several location changes, and in September 2008, through substantial donations from outside supporters, the church purchased its own building at 935 W. 11th Avenue, in the Santa Fe Arts District.
In 2006, Bob Whitesel, in preparation to write ''Inside the Organic Church,'' described his "first encounter" with the church as seeing a "parking lot was filled with urban youth playing basketball, skateboarding, smoking, or just hanging out. And while I have visited organic churches across North America and England, the congregation assembled here was one of the edgiest.<ref name=Whitesel06/>{{rp|9.1}} He goes on to describe SOTEC's congregants ("audience") as being the{{blockquote|[u]rban poor, homeless, disenfranchised youth, [g]oths, skateboarders, urban artists, immigrant [and] blue-collar families, seminary students/professors, and diverse social classes throughout and around Denver.<ref name=Whitesel06/>{{rp|9.2}} }} Rather than on the broader of these demographic descriptions, the church, at its founding, indicated concern for specific disenfranchised groups, e.g., skateboarders, goths and others with piercings and tattoos, and punk rockers.<ref name = YonkeBlade05/> In 2007, SOTEC was described by Sean Cronin and Naomi Zeveloff of ''Westword,'' who noted that most present at their visit were individuals in their 20s, most with piercings and tattoos, further reiterating the church's draw of the homeless, and of "punks, ravers ... people who might otherwise feel isolated from typical Sunday morning services."<ref name=CroninZeveloff0710>{{cite news | authors = Cronin, Sean & Zeveloff, Naomi | date = August 14, 2007 | title = Sunday Best | format = newspaper blog | work= Westword | location = Denver, CO | publisher = Denver Westword | url = http://www.westword.com/news/sunday-best-5869019 | access-date= April 19, 2016 }}</ref> These observations were echoed by English observers from ''[[The Economist]]'', John Micklethwait and Adrian Woolridge, whose 2009 catalogings included "homeless people, punks, skaters, and ravers" and "bikers, gays and dropouts."<ref name = MickelthwaitWoolridgeWSJ09>{{cite journal | authors = Micklethwait, John & Woolridge, Adrian | date = April 7, 2009 | title = God Still Isn't Dead: The decline of religion in America has been predicted again and again. | journal = [[The Wall Street Journal]] | url = https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB123906081768295037 | access-date = April 20, 2016 }}</ref><ref name = MickelthwaitWoolridgeBook09>{{cite book | authors = Micklethwait, John & Woolridge, Adrian | year = 2009 | title = God is Back: How the Global Revival of Faith is Changing the World | location = London, ENG | publisher = Penguin Press HC | edition = 1st | isbn = 978-1594202131 | page = [https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781594202131/page/175 175] | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781594202131/page/175 }}</ref>


Following a gradual decline in numbers and the departure of most of its staff members, the church's final worship service was held on November 10th, 2024. Former head pastor Mike Sares returned to preach from the book of [[Book of Lamentations|Lamentations]], and the service closed with an acoustic rendition of [[Five Iron Frenzy]]'s song [[Our Newest Album Ever!|Every New Day]].
The church's pastor, [[Mike Sares]], was quoted by ''CBS''{{'}}s Lee Cowan and John Kreiser in 2006 as saying that SOTEC had looked "to build a place where folks who didn't fit in other church settings would actually feel welcome";<ref name = CowanKreiserCBS06/> the ''CBS'' report continued that "Scum of the Earth uses many tools to accomplish that goal, including podcasts ... creative writing ... cooking and sewing classes, comic book ... and bible study groups, [and] exhibitions of poetry and art by church members ..."<ref name = CowanKreiserCBS06/> Sares is noted as saying that the message is not new, though the approach is: "It's just church ... It's not nearly as radical as you think it is—I mean there's no moshing during worship."<ref name = CowanKreiserCBS06/>


==Mission==
''Westword''{{'}}s Cronin and Zeveloff go on to describe SOTEC service content: {{blockquote|The preacher may have looked punk rock, but he didn't espouse it in his sermon. Instead, he hammered repentance through the story of Bathsheba. In that biblical tale, King David sleeps with a woman he spies bathing. When he finds out that she's pregnant, he orders her husband killed. Later on, he realizes the folly of his ways. God only forgives him when he gives himself fully to his creator,<ref name=CroninZeveloff0710/>}}
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{{expand section|more '''up-to-date,''' source-derived descriptions of the church nature, structure, and practices|small=no|date=April 2016}}
concluding that SOTEC was "no frills" but "not radical either," "not a free for all, [and] not a fundamental redefinition of what Christianity should look like"; they conclude their piece, writing that at SOTEC, "tattoos and piercings do not a liberal make" and that "joy of Scum" was that it allowed individuals to pursue their faith regardless of appearance, or place of residence.<ref name=CroninZeveloff0710/>
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[[File:ScumoftheEarthChurch.JPG|thumb|Scum of the Earth Church, in Denver]]

Sares, - the church's first pastor - said that they wanted "to build a place where folks who didn't fit in other church settings would actually feel welcome."<ref name="CowanKreiserCBS06">{{cite news |author1=Cowan, Lee |author2=Kreiser, John |date=April 14, 2006 |title=New Faces of Faith, Part III: Christianity, In 21st Century Clothes |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/christianity-in-21st-century-clothes/ |access-date=April 19, 2016 |work=CBS}} Note, this may be a transcript of an unavailable video portion of the CBS Evening News, dated the day prior to this web report.{{citation needed|date=April 2016}}</ref>
The church has been described as "emergent" or placed within the movement of "Emergent Church[es]" by those reporting on it,<ref name=CroninZeveloff0710/> and by [[Brian McLaren|Brian D. McLaren]], a former English professor and contributor to "The Church in Emerging Culture: Five Perspectives" (2003).<ref name = CowanKreiserCBS06/><ref>{{cite book | author = McLaren, Brian D. | author-link = Brian McLaren | year = 2003 | title = The Church in Emerging Culture: Five Perspectives | series = EmergentYS Series, Vol. 7 |editor1= Crouch, Andy |editor2=Sweet, Leonard I. | chapter = The Method, The Message, and the Ongoing Story | pages = [https://archive.org/details/churchinemerging0000unse/page/191 191–232] | location = Grand Rapids, MI | publisher = Zondervan | isbn = 978-0310254874 | chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0310254876 | access-date = April 20, 2016 | url = https://archive.org/details/churchinemerging0000unse/page/191 }}</ref>

