[01.25.08] Staffers of Next Level Church in Charlotte, N.C., recently went through bars in the city’s Ballantyne area handing out shot glasses to bar patrons reports charlotte.com.

 

The mugs ask people to “give us a shot” and bear the church’s slogan, “Real church for real people.” The church hopes to draw people to its Ballantyne campus, which opens in February.

 

Next Level pastor Robbie McLaughlin admits the idea is controversial, but adds that the goal is to get the attention of non-churchgoers, not those already attending one.

 

"For so long, the church has been really guilty of making people come to it," McLaughlin told charlotte.com. "If we're going to connect to people, we've got to go where they are."

 

Meanwhile, in Mariposa, Calif., youth leader Jeff Tomerlin of New Life Christian Fellowship is facing some heat for means of outreach: Paintball for Jesus (or PBJ).

 

After hosting several events that combined testimonies with paint pellets, Tomerlin’s group faced some resistance after asking to use publicly owned county property reports modbee.com.

 

Critics questioned the pray-and-shoot blend of “religion and violence,” while the church contends it provides youth an opportunity “where they could see godly adults acting as mentors.”