VOX
VOX Christian Community
In 2016, VOX started out as a podcast, hosted by Mike Erre and Andy Lara. Then, with a commitment of 80 volunteers, a church grew up around that podcast, meeting weekly in Placentia, CA. The church was found on the principle that all should be “Safe to Belong”, that church should be the safest place to wrestle with tough questions, and that all questions of faith deserved to be asked and processed.
When VOX was first founded, in lieu of a doctrinal statement, the community church was launched with three core values and several commitments. In sum, this is what VOX stands for.
1. The church exists to love and serve the world, not stand in judgment of it. Jesus of Nazareth is the full and final picture of what God is like. We’re committed to being a Jesus-shaped community.
2. The church should be the safest place to talk about anything. Come with all your doubts, questions, addictions, hang-ups, screw-ups, and brokenness. VOX is a place of permission. It’s safe to belong.
3. The church should captivate the hearts and minds of the next generation. We’ll include the kids wherever we can, generally be adventurous, and try new things. It’s okay if some of it doesn’t work.
VOX became known as a place where members were given permission to have their doubts about what they’d been taught about Christianity. It was a place of healing for many who left large churches that wounded them spiritually. Many members described being in a process of “deconstruction”, putting aside the rules of church, and looking for a personal faith that made sense to them. Diversity was not only encouraged but was a goal. It was hoped that a plurality of voices would bring the power of the Holy Spirit to create a new community where no need to agree on issues of secondary importance to belong.
Over the past four years, VOX has struggled, endured, and survived huge changes. I have attended VOX from the beginning and serve in the role of community pastor with my wife Carole. Members of my family also attend and volunteer. Another role I took on early was church photographer and historian. During my photojournalism career, the last thing I wanted to do was work my day off with my camera. VOX was created after I was “retired” from newspaper work and became a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. I needed a way to exercise my skills with the camera, and it has been a pleasure to document the life of the church.
VOX has been my extended family for these past four years and like all families, it has seen loss, growth, tragedy, strife, joy, forgiveness, and change. When the latest version of VOX was created, the term VOX 3.0 was coined. There are three galleries here, representing three distinct, historical, expressions of VOX.
VOX
VOX 1.0 - “Safe to Belong”
VOX was originally created out of a podcast; a podcast that often challenged the way church is done in America. Rather than just criticize what was wrong with our fellow believers, VOX was created to try and live out the core beliefs of the faith and make Jesus beautiful.
Eighty volunteers started the church under the leadership of team leader Mike Erre, creative director Andy Lara, administrator Christina Clausen, worship pastor Izzi Ray, and David Robles, who wore so many hats (children’s ministry, greeters, volunteer coordinator), I couldn't tell you his title.
The church met in a high school performing arts center, with children’s ministries housed in the school gyms. Every Sunday, a set up team rolled huge wheeled-cases out of sea containers and assembled the church and Sunday school rooms. Tech teams manned the video, sound and lighting. The worship band quickly rehearsed while volunteers set out communion stations (one gluten-free), greeted visitors, directed traffic in the parking lot, and checked children into their classes.
Services started off with question and response time, with various teachers giving their best shot at questions text in by members; tough questions most churches would not even consider addressing publicly. The response to this openness was a strong, growing congregation. At one point VOX moved to two services and began to hire additional teaching pastors. People were drawn to the church, which refused to market itself, by word of mouth and the interest generated by the continuing VOX podcast.
After two years, team leader Mike Erre abruptly announced that he and his family were moving to Ohio to be with his ailing mother. The plan was that he would remain on staff, as team leader, and SKYPE into services and planning meetings. As he left, four new teaching pastors were hired, rotating in when Mike was unavailable. Several church members left the church at this time, but the core of volunteers stayed on, making the statement that this was Jesus’ church and the loss of a popular teacher should change nothing.
VOX
VOX 2.0 - Resilience
After Mike Erre moved away, he struggled with depression, finding it difficult to lead his team. Technical difficulties often marred his attempts to beam his sermons into the performing arts center. His lack of physical presence was painful to most. Tim Muehlhoff, Bonnie Lewis, Ronny Roa, and Karrie Garcia took up the task of teaching, answering questions and planning for the future.