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== History ==
{{Multiple issues|section=yes|
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{{More citations needed section|date=April 2016}}
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{{expand section | source-derived information regarding the status and events of the title subject since the last recorded content here, in 2010-2011 | small = no|date=April 2016}}
}}
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Scum of the Earth Church was founded by [[Mike Sares]] and [[Reese Roper]] in February 2000.<ref name = YonkeBlade05>As recalled by Mike Sares, to ''The ''[Toledo, OH]'' Blade'', see {{cite news | author = Yonke, David | date = October 15, 2005 | title = Religion: Ex-Toledoan shepherds social outcasts, Pastor founds Scum of the Earth Church | work = The Blade | location = Toledo, OH | page = B3-B4 | format = print feature | url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=20051015&id=2WFPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=YgQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6282,4128194&hl=en | access-date = April 19, 2016 }}</ref><ref name = SwangerTollgate16>As recalled by John Swanger, founder and (as of April 2016), President of Cross & Clef Ministries, also in Denver, see {{cite web | author = Swanger, John | date = April 19, 2016 | title = SOTEC, Denver: Our affiliation with Scum of the Earth Church | url = http://www.tollgate.org/scum-of-the-earth-church---denver-colorado.html | access-date = April 19, 2016 | location = Denver, CO | publisher = Cross & Clef Ministries }}</ref> It is described as growing out of a <!--Tuesday night-->Bible study led by Sares, who was a pastor associated with a Presbyterian church in Denver (Corona Presbyterian Church{{citation needed|date=July 2012}}), and prompted by his forced resignation after departure of the church's senior pastor.<ref name = YonkeBlade05/> The Bible study moved its meetings into the home of Sares, after he left his pastoring job.{{citation needed|date=July 2012}} In Sares recollection, as related to David Yonke of Sare's hometown Toledo ''Blade,''{{blockquote|Several people who had been attending ... wanted to find ways to minister to young people who felt like outcasts and would never "darken the doors of a traditional church—people like skateboarders, goths, punk rockers, and the tattooed and pierced crowd ...<ref name = YonkeBlade05/>}} Sares and [[Reese Roper]] of the band [[Five Iron Frenzy]] then "decided to stop talking about such a church and go ahead and start one."<ref name = YonkeBlade05/> Sares recalls that the first meetings of the church were held at a coffee shop called the Prodigal<!--House-->, which served as a "drop-in center for homeless ... kids" during the work week.<ref name = YonkeBlade05/>

The name of the church is much reported and commented upon.{{citation needed|date=April 2016}} The name is taken from [[First Epistle to the Corinthians|1 Corinthians]] 4:11-13<ref name = CowanKreiserCBS06>{{cite news| authors = Cowan, Lee & Kreiser, John | date = April 14, 2006 | title = New Faces of Faith, Part III: Christianity, In 21st Century Clothes | work = CBS | url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/christianity-in-21st-century-clothes/ | access-date = April 19, 2016 }} Note, this may be a transcript of an unavailable video portion of the CBS Evening News, dated the day prior to this web report.{{citation needed|date=April 2016}}</ref><ref name=HesseWestword10>{{cite news | author= Hesse, Josiah M. |date=December 21, 2010|title=O Scum all ye faithful: Christianity gets the punk-rock treatment at this Denver church | work= Westword | location = Denver, CO | publisher = Denver Westword | url = http://www.westword.com/2010-12-23/news/christian-punks-jesus-christmas/ | access-date= April 19, 2016 }}</ref> (as it appears in particular translations, e.g., the [[New International Version]], NIV<ref>{{cite web | author = BibleGateway Staff | date = April 19, 2016 | title = 1 Corinthians 4:13 [verse comparison between versions] | publisher = biblegateway.com, and various publishers | url=https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/1%20Corinthians%204%3A13 | access-date=April 19, 2016}}</ref>):{{blockquote|To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. / We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; / when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world—right up to this moment.<ref>{{cite book | author = Editors of the NIV | year = 2011 | chapter = 1 Corinthians 4:11-13 | title = Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV) | publisher = Biblica, Inc. | location = Colorado Springs, CO | chapter-url = https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+4%3A11-13&version=NIV | access-date = 19 April 2016 }} Note, this encyclopedic entry corrects the texts appearing in the ''Westword'' and ''CBS'' citations to the nearest version available, that of the NIV. The difference in the ''Westword'' quotation is only in the capitalization of "scum," which does not appear in the NIV and related biblical sources, and the slight difference that appears between the ''CBS'' presentation and the NIV is in a displaced phrase in the last sentence. Cf. Hesse (2010), and Cowan & Kreiser (2006), op. cit.</ref>}} As described by Mike Sares to Bob Whitesel, {{blockquote|The name ... resulted from the people we were reaching ... We asked them to choose a name. Reese Roper from the band Five Iron Frenzy suggested Scum of the Earth. I was out and asked everyone to pray about it for a week. In the [interim] I called some mentors who told me not to do it. Next week we voted, and Scum won. And I'm glad we [did] it.<ref name=Whitesel06/>{{rp|9.3}}}} It has elsewhere been reported{{who|date=April 2016}} that Sares initially expressed concern over possible controversy that could result from the name, but that he ultimately agreed with the group.{{citation needed|date=July 2012}}

After overcrowding became an issue,{{where?|date=April 2016}}{{citation needed|date=April 2016}} the church was given space in the Tollgate Coffee House in 2001.<ref name = SwangerTollgate16/> Continued growth and tenant issues lead the church to move to its third location at a now-demolished building;{{citation needed|date=July 2012}} in August 2007, the congregation found itself meeting in the building belonging to the Church in the City "just off of East Colfax"<ref name=CroninZeveloff0710/> (on the corner of [[Colfax Avenue|Colfax]] and Josephine in downtown Denver{{citation needed|date=April 2016}}). Then, in September 2008, the church purchased,{{blockquote| a historic church building [that] rises above the Santa Fe art district. Commissioned in 1881 by former Colorado territorial governor Alexander Hunt, the building was once owned and restored by artist Lonnie Hanzon; you enter through a 300-year-old antique door from Paris,}}
at 935 W. 11th Avenue in Denver,<ref name = ARC/><ref>{{cite news | author = Torkelson, Jean | date=June 16, 2008 | title=News: A heavenly match for 'scum' of earth. | url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-180163160.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160529072716/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-180163160.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=May 29, 2016 | location = Denver, CO | work=Rocky Mountain News [defunct] | access-date= April 20, 2016 }}</ref> a building that is "tucked behind a 7-Eleven and a liquor store."<ref name=HesseWestword10/> Despite a considerable sum having been spent by former owner Hanzon on renovations, the building was found in violation of several fire codes by the Denver Fire Department in July 2010, and SOTEC was forced to decamp, and hold services and other activities at His Love Fellowship Church, two blocks away.<ref name=HesseWestword10/> On December 18, 2011, the congregation was able to return to their building.{{clarify|date=April 2016}}{{citation needed|date=July 2012}}

