Bent Creek Baptist Church

Bent Creek is located across from the Arboretum entrance, south of Biltmore Square Mall. They have an older facility with a slightly newer auditorium that had to be built in the early 80's (apricot colored cushions on the pews, green carpet, brutalist architecture). As I drove up around 10:40 for a 10:45 start of worship, the parking lot was maybe 1/3 full. The auditorium was built of split-face fluted CMU, which gives a very rough and jagged appearance. They had that as well as smooth face CMU on the interior of the auditorium. No windows in the auditorium - it is set up with the pews in a fan shape facing the stage with a raked floor and balcony seating. They had movable walls pulled across three of the seating sections under the balcony to keep the people in a tighter seating pattern.

I was given a welcome type packet as I came in, then I went on and sat down. No one spoke to me as I entered the auditorium and found a seat. There were somewhere around 170-180 people attending (they listed their attendance last week at 197, which probably included kids.) The crowd was 40's to 60's, with some teenagers. Very few smaller children around.

Worship: Grade B- to C. The music was satisfactory. They had a lady on a keyboard, a kid on drums, and about 17-18 other folks singing. The crowd stood, but few in the audience sang along. They sang "contemporary" praise songs. The pastor started a few minutes after 11, and finished up around 11:40. They sang more, had a prayer, and started into a budget discussion, so I left before they released the crowd. The pastor's sermon was expository, scripture based (Mark 13) and had present day application.

Nurture: Hard to say. They have a lot of programs listed in the bulletin.

Evangelism: They are at least making a pass at the culture around them with the music. The pastor had on khaki's, button up shirt, and a sport coat. He was fairly young (mid to late 40's) and spoke in a contemporary language. But the overall thrust of everything they seem to be doing is preaching to the choir.

They had a short greeting session after the first song and prayer, and a grand total of two folks introduced themselves and asked my names. Two or three others shook my hand, and that was it.

I think it is probably a satisfactory church in most respects, but I won't be going back. The whole operation speaks of better times in the past and a struggle in the future.