Every day we move closer to our dreams of planting Credo Houses everywhere.
Hmmm . . . Where is the next one, you ask? First, let me let you in on the vision for the Credo House.
What is a Credo House?
Let me refresh your memory of what the Credo House is and what I dream at night after the kids are asleep (because before they are asleep, I just dream about them going to sleep!).
The Credo House is a theological coffee shop, book store, and belief-strengthening events hub. In it, you will find the walls literally dripping with theological meaning. We hope to provide a safe and neutral (i.e. not directly connected to any church or denomination) environment where people can learn, fellowship, study, and just hang out under the banner of truth and grace in Christ.
Here in Edmond, OK, the Credo House serves as a hub and a model for future Credo Houses. For the last two years, we have been “testing” this out. For 701 days (give or take) we have been adjusting things ever so slightly to make it more effective in our purpose of uniquely impacting our community with the Gospel of Jesus, helping people believe more today than they did yesterday.
Two Defining Characteristics
Let me give you some insider information about how Credo House(s) wants to be seen and used:
1. Credo House Fellows: This is the “scholar” of the Credo House. We want to be seen as a central Evangelical hub of intellectual viability, creating the evangelistic background music for our faith. Therefore, the Credo House “Fellow” serves as a “pastor of belief,” being trained in theology, biblical studies, and/or apologetics. They are responsible for facilitating all Credo House events having to do with growing people’s faith. They are the “go-to” scholars of the city for pastors and lay-people alike.
Responsibilities of the Credo House Fellow:
- Be available for “Belief Counseling” for those whose faith needs to increase.
- Regularly facilitate and/or teach programs such as The Theology Program, Bible Boot Camps, and the like.
- Organize, schedule, and facilitate “Coffee with Scholars,” where an Evangelical Scholar will visit the Credo House, speak, sign books, and hang out with local guests.
- Provide continuing education for local pastors. This will involve networking with local churches and providing their staff with education and discussions on the latest issues in theology.
- Write and develop, contributing to their area of expertise.
- And, yes, work behind the coffee bar every once in a while!!
The key characteristics of the Credo House Fellow will be grace, kindness, patience, love for the city, and scholarship. The later without the former will not do. So this is a very particular type of person we are talking about.
2. Best Coffee Shop in the Area: This is the primary bridge from the outside in. The average person will come into the Credo House knowing of our reputation for serving the best coffee and having the best environment for hanging out, meetings, and study. All coffee will be done the old-fashioned way. Baristas will be internally trained. They will excitedly hand people a Nicean Mocha, fully able to tell of its namesake’s significance.
All the Credo Houses will have a similar look and feel, but also have elements that are unique to their city. For example, all Credo Houses will have a “Wall of Theologians,” though the theologians represented 
may differ slightly. All Credo Houses will have a heretics corner, a Cappidocian Bar, a modest book store and extensive theological library, serve Luther Lattes and the C.S. Lewis (Irish Cream), and have a robust A/V system for live events. However, each Credo House will have one area that is particular to it. The one here in Edmond has the “Wall of Reformation,” showing the castle doors of Wittenberg with the 95 Theses hanging on them. However, another Credo House might have an area devoted to the History of the Bible, the Martyrs, the Scholastics, or to modern theologians. We might even have walls devoted to the life of one person like Jonathan Edwards or C. S. Lewis. The point is that while all Credo Houses will have the same general look and feel, each will have its own unique characteristics too. Therefore, you can (and should!) collect t-shirts from each Credo House you visit.
Types of Credo Houses
There will be two types of Credo Houses that are unique in various ways while sticking to the same basic vision.
1. College Town Credo House:
These are Credo Houses the will be placed in college towns, facilitating students’ fellowship and faith stabilization. It can be a central hub for Evangelical campus organizations such as Campus Crusade, Young Life, Baptist Student Union, etc. As well, it will be a great place for students to come hang out and find stability for their faith during what can often be a trying time intellectually. The “Fellow” at this type of Credo House will normally have more of an apologetics (defending the faith) background and expertise.
2. Urban Credo House:
These will be placed in urban areas, especially downtowns. The focus of these Credo Houses will be a mission to unite local churches in strategic planning on reaching the city for Christ, with an emphasis on local church networking and events.
Well, there is a nutshell version of what the dreams are for the Credo House. We have a wonderful staff and an extraordinary board of seven committed men who are as excited as I am about how God can use this ministry in a unique way. Some of you in seminary right now are prime candidates for becoming a Credo House Fellow!
(Lord willing), coming to a city near you…
Two other articles about our vision:
34 replies to "The Future of the Credo House"
I’d love to see a Credo House in Toronto, Canada. Are you ready to go internatiol?
Any thoughts on sending a Credo House down our way in Fort Worth? 😉
Michael,
I love the idea and am curious how you would help me explain to some of the people I work with how a Credo House is different from a church? Is what your describing not the function of the church? Is is not the function of the seminary?
Keep up the good work!
John
John, my man!
First, the Credo House is a parachurch, attempting to come to the aid of the local churches. Is there fellowship? Yes. Is there education? Yes. However, the local church provides the authority of eldership and leadership under which the person provides. The “obey your leaders” of Heb would not in any sense apply to the Fellow of the Credo House.