{{as of|December 2014}}, the Denver church was led by pastor [[Mike Sares]].<ref name = Merritt_RNS1Dec14/>{{update after|2016|4|20}}

== Seattle sister church ==
{{Update|section|inaccurate=yes|date=April 2016}}
{{More citations needed section|date=April 2016}}
A [[Sister Churches (ecclesiology)#In Protestantism|sister church]], Scum of the Earth Church Seattle, is located in [[Seattle, Washington]].<ref name=ComrieFalcon07>{{cite news | author= Comrie, Paul |date=February 2, 2007 | title=Precious scum | work= The Falcon | location = Seattle, WA | publisher = Seattle Pacific University | url = http://www.thefalcononline.com/2007/02/precious-scum/ | access-date= April 19, 2016 }}</ref> As told by Zach McCauley to Hayat Norimine of ''The Daily'' in 2012, John Swanger, a member of the Denver church, moved to [[Seattle, Washington|Seattle]] in 2003 "when he felt he had been called to the Northwest by God."<ref name = NorimineDailyUW12>{{Cite journal | author = Norimine, Hayat | date = November 20, 2012 | title = Where the scum come and go | journal = The Daily of the University of Washington | url = http://www.dailyuw.com/arts_and_leisure/article_ff5027b0-18c1-537e-942b-c652cb3d933e.html | access-date = April 19, 2016 }}</ref> After an experience with another Christian church, where he describes himself as having been "kicked out because he wore earrings," he founded the "Seattle Scum church."<ref name = NorimineDailyUW12/> As described by McCauley, to whom Swanger "passed the torch" of church leadership at the Seattle church, six years later (and as of 2012 is the current pastor),<ref name = NorimineDailyUW12/>{{update after|2016|4|19}}{{blockquote|Everywhere Swanger went, he found people with similar stories. He met those who had been unwelcome at other more mainstream churches for reasons Swanger didn't understand. He felt that Seattle needed a Scum - a church that would be all-inclusive, all-welcoming. He had a criminal history himself and had experienced stigmatization firsthand because of it.<ref name = NorimineDailyUW12/>}} Elsewhere, the church is reported as having been co-founded by Denver pastor Mike Sares and Reese Roper.<ref name=ComrieFalcon07/> The Swangers have subsequently moved back to Denver.{{when|date=April 2016}}{{citation needed|date=April 2016}}


The church's website expands: <blockquote>"Whether outcast by society (e.g., punks, skaters, ravers, homeless people…) or by the church itself, many who come can identify with the name 'Scum of the Earth' since they have been previously treated as such. More important to us, however, the name implies that being people of faith does not mean we are better than anyone else."</blockquote>Writer Bob Whitesel described the church's congregation on a visit:
{{blockquote|[the] urban poor, homeless, disenfranchised youth, [g]oths, skateboarders, urban artists, immigrant [and] blue-collar families, seminary students/professors, and diverse social classes throughout and around Denver.<ref name="Whitesel06">{{cite book | author = Whitesel, Bob | year = 2006 | chapter = Scum of the Earth Church, Denver Colorado [Ch. 9] | title = Inside the Organic Church: Learning from 12 Emerging Congregations | location = Nashville, TN | publisher = Abingdon | isbn = 978-1-4267-4823-3 | chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?isbn=142674823X | access-date = April 25, 2016 }}</ref>{{rp|9.2}} |author=}}
==Teaching and programs==
==Teaching and programs==
{{expand section | a source-derived summary of the teaching and programs at the Denver and Seattle campuses that characterise the approach of the church | small = no |date=April 2016}}
{{expand section | a source-derived summary of the teaching and programs at the Denver and Seattle campuses that characterise the approach of the church | small = no |date=April 2016}}
A variety of past and ongoing programs characterise SOTEC's approach to local church function in the context of the groups that it aims to serve. In 2006, Mike Sares described the methods of communicating the church's spoken message to include bible study groups and podcasts (e.g., which include a wide selection at ''iTunes''); its artistic expressions to include exhibitions of congregant poetry and art, classes on creative writing, and a photographic gallery of its activities; and various other activities including a comic book club, and cooking and sewing classes.<ref name = CowanKreiserCBS06/>
The church prides itself on running a range of programs and classes as well as regular worship meetings. These include podcasts, art exhibitions, classes on creative writing, a photographic gallery of its activities; and various other activities.<ref name = CowanKreiserCBS06/>


The church has had a wide variety of visiting teachers over the years, the list of whom includes:{{citation needed|date=July 2012}}
The church has hosted various visiting teachers, including:
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Jay Bakker]], of Revolution Church;{{citation needed|date=April 2016}}
* [[Randy Stonehill]], a Christian music recording artist;{{citation needed|date=April 2016}}
* Trevor Bron, former pastor of The Next Level (TNL) church;<ref name = SOTECsermonArchive>{{cite web | author = SOTEC Staff | date = April 19, 2016 | title=SOTEC Sermon Archive | url=https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/sotec-sermon-archive/id1080801694 | work = iTunes | access-date=April 19, 2016}} The abbreviation appears in the church-selected title of its iTunes sermon archive.</ref>
⚫
* [[Craig Blomberg]], a [[Denver Seminary]] professor;<ref name = SOTECsermonArchive/>
⚫
* [[Douglas Groothuis]], a [[Denver Seminary]] professor;<ref name = SOTECsermonArchive/>
* Bob Beltz, of [[Walden Media]];{{citation needed|date=April 2016}} and
⚫
* [[Margaret Feinberg]], and author and speaker.{{citation needed|date=July 2012}}
{{div col end}}


