This is a toughie. We attended CBG for several mon...

This is a toughie. We attended CBG for several months, in hopes that it would get better, but it never happened.

On the plus side, there is ample parking and a variety of service times. Pastor Dave is as good as, or better than, anyone I've ever heard in church. He is animated, entertaining and educational. They also do a lot of worthy outreach. Thus ends the plus side.

This church prides itself on being friendly. That's something we've never seen. If you haven't been there for a very long time, or go with someone you know, it's a very lonely experience, even after several months. My daughter even volunteered for one of the music performances after they said they needed extra help with the glow-in-the-dark stuff. She was hoping to meet some nice people (we were new in town) and make friends. She found herself treated as a second class citizen, if not shut out and shunned entirely by the rest of the group. She never offered again.

I'll admit to being spoiled. I grew up in churches with stained glass and beautiful traditional music. Out of the multiple services here, there is only one "traditional" one. It's the earliest one on Sunday morning and because of physical limitations, I can't get there. Since there are two evening services, why can't one of them be traditional? Apparently this issue has been raised over and over, but is ignored by the people in charge. If you go to one of the "progressive" services, be prepared with ear plugs. I have no real objection to Christian rock music, but to amp it up to this level is painful and dangerous to the hearing of the congregation and that's just wrong. It goes on for about 20 min. No matter when you go, be sure to bring a jacket. I don't care if it's mid August and 98 degrees outside, it's still an igloo in that church. I also get that the surroundings don't make a church. God is available anywhere. But, I've always thought that a church should have a special feel. This sanctuary feels like a warehouse (and looks like one), but that may be because of the people.

Then there is the difference between being a preacher and a minister. Pastor Dave, as I said, is an amazing preacher. But a minister is one who takes care of the needs of the congregation. For that, he isn't there. I tried several times to get an appt. to see him but was told he was "too busy," even during a life crisis. I was sent to another one of the staff who is apparently their marriage counselor. When I told him that my issue was not marriage related, he had no clue what to do or say. It was a total waste. I felt more empty when I left than I did when I went in. There was another time that I had to leave a message for an appt. I tried twice, but never got called back. That's when I quit going. It was abundantly clear that they have no real interest in ministering to the people that attend.

The main interest of CBG is growing and they seem to do that well. The added another "campus" after we started there. I understand that the services are generally done by electronic transmission from the base campus. If I want to see the speaker on a screen, I can watch it on my computer. It just goes to demonstrate the impersonal nature of this church. Oddly, when I started this review, I had given them two stars for the outreach programs and sermon quality. By the time I had finished, I realized that, according to the star parameters, I had to take it down, since I'll never go there again unless a lot of changes are made and that, by their own admission, isn't going to happen. Truly sad, it could be such an amazing place to worship.