In this version of VOX many things were tried with great success and quiet failure. Communion, open to all, remained the cornerstone of every service. Table fellowships continued and prospered, creating community outside of Sunday. Community Pastors came alongside members in distress, prayed with them, and assisted at funerals. Ronnie Roa created after-service classes, with panels of speakers, to discuss the role of women in church leadership, spiritual abuse, and other hot topics. Karrie Garcia provided lessons on mental health issues in addition to her sermons. Christina Clausen and David Robles kept the organization on task, while Andy Lara continued his role of adding creativity to services and online presence. Izzi Ray continued to grow as a musician and brought original composition and a steady presence to Sunday worship.
Eventually, Mike Erre’s realized his role wasn't working and he resigned. There was a period of shock and sadness, frustration and anger that resulted. Leadership was reorganized again, with David Robles coming on as CEO. Will Anderson was brought on as an additional teaching pastor but within a year, both he and Bonnie Lewis moved their families to Austin, Texas. Tim Muelhoff removed himself from part-time teaching at his doctor’s recommendation to reduce the level of stress in his complex life. Near the end of the year, Karrie Garcia bowed out of staff responsibilities to spend more time with her family and her own women’s empowerment movement.
As popular teachers disappeared from the stage, so did large numbers of church members and their financial donations. In late spring, 2019, as expenses began to burn through the church’s reserves, the decision was made by staff and community pastors to lay off the paid staff, stop renting the performing arts center, and in essence, end the three-year old church’s existence. It was a time of profound grief, anger, frustration and finally, acceptance. Final weeks were spent focusing on what VOX had accomplished and affirming those who had led so faithfully and sacrificially. It looked like the end, but then…
VOX
VOX 3.o - The “Scrappy Little Church”
As VOX’s board of directors planned to sell off the church’s belongings, portion out severance pay, and disband its non-profit organization, a small group of members refused to let the church die.
A month’s worth of weekly meetings, in homes, were organized to talk about a new version, an all-volunteer version of VOX. On the first Sunday, after VOX’s last service in the performing arts center, the homeless church met in a local park’s shelter. The mood was upbeat and hopeful.
During a house meeting, the question was raised about how this small remnant of the original VOX could sustain itself financially. A member placed a paper plate and added their own contribution. In a church where an offering plate had never existed, several hundred dollars were tossed on the floor.
During brainstorming, the idea of meeting in a community center was put forth and encouraged. The church’s 401C non profit corporation was saved and a new board was appointed. Outgoing CEO David Robles provided the new board with advice for a month and then stepped away.
At this point, I was documenting the birth of a new version, providing communications online, counseling grieving members, working behind the scenes to maintain unity and a smooth transition of leadership. However, I was also planning to take a five-month sabbatical. I flew off to my French vacation and 1500-mile Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike, not knowing what VOX would become. As I hiked for three and half months, I prayed every day for God to provide wisdom, creativity, unity, and excitement for this new idea.
VOX continues to evolve, but in its current state, it is pop-up church with no permanent home and no paid staff. Most Sundays, the church meets in a rented room at the Yorba Linda Community Center, and takes one Sunday each quarter as a service day in the community. Recently, Vox meets once a month in house churches, where group discussions and potluck meals bring families and friends together. Every Wednesday evening, a planning meeting, open to all church attenders, crafts the future of VOX and assigns volunteer duties to each Sunday’s needs.
VOX, still evolving rapidly, is still the best church I have attended in all my life. That includes six other churches over 63 years. I feel it is the closest experience I’ve every had to what the original followers of Jesus Christ were discipled to do. We are definitely flawed and unsettled. And yet, the move to a volunteer leadership has brought a personal stake in all of it, a complete dependence on God to prosper and direct us. I still value the diverse expressions of Christian faith throughout the world, but for now this is my home and my family. What happens next? Only God knows for sure and I’m fine with that.