⚫
* [[Craig Blomberg]], a [[Denver Seminary]] professor;
==Notable congregants==
⚫
* [[Douglas Groothuis|Douglas Groothius]], a Denver Seminary professor;
{{expand section | more '''up-to-date,''' source-derived description of reports of notable participants in the church | small = no|date=April 2016}}
* Trevor Bron, former pastor at The Next Level church;
A number of individuals attending the Denver congregation have been newsmakers in their respective fields. Band members of [[Five Iron Frenzy]], a band described both as "punk" and "Christian" has a long association with SOTEC, with [[Reese Roper]] being mentioned as a co-founder of the Denver location,<ref name = YonkeBlade05/> and participants there including that band's saxophonist, [[Leanor Ortega|Leanor "Jeff the Girl" Ortega Till]].<ref name=MurphyWestword12>{{cite news | author= Murphy, Tom |date=December 31, 2012 | title=Five Iron Frenzy: An extensive oral history of the band straight from the members themselves | work= Westword | location = Denver, CO | publisher = Denver Westword | url = http://www.westword.com/music/five-iron-frenzy-an-extensive-oral-history-of-the-band-straight-from-the-members-themselves-5714595 | access-date= April 25, 2016 }}</ref> Artist Naomi Haverland, a representational artist who works in large scale acrylic, oil, and chalk images, was also a self-described part of the congregation, as of April 2014.<ref name=SiebraseWestword14>{{cite news | author=Siebrase, Jamie |date=April 28, 2014 | title=Naomi Haverland on the strange things that inspire her | work= Westword | location = Denver, CO | publisher = Denver Westword | url = http://www.westword.com/arts/naomi-haverland-on-the-strange-things-that-inspire-her-5779280 | access-date= April 25, 2016 }}</ref>
* Bob Belz of [[Walden Media]];
⚫
* [[Margaret Feinberg|Margaret Feinburg]], author and speaker; and
* Susan Isaacs, author and actor.


==Impact==
==Impact and Criticism==
{{expand section | sourced content stating the impact of this organization on its community and more broadly | small = no|date=April 2016}}
{{expand section | sourced content stating the impact of this organization on its community and more broadly | small = no|date=April 2016}}
SOTEC has attracted comment from a range of religious and non-religious quarters. The church has been categorized as "emergent" or placed within the movement of "Emergent Church[es]",<ref name="CowanKreiserCBS06" /><ref name="CroninZeveloff0710">{{cite news |author1=Cronin, Sean |author2=Zeveloff, Naomi |date=August 14, 2007 |title=Sunday Best |url=http://www.westword.com/news/sunday-best-5869019 |access-date=April 19, 2016 |work=Westword |publisher=Denver Westword |location=Denver, CO |format=newspaper blog}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=McLaren, Brian D. |author-link=Brian McLaren |url=https://archive.org/details/churchinemerging0000unse/page/191 |title=The Church in Emerging Culture: Five Perspectives |publisher=Zondervan |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-310-25487-4 |editor1=Crouch, Andy |series=EmergentYS Series, Vol. 7 |location=Grand Rapids, MI |pages=[https://archive.org/details/churchinemerging0000unse/page/191 191–232] |chapter=The Method, The Message, and the Ongoing Story |access-date=April 20, 2016 |editor2=Sweet, Leonard I. |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0310254876}}</ref> and has reportedly inspired the founding of other churches related in style and temperament, including 'The Refuse' church, based in [[Colorado Springs, Colorado]].<ref>{{cite journal | author = Zeveloff, Naomi | date = August 10, 2006 | title = Personal Space Accepted at Refuse | journal = The Colorado Springs Independent | url=http://www.csindy.com/colorado/personal-space/Content?oid=1135078 | access-date=May 29, 2007 }}</ref> In 2006, Scott Bader-Saye argued that the seeming radical aspects of SOTEC, and the "innovation" involved in its appeal to fringe elements of society, were "not fundamentally different from traditional evangelicalism."<ref name="BaderSaye06">{{cite journal | author = Bader-Saye, Scott | year = 2006 | title = Improvising church: An introduction to the emerging church conversation | journal = International Journal for the Study of the Christian Church | volume = 6 | issue = 1; August 17 | pages = 12–23 | doi = 10.1080/14742250500484519 | s2cid = 145374340 }}</ref>
In addition to its local impact, and its expansion into a network of churches, SOTEC has inspired the founding of other congregations related in style and temperament, for instance The Refuse of [[Colorado Springs, Colorado]], that uses the same biblical verse as its theme, and which was led by Dave Weatherby as of August 2006.{{update after|2016|4|20}}<ref>{{cite journal | author = Zeveloff, Naomi | date = August 10, 2006 | title = Personal Space Accepted at Refuse | journal = The Colorado Springs Independent | url=http://www.csindy.com/colorado/personal-space/Content?oid=1135078 | access-date=May 29, 2007 }}</ref>


In their 2009 book ''[[God is Back]]: How the Global Revival of Faith is Changing the World'' (2009) journalists [[John Micklethwait]] and [[Adrian Wooldridge|Adrian Woolridge]] refer to SOTEC as being part of America's landscape of niche worship communities, catering to unique demands: "the real strength of religious America lies in its diversity'...Religious America is remarkably good at segmenting its customer base"<ref name="MickelthwaitWoolridgeWSJ09">{{cite journal |author1=Micklethwait, John |author2=Woolridge, Adrian |date=April 7, 2009 |title=God Still Isn't Dead: The decline of religion in America has been predicted again and again. |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB123906081768295037 |journal=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |access-date=April 20, 2016}}</ref>
In 2006, Scott Bader-Saye, writing in a special issue on "The Emerging Church"" for the ''International Journal for the Study of the Christian Church'' argued that the seeming radical aspects of SOTEC, and the "innovation" involved in its appeal to fringe elements of society (in this century), were "not fundamentally different from traditional evangelicalism."<ref name=BaderSaye06>{{cite journal | author = Bader-Saye, Scott | year = 2006 | title = Improvising church: An introduction to the emerging church conversation | journal = International Journal for the Study of the Christian Church | volume = 6 | issue = 1; August 17 | pages = 12–23 | doi = 10.1080/14742250500484519 | s2cid = 145374340 }}</ref>