As well, the Credo House Coffee arm of our ministry seeks to fulfill a void in a neutral environment. This means it provides a place that the local church uses, but is in NO SENSE in competition with the local church.
Of course, the issues of accountability and fellowship among brethern will happen to some degree at the Credo House (like they may happen in a FCA Bible study), but none of these are meant to do what the local church is not. We are a help-meet to the local church 🙂
Plus, we don’t have any regular Sunday services and no cross in the building. And you know you cannot be a church without a cross. Shesh.
I’m so excited about this that I just “liked” my own post!
Enjoyed being able to stop by and see what the Lord is doing there in Edmond … not to mention have a pretty spectacular cup of coffee
Hope to see you guys come down to Houston eventually!
As a lover of both coffee and theology, I think this is a marvelous idea. However, I have to say that I suspect Luther would be a bit disappointed that his namesake is a latte rather than a lager.
Any plans for live music? That would be a great way to give exposure to local Christian musicians. I’d love to see an outlet for visual arts as well.
Eric, yes. Each Credo House will be a little bit different depending on the area. But I imagine that the College Town versions would especially have a set up for live music.
We may sound lame but my husband and I have already planned our anniversary trip September 1-3 in OKC just so we could come visit the Credo House. Really looking forward to finally visiting in person instead of online!
C Michael Patton, this excites me. I am from Adelaide, Australia, not exactly a hub of theological vigour but with a smattering of quality evangelicals throughout. I think this would work well in the CBD. It would bring them out of the woodwork. I look forward to your future expansion. See if you can get Kevin Durant to be your spokesman.
The only fear I have in our particular town is that it would get dominated by this group of ultra-calvinists who have been making them a nuisance around town and shout down anyone who thinks grace is a more effective evangelistic tool than yelling.
Keep dreaming and God will keep opening doors,
Callum
Too bad I didn’t finish my MDiv. yet…..this would be really cool to have in Grand Rapids, MI!
Are theologians beyond the Reformed camp promoted (I noticed that you mentioned CS Lewis)?
Michael,
Im here ready to help in setting up Credo House Fort Worth.
Art & Andrew:
If we get one, we’ll only get ONE in the DFW metroplex, so let’s try to put it in the middle. Arlington maybe?
Anything in DFW would tax Michael’s definitions of college vs urban.
Rick, absolutely. This is not a Reformed endeavor. There are plenty of people who I would love to ask to be a Credo House Fellow who are not Calvinists…
As long as you are right about the main things, I can tolerate some error here and there 😉
In truth, the Credo House is about defining and defending the historic Christian faith.
I’d love to see one in the San Francisco area 😀
CMP:
“Belief Counseling”; I love that term!!
How about “Capital Valley Credo House”? A nice ring to it for the Sacramento area. I manage a coffee house in the area for… Let’s just call them “big coffee,” a place where STARs come in and pay big BUCKS for coffee..so if/when you want to set one up in this area, I could volunteer some time (yes, I used the word volunteer, as in free). Btw, did I also mention my wife works for the same company I do?
And when you go international, please have Chennai, India in mind. Thanks! 🙂
Would like to see one in the Atlanta area, near the heart of the city, thus close to Georgia Tech, Emory, and Ga. State.
Michael, consider a Credo House to be located in San Angelo, TX. We have a university here (Angelo State U), a large Christian community in a town of about 95,000. Would love to see that happen some day. Keep up the great work!
So cool to read, I’ve been wondering if you would ever consider “franchising”. 🙂
Honestly I’ve had some serious thoughts as to whether this would work in my area and if the local churches would help support it. Can’t wait to read where the next Credo House opens.
Here along the Front Range of Colorado, we want to have the Credo House at the highest elevation!!
If I were wealthy, I’d donate a cool million or two to get a Credo House here in South Florida. I think it’s a great idea; I fear many Christians don’t think very deeply about what/why they believe, and are ignorant about church and theological history. This won’t do if we wish to be effective in the 21st century. May God bless this endeavor powerfully.
Chris,
Arlington is a good possibility with it being a tourist destination and also its easy access to most of all the DFW area. I like it!
In addition, UTA (University of Texas at Arlington) is doing some nice expansion on the east side of campus, with mixed-used student housing, retail and a beautiful new basketball/mixed-use arena. Downtown Arlington is also (slowly) on the rebound. And the Coffee Haus as I knew it in college is no more, so the opportunity is ripe. 😉
How about Athens, GA? We’ve got the University of Georgia, along with a bustling, artsy hipster downtown area. And a huge need for the gospel. You better believe I’d pitch in in any way I could!
Being a “Credo House Fellow” sounds like a dream job, to me…right up there with being a professor of biblical or theological studues at a college or graduate level. I’m pursuing the latter now but would love the former too.
[…] two days we have been overwhelmed by the response to the “Future of the Credo House” email and blog post. It has been exciting to say the least. From Bucharest, Romania to Birmingham, Alabama (I think we […]
Mt Pleasant Michigan, home of Central Michigan University, Mid-Michigan Community College and Soaring Eagle Casino… how’s that for a mix?
Oh, and I am also interested in becoming a CH Fellow.
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