They'll tell stories and pray amid icons and images from a thousand years ago. This is not a church, its founders say, even though it is housed and supported by Gaston Oaks Baptist Church in Dallas. It is a Holistic Missional Christian Community. Christianity is reaching out to postmodern culture. The result looks a lot like faith in the first century, say the movement's proponents.
Conversion is downplayed in favor of community.
Helping the poor, the sick and the lonely gets strong support. Services eschew rational explanations in favor of experience furthered by stories, art, music, ritual and symbol. At some services, Journey members are given little canvases so they can paint. They carry journals and are encouraged to write their own thoughts even when that means disengaging from what the worship leader is saying. Pictures of symbols from A.D. 500 and 600 are often projected during the service.