In 2011, political commentator [[Pat Buchanan]], writing in ''Suicide of a Superpower: Will America Survive to 2025?'', implicitly criticizes SOTEC, using it as an example to ask "is this a manifestation of the 'real strength' of Christianity, or does it instead, sound like disintegration, the loss of the unity of the People of God?"
Bill Bishop, an ''Austin American-Statesman'' reporter, presented a political science effort on the demographics of the political and cultural divisions in America, published as ''The Big Sort: Why the Clustering of Like-Minded America Is Tearing Us Apart''. In it he refers to SOTEC as one of several churches comparable to one on which Bishop focused on in his study—Bluers, in Minneapolis, Minnesota—and to this set as distinctive from mega-churches that characterize the detrimental "Balkanization" and clustering of viewpoints, his central thesis.<ref>{{cite book | author = Bishop, Bill | year = 2008 | title = The Big Sort: Why the Clustering of Like-minded America is Tearing Us Apart | chapter = To Marry Your Enemies [Ch. 12] | pages = 276–303, esp. 278 | location = Boston, MA | publisher = Houghton Mifflin Harcourt | isbn = 978-0547525198 | chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0547525192 | access-date = April 19, 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | author = Publishers Weekly Staff | date = February 25, 2008 | title=Nonfiction Book Review: The Big Sort: Why the Clustering of Like-Minded America Is Tearing Our Country Apart by Bill Bishop [Houghton Mifflin] | work = Publishers Weekly | url = http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-618-68935-4 | access-date=April 20, 2016 | quote = There are endless variations of this clustering—what Bishop dubs the Big Sort—as like-minded Americans self-segregate in states, cities—even neighborhoods. Consequences of the Big Sort are dire: 'balkanized communities whose inhabitants find other Americans to be culturally incomprehensible; a growing intolerance for political differences that has made national consensus impossible; and politics so polarized that Congress is stymied and elections are no longer just contests over policies, but bitter choices between ways of life.' Bishop's argument is meticulously researched—surveys and polls proliferate—and his reach is broad.}}</ref>

John Micklethwait and Adiran Woolridge, respectively, the editor in chief and Washington bureau chief of ''[[The Economist]]'', take note of SOTEC in their book ''God is Back: How the Global Revival of Faith is Changing the World'' (2009),<ref name = MickelthwaitWoolridgeBook09/> and in comments related to that book use it as a case in point for a broad conclusion: "The real strength of religious America lies in its diversity. There are more than 200 religious traditions in America, with 20 different sorts of Baptists alone. Religious America is remarkably good at segmenting its customer base: There are services for bikers, gays and dropouts (the Scum of the Earth Church in Denver)."<ref name = MickelthwaitWoolridgeWSJ09/>

==Critiques==
{{expand section | source-derived content that summarizes any significant criticisms that have been leveled against the ideas or practices of the church | small = no|date=April 2016}}
[[Paleoconservatism|Paleoconservative]] political commentator [[Pat Buchanan]], writing in ''Suicide of a Superpower: Will America Survive to 2025?'' (2011), in contrast to the earlier Micklethwait and Woolridge argument, mentions SOTEC and questions the tailoring of services to specific populations, asking, "Is this a manifestation of the 'real strength' of Christianity, or does it instead, sound like disintegration, the loss of the unity of the People of God?", a query he does not develop further, instead turning to a broad challenge to denominationalism and American church-attendance criteria. However, Buchanan also notes: "... [I]t sometimes seems that ... Christians preach a gospel of the First Church of Christ, Capitalist. Yet, ... the life and death of Christ and is apostles ... [do] not appear any were successful by the standards of the world ..." The above-cited fragment can be understood as suggesting agreement, rather than disagreement, with SOTEC principles.<ref>{{cite book | author = Buchanan, Patrick J. | year = 2011 | title =Suicide of a Superpower: Will America Survive to 2025? | page = 55 | location = New York, NY | publisher = Macmillan | isbn = 978-1429990608 | url =https://books.google.com/books?isbn=1429990600 | access-date = April 19, 2016 }}</ref>


== References ==
== References ==
Line 107: Line 70:
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}


