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By Donna Harris
Cherokee Tribune Staff Writer
One word to describe a new church in downtown Canton would be "simple."
The Church of Isaac's Keep, a church plant commissioned by Mount Zion Baptist Church in Hickory Flat, wants to strip away all the surroundings typically associated with church that may distract the congregation from its main objective - worshipping God.
"We're trying to peel back everything we know about church and try to get at what the Word of God tells us about church," said preaching elder Spencer Nix of Canton, who leads the church with lay elders Rhon Redwine and Nick Downs. "Everything we do is really, really simple, bare-bones simple. We're trying to get to what is it God desires for worship. What is the essential focus or what the focus should be? It's about worshipping God. Everything else from there is just blessings God gives us."
The congregation uses no set designs, praise bands or technological equipment for its services, though it may in the future, he said.
"We do sing some modern praise and worship, but we do a lot of historic old, old hymns rearranged to a contemporary style," he said. "Most of the hymns are ancient."
The preaching is "expository preaching" rather than "topical sermons," said Nix, who was ordained by Mount Zion.
"I don't do sermons on 10 ways to have a better marriage," he said. "We study verse by verse what the Word is teaching. Whenever we do that, it always shows God's Word is relevant to our lives."
The dress code also is casual, but people may wear their Sunday best if that makes them more comfortable.
"We do have people who do dress up," he said. "We want people to feel comfortable. If they can worship God in a tie and suit, by all means wear a tie and suit. We're about worshipping God, and whatever dress is right for you, that's what you need to wear."
The church also will continue leasing a meeting place for the foreseeable future rather than trying to buy its own facility.
"A lot of times, people focus on the church as a building, not a community of people," Nix said. "But that doesn't mean far in the future, we won't have a building."
The nondenominational Isaac's Keep began worshipping in January 2007 at the now-closed Malia's Mug in downtown Canton.
Now it's meeting Sunday mornings in the upstairs banquet room of Café 190 on East Main Street until its permanent space across the street, where its office is now, can be approved and renovated.
Nix said a core group of about 25 people left Mount Zion to start the church plant.
"Part of evangelism and missions is to plant churches," he said. "The purpose is to expand God's kingdom to people who don't go to church and Christians who don't have a church. Church planting is integral to any missions strategy."
The congregation saw a need for a church in the downtown area that's "really focused on the Gospel," he said.
"Since First Baptist moved out, there's not really a lot going on in the historic part of town," he said.
The church name came from God's promise to Abraham to make him the father of many nations, with his son, Isaac, being that promise.
"Abraham was promised his generations would be great," Nix said. "The promise would come through Isaac and eventually fulfill the covenant of Christ. In a real way, Christians are heirs of the Abrahamic covenant, which is Isaac."
And "keep" is a secure place, a refuge or a fortress on top of a hill. "The name 'Isaac's Keep' means 'a strong tower of promise,' using the biblical meaning, and that's what we want to be in the downtown community," he said.
Besides worshipping together on Sunday, the congregation also meets in small community groups in members' homes throughout the week.
The church also partners with and oversees Grace to the Nations, an independent local ministry that does community, national and international outreach.
dharris@cherokeetribune.com
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