Getting the kids to come once or twice is one thing. Keeping them coming back is another, all interviewed agreed. Atmosphere is important. It has to look like a place teens would choose to go, Atkins said. Grace Brethren's recent expansion wasn't undertaken to accommodate the Solid Rock Cafe, but the teen club was definitely part of the plans.
Time is another factor.
The busy schedules of sports, jobs and other extra-curricular activities is the main reason Solid Rock Cafe nights fall every other Sunday. Subtlety also plays a big role in a club's success, youth pastors agreed. While the clubs are definitely Christian in their music and their message, nobody would mistake them for revival meetings. Miller said the sheer volume of kids at the Manse Coffeehouse, which is open every Friday and Saturday from 7-11 p.m., poses the greatest management challenge. It used to be the doors were locked on Friday night and we didn't have anything to worry about.