* {{cite news | last=Feinberg |first=Margaret | date=January 1, 2003 | title = 'Scum of the Earth' Outreach Touches Church Outcasts in Denver | publisher=Charisma Magazine | url=http://www.charismamag.com/spirit/devotionals/loving-god?view=article&id=818:scum-of-the-earth-outreach-touches-church-outcasts-in-denver&catid=154 | access-date=April 21, 2016}}
* {{cite news |last=Feinberg |first=Margaret |date=January 1, 2003 |title='Scum of the Earth' Outreach Touches Church Outcasts in Denver |publisher=Charisma Magazine |url=http://www.charismamag.com/spirit/devotionals/loving-god?view=article&id=818:scum-of-the-earth-outreach-touches-church-outcasts-in-denver&catid=154 |access-date=April 21, 2016}}
* {{cite news | last=Feinberg | first=Margaret | year=2005 | title=Looking for Someone? Discovering the Relationships You've Desired | url=http://www.saworship.com/article-page.php%3FID%3D1854%26Page%3Dsearch.php | publisher=saWorship.com | access-date=October 27, 2007 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061031233103/http://www.saworship.com/article-page.php?ID=1854&Page=search.php | archive-date=October 31, 2006 | df=mdy-all }}
* {{cite news |last=Feinberg |first=Margaret |year=2005 |title=Looking for Someone? Discovering the Relationships You've Desired |url=http://www.saworship.com/article-page.php%3FID%3D1854%26Page%3Dsearch.php |publisher=saWorship.com |access-date=October 27, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061031233103/http://www.saworship.com/article-page.php?ID=1854&Page=search.php |archive-date=October 31, 2006 |df=mdy-all}}
* {{cite journal | last=French |first=Ron | date=March 27, 2005 | title=Churches reach out to hipper flock | journal = [[Detroit News]] | url=http://www.detnews.com/2005/religion/0503/27/A01-130341.htm | archive-url=https://archive.today/20130121125116/http://www.detnews.com/2005/religion/0503/27/A01-130341.htm | url-status=dead | archive-date=January 21, 2013 | access-date=May 29, 2007}}
* {{cite journal |last=French |first=Ron |date=March 27, 2005 |title=Churches reach out to hipper flock |journal=[[Detroit News]] |url=http://www.detnews.com/2005/religion/0503/27/A01-130341.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130121125116/http://www.detnews.com/2005/religion/0503/27/A01-130341.htm |archive-date=January 21, 2013 |access-date=May 29, 2007}}
* {{cite news | last=Gorski |first=Eric | title=The Un-Churches | date=December 21, 2003 | newspaper=Denver Post | url=http://www.blueskychurch.com/Press/press_12232003.html | access-date=May 29, 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928115417/http://www.blueskychurch.com/Press/press_12232003.html |archive-date= September 28, 2007}}
* {{cite news |last=Gorski |first=Eric |title=The Un-Churches |date=December 21, 2003 |newspaper=Denver Post |url=http://www.blueskychurch.com/Press/press_12232003.html |access-date=May 29, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928115417/http://www.blueskychurch.com/Press/press_12232003.html |archive-date=September 28, 2007}}
* {{cite journal | last=Gunter | first=Steven | date=July 9, 2000 | title=An interview with Five Iron Frenzy | website=Exitzine.com | url=http://www.jmbranum.com/exitzine/interviews/fif07092000.htm | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://archive.today/20070619152157/http://www.jmbranum.com/exitzine/interviews/fif07092000.htm | archive-date=June 19, 2007 | df=mdy-all }}
* {{cite journal |last=Gunter |first=Steven |date=July 9, 2000 |title=An interview with Five Iron Frenzy |website=Exitzine.com |url=http://www.jmbranum.com/exitzine/interviews/fif07092000.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20070619152157/http://www.jmbranum.com/exitzine/interviews/fif07092000.htm |archive-date=June 19, 2007 |df=mdy-all}}
* {{cite journal | last=Hendricks |first=Kevin D. | year=2004 | title=Five Iron Frenzy: Our Last Article Ever | journal = Real Magazine | url=http://www.kevindhendricks.com/2013/07/13/five-iron-frenzy-our-last-article-ever/ | access-date=May 29, 2007}} [see subtitle "Scum of the Earth"]
* {{cite journal |last=Hendricks |first=Kevin D. |year=2004 |title=Five Iron Frenzy: Our Last Article Ever |journal=Real Magazine |url=http://www.kevindhendricks.com/2013/07/13/five-iron-frenzy-our-last-article-ever/ |access-date=May 29, 2007}} [see subtitle "Scum of the Earth"]
* {{cite news | last=Hendricks |first=Kevin D. | date=October 6, 2005 | title=The Refuse Web Site | publisher=Church Marketing Sucks | url=http://www.churchmarketingsucks.com/2005/10/the-refuse-web-site/ | access-date=October 6, 2007}}
* {{cite news |last=Hendricks |first=Kevin D. |date=October 6, 2005 |title=The Refuse Web Site |publisher=Church Marketing Sucks |url=http://www.churchmarketingsucks.com/2005/10/the-refuse-web-site/ |access-date=October 6, 2007}}
* {{cite news | last=Ingold |first=John | date=April 17, 2006 | title=Dawn of Faith | newspaper=Denver Post | url=http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_3718160 }}
* {{cite news |last=Ingold |first=John |date=April 17, 2006 |title=Dawn of Faith |newspaper=Denver Post |url=http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_3718160}}
* {{cite news | last=Jethani |first=Skye | date=March 14, 2005 | title=Limping Leaders—For a generation fixated on sprinting, failure is producing a better way | publisher=Christianity Today's LeadershipJournal.net | url=http://www.christianitytoday.com/leaders/newsletter/2005/cln50314.html | access-date=May 29, 2007}}
* {{cite news |last=Jethani |first=Skye |date=March 14, 2005 |title=Limping Leaders—For a generation fixated on sprinting, failure is producing a better way |publisher=Christianity Today's LeadershipJournal.net |url=http://www.christianitytoday.com/leaders/newsletter/2005/cln50314.html |access-date=May 29, 2007}}
* {{cite news | last=Jethani |first=Skye | date=November 8, 2005 | title=Expletive Undeleted: Dropping the F-bomb in Church | publisher=Christianity Today: Out of Ur Blog | url=http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2005/november-online-only/expletive-undeleted-dropping-f-bomb-in-church.html | access-date=September 29, 2007}}
* {{cite news |last=Jethani |first=Skye |date=November 8, 2005 |title=Expletive Undeleted: Dropping the F-bomb in Church |publisher=Christianity Today: Out of Ur Blog |url=http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2005/november-online-only/expletive-undeleted-dropping-f-bomb-in-church.html |access-date=September 29, 2007}}
* {{cite journal | last=Leland |first=John | date=March 2, 2006 | title=Rebels With a Cross | journal = [[The New York Times]] | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/02/fashion/thursdaystyles/02rebels.html?ex=1298955600&en=48038d1d63bead7c&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss | access-date=May 29, 2007}}
* {{cite journal |last=Leland |first=John |date=March 2, 2006 |title=Rebels With a Cross |journal=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/02/fashion/thursdaystyles/02rebels.html?ex=1298955600&en=48038d1d63bead7c&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss |access-date=May 29, 2007}}
* {{cite journal | last=Merritt |first=Jonathan | date = December 1, 2014 | title = Opinion: Misfit minister says pastors should 'pray their church loses numbers' | format = interview | journal = Religion News Service | url = http://religionnews.com/2014/12/01/misfit-pastor-says-ministers-pray-church-loses-numbers/ | access-date = April 26, 2016 }}{{subscription required}} The opening of the article also appears at the authors personal blogsite, ''On Faith and Culture,'' [http://jonathanmerritt.com/tag/scum-of-the-earth/ here].
* {{cite journal |last=Merritt |first=Jonathan |date=December 1, 2014 |title=Opinion: Misfit minister says pastors should 'pray their church loses numbers' |format=interview |journal=Religion News Service |url=http://religionnews.com/2014/12/01/misfit-pastor-says-ministers-pray-church-loses-numbers/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=April 26, 2016}} The opening of the article also appears at the authors personal blogsite, ''On Faith and Culture,'' [http://jonathanmerritt.com/tag/scum-of-the-earth/ here].
* {{cite journal | last=Moll |first=Rob | date=December 30, 2003 | title=Has the Emergent Church Emerged? | journal = Leadership Journal | url=http://www.christianitytoday.com/leaders/newsletter/2003/cln31230.html | access-date=October 6, 2007}}
* {{cite journal |last=Moll |first=Rob |date=December 30, 2003 |title=Has the Emergent Church Emerged? |journal=Leadership Journal |url=http://www.christianitytoday.com/leaders/newsletter/2003/cln31230.html |access-date=October 6, 2007}}
* {{cite news | last=Oh |first=Susie | date = March 30, 2007 | title = News: Scum of the Earth welcome at this church | work = Biblical Recorder | location = Cary, NC | publisher = North Carolina Baptist State Convention | agency = Religion News Service }} This article is available as article (appended string) "l83dS#selection-317.0-329.21", at the site "archive.today/", access date April 19, 2016.
* {{cite news |last=Oh |first=Susie |date=March 30, 2007 |title=News: Scum of the Earth welcome at this church |work=Biblical Recorder |location=Cary, NC |publisher=North Carolina Baptist State Convention |agency=Religion News Service}} This article is available as article (appended string) "l83dS#selection-317.0-329.21", at the site "archive.today/", access date April 19, 2016.
* {{cite news | last=Sares |first=Mike | date=August 21, 2006 | title=Scum of the Church: How the drive for "excellence" is driving young adults from the church | publisher=Christianity Today: Out of Ur Blog | url=http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2006/august-online-only/scum-of-church-how-drive-for-excellence-is-driving-young.html?paging=off | access-date=October 6, 2007}}
* {{cite news |last=Sares |first=Mike |date=August 21, 2006 |title=Scum of the Church: How the drive for "excellence" is driving young adults from the church |publisher=Christianity Today: Out of Ur Blog |url=http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2006/august-online-only/scum-of-church-how-drive-for-excellence-is-driving-young.html?paging=off |access-date=October 6, 2007}}
* {{cite news | last=Sares |first=Mike | date=August 24, 2006 | title=Scum of the Church 2: What churches should learn from '80s youth ministry | publisher=Christianity Today: Out of Ur Blog | url=http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2006/august-online-only/scum-of-church-2-what-churches-should-learn-from-80s-youth.html|access-date=October 6, 2007}}
* {{cite news |last=Sares |first=Mike |date=August 24, 2006 |title=Scum of the Church 2: What churches should learn from '80s youth ministry |publisher=Christianity Today: Out of Ur Blog |url=http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2006/august-online-only/scum-of-church-2-what-churches-should-learn-from-80s-youth.html |access-date=October 6, 2007}}
* {{cite book | last=Sares |first=Mike | year = 2010 | title = Pure Scum: The Left-Out, the Right-Brained and the Grace of God | location = Westmont, IL | publisher = InterVarsity Press | isbn = 978-0830879281 | url = https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0830879285 | access-date = April 19, 2016 }}
* {{cite book |last=Sares |first=Mike |year=2010 |title=Pure Scum: The Left-Out, the Right-Brained and the Grace of God |location=Westmont, IL |publisher=InterVarsity Press |isbn=978-0-8308-7928-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0830879285 |access-date=April 19, 2016}}
* {{cite news | last=Stack |first=Peggy Fletcher | date=March 26, 2005 | title=SLC church plugs into Christianity's ancient traditions | newspaper=The Salt Lake Tribune | url=http://archive.sltrib.com/story.php?ref=/faith/ci_2622917 | access-date=October 6, 2007}}
* {{cite news |last=Stack |first=Peggy Fletcher |date=March 26, 2005 |title=SLC church plugs into Christianity's ancient traditions |newspaper=The Salt Lake Tribune |url=http://archive.sltrib.com/story.php?ref=/faith/ci_2622917 |access-date=October 6, 2007}}
* {{cite news | last=Torkelson |first=Jean | date=May 8, 2006 | title=Scum offers haven for the unconventional | newspaper=Rocky Mountain News | url=http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/news_columnists/article/0,1299,DRMN_86_4682152,00.html|access-date=May 29, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060520101814/http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/news_columnists/article/0,1299,DRMN_86_4682152,00.html | archive-date=May 20, 2006}}
* {{cite news |last=Torkelson |first=Jean |date=May 8, 2006 |title=Scum offers haven for the unconventional |newspaper=Rocky Mountain News |url=http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/news_columnists/article/0,1299,DRMN_86_4682152,00.html |access-date=May 29, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060520101814/http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/news_columnists/article/0,1299,DRMN_86_4682152,00.html |archive-date=May 20, 2006}}
* {{cite book | last=Whitesel |first=Bob | year = 2006 | chapter = Scum of the Earth Church, Denver Colorado [Ch. 9] | title = Inside the Organic Church: Learning from 12 Emerging Congregations | location = Nashville, TN | publisher = Abingdon | isbn = 978-1426748233 | chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?isbn=142674823X | access-date = April 25, 2016 }}
* {{cite book |last=Whitesel |first=Bob |year=2006 |chapter=Scum of the Earth Church, Denver Colorado [Ch. 9] |title=Inside the Organic Church: Learning from 12 Emerging Congregations |location=Nashville, TN |publisher=Abingdon |isbn=978-1-4267-4823-3 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?isbn=142674823X |access-date=April 25, 2016}}
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[[Category:Churches in Seattle]]
[[Category:Christian organizations established in 2000]]
[[Category:Christian organizations established in 2000]]
[[Category:Non-denominational Evangelical churches]]
[[Category:Non-denominational Evangelical churches in the United States]]
[[Category:Emerging church movement]]
[[Category:Emerging church movement]]
[[Category:2000 establishments in Colorado]]
[[Category:2000 establishments in Colorado]]

Latest revision as of 18:04, 3 December 2024

Scum of the Earth Church
Address935 W. 11th Avenue, Denver, Colorado
CountryUS
DenominationNon-denominational
Websitescumoftheearth.net
History
Founded2000 (2000)
Clergy
Senior pastor(s)Jessi Heilmann

Scum of the Earth Church (SOTEC or Scum) was a non-denominational Christian church based in Lincoln Park neighborhood, Denver, Colorado.[1] Its name is taken from 1 Corinthians 4:11-13, which includes Paul the Apostle's statement, "We have become the scum of the earth."

SOTEC's vision was to be "an outpost on the perimeter of God's kingdom seeking redemption in Jesus Christ".[2] Its unusual name and explicit mission statement of outreach to excluded young adults has attracted comment from both religious and non-religious sources.

History

[edit]

Scum of the Earth Church was founded by Mike Sares and Five Iron Frenzy vocalist Reese Roper in February 2000.[3][4] The initial idea grew out of a Bible study led by Sares, who had left his role with a Presbyterian church in Denver.[5] In Sares's recollection,

Several people who had been attending ... wanted to find ways to minister to young people who felt like outcasts and would never "darken the doors of a traditional church - people like skateboarders, goths, punk rockers, and the tattooed and pierced crowd ...[3]

Sares and Roper then "decided to stop talking about such a church and go ahead and start one."[3] The name was suggested by a member of the study group, adopted by Sares after some hesitation. It is based on 1 Corinthians 4:11-13, (NIV translation):[6]

To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world - right up to this moment.[7]

Initial meetings were held at a coffee shop.[4] But continued growth led to several location changes, and in September 2008, through substantial donations from outside supporters, the church purchased its own building at 935 W. 11th Avenue, in the Santa Fe Arts District.

Following a gradual decline in numbers and the departure of most of its staff members, the church's final worship service was held on November 10th, 2024. Former head pastor Mike Sares returned to preach from the book of Lamentations, and the service closed with an acoustic rendition of Five Iron Frenzy's song Every New Day.

Mission

[edit]
Scum of the Earth Church, in Denver

Sares, - the church's first pastor - said that they wanted "to build a place where folks who didn't fit in other church settings would actually feel welcome."[8]

The church's website expands:

"Whether outcast by society (e.g., punks, skaters, ravers, homeless people…) or by the church itself, many who come can identify with the name 'Scum of the Earth' since they have been previously treated as such. More important to us, however, the name implies that being people of faith does not mean we are better than anyone else."

Writer Bob Whitesel described the church's congregation on a visit:

[the] urban poor, homeless, disenfranchised youth, [g]oths, skateboarders, urban artists, immigrant [and] blue-collar families, seminary students/professors, and diverse social classes throughout and around Denver.[9]: 9.2 

Teaching and programs

[edit]

The church prides itself on running a range of programs and classes as well as regular worship meetings. These include podcasts, art exhibitions, classes on creative writing, a photographic gallery of its activities; and various other activities.[8]

The church has hosted various visiting teachers, including:

Impact and Criticism

[edit]

SOTEC has attracted comment from a range of religious and non-religious quarters. The church has been categorized as "emergent" or placed within the movement of "Emergent Church[es]",[8][10][11] and has reportedly inspired the founding of other churches related in style and temperament, including 'The Refuse' church, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado.[12] In 2006, Scott Bader-Saye argued that the seeming radical aspects of SOTEC, and the "innovation" involved in its appeal to fringe elements of society, were "not fundamentally different from traditional evangelicalism."[13]

In their 2009 book God is Back: How the Global Revival of Faith is Changing the World (2009) journalists John Micklethwait and Adrian Woolridge refer to SOTEC as being part of America's landscape of niche worship communities, catering to unique demands: "the real strength of religious America lies in its diversity'...Religious America is remarkably good at segmenting its customer base"[14]

In 2011, political commentator Pat Buchanan, writing in Suicide of a Superpower: Will America Survive to 2025?, implicitly criticizes SOTEC, using it as an example to ask "is this a manifestation of the 'real strength' of Christianity, or does it instead, sound like disintegration, the loss of the unity of the People of God?"

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Denverite website, Scum of the Earth Church wants to open roller derby shop in Denver, article by Adrian D. Garcia dated October 24, 2017
  2. ^ "Who We Are". Scum of the Earth Church. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c As recalled by Mike Sares, to The [Toledo, OH] Blade, see Yonke, David (October 15, 2005). "Religion: Ex-Toledoan shepherds social outcasts, Pastor founds Scum of the Earth Church" (print feature). The Blade. Toledo, OH. p. B3-B4. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  4. ^ a b As recalled by John Swanger, founder and (as of April 2016), President of Cross & Clef Ministries, also in Denver, see Swanger, John (April 19, 2016). "SOTEC, Denver: Our affiliation with Scum of the Earth Church". Denver, CO: Cross & Clef Ministries. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  5. ^ Toledo Blade website, Scum of the Earth Tends to the Rebels, article dated October 15, 2005
  6. ^ Hesse, Josiah M. (December 21, 2010). "O Scum all ye faithful: Christianity gets the punk-rock treatment at this Denver church". Westword. Denver, CO: Denver Westword. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  7. ^ Editors of the NIV (2011). "1 Corinthians 4:11-13". Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV). Colorado Springs, CO: Biblica, Inc. Retrieved April 19, 2016. Note, this encyclopedic entry corrects the texts appearing in the Westword and CBS citations to the nearest version available, that of the NIV. The difference in the Westword quotation is only in the capitalization of "scum," which does not appear in the NIV and related biblical sources, and the slight difference that appears between the CBS presentation and the NIV is in a displaced phrase in the last sentence. Cf. Hesse (2010), and Cowan & Kreiser (2006), op. cit.
  8. ^ a b c Cowan, Lee; Kreiser, John (April 14, 2006). "New Faces of Faith, Part III: Christianity, In 21st Century Clothes". CBS. Retrieved April 19, 2016. Note, this may be a transcript of an unavailable video portion of the CBS Evening News, dated the day prior to this web report.[citation needed]
  9. ^ Whitesel, Bob (2006). "Scum of the Earth Church, Denver Colorado [Ch. 9]". Inside the Organic Church: Learning from 12 Emerging Congregations. Nashville, TN: Abingdon. ISBN 978-1-4267-4823-3. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  10. ^ Cronin, Sean; Zeveloff, Naomi (August 14, 2007). "Sunday Best" (newspaper blog). Westword. Denver, CO: Denver Westword. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  11. ^ McLaren, Brian D. (2003). "The Method, The Message, and the Ongoing Story". In Crouch, Andy; Sweet, Leonard I. (eds.). The Church in Emerging Culture: Five Perspectives. EmergentYS Series, Vol. 7. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. pp. 191–232. ISBN 978-0-310-25487-4. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
  12. ^ Zeveloff, Naomi (August 10, 2006). "Personal Space Accepted at Refuse". The Colorado Springs Independent. Retrieved May 29, 2007.
  13. ^ Bader-Saye, Scott (2006). "Improvising church: An introduction to the emerging church conversation". International Journal for the Study of the Christian Church. 6 (1, August 17): 12–23. doi:10.1080/14742250500484519. S2CID 145374340.
  14. ^ Micklethwait, John; Woolridge, Adrian (April 7, 2009). "God Still Isn't Dead: The decline of religion in America has been predicted again and again". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 20, 2016.

Further reading

[edit]
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