RE - MARINERS NORTH IRVINE CAMPUS -…read more
Short summary - Decent church for families, not the best church for progressive, independent thinking adults and new Christians:
To provide context for this review, I'm writing this not in an attempt to embarrass church leadership or be passive aggressive, but rather, to share an authentic, truthful and vulnerable experience that allows others to come to their own conclusions about whether Mariners North Irvine would be a good fit for them.
As I write this, I am a female in my thirties, I am relatively new in my Christian journey, not entirely familiar with the Bible, college-educated, and progressive-leaning. I had left a previous church in Irvine that I felt wasn't entirely welcoming, and to this church's credit, I felt very loved, seen, and supported during Rooted and during the coming months. I had objections and doubts about the Bible and the faith, but Pastors Steve and John made themselves available to answer questions and provided enough reassurance for me to believe that I could work through my doubts. I also felt that the leaders of my Rooted group (which later became a life group) were very caring and affirming, and due to everyone's support, I became very committed to Mariners Church and the Christian faith.
Unfortunately, my time at Mariners North Irvine did not have a happy ending. Several months after Rooted ended, I started to experience doubts about the faith and issues with the content of sermons or the content of the Bible that I didn't feel could be properly addressed in Life Group meetings, and some objections and frustrations I shared about hard topics (genocide in the Old Testament, LGBTQ+ issues, dangers associated with the Great Commission) were met with dismissive or passive aggressive responses. I realized that the culture at this particular church, or at least the design of their Life Groups may not have been suited for people who were seeking rigorous discussion and answers about challenging issues related to faith and that certain people who the church allowed to lead these groups, even if they were well intentioned, may not have been trained to handle these situations or respond appropriately to a believer's doubts or authenticity.
At a prior church I attended (The Village Church of Irvine), one of the leaders of the small group I was in had a degree in apologetics, and they devoted a section of time at the end of group meetings specifically to discussing heavy subjects. Some members of the group genuinely enjoyed discussing these challenging topics and appreciated hard questions. While that church was not perfect, I appreciated that at least there were opportunities to have rigorous discussions for people who wanted to explore the faith at a deeper level or seek guidance from other believers on hard issues without judgment.
The population at this church is primarily Asian and family oriented (I can say this because I am Asian myself) and I got the general impression this church would be fine for families and people who are willing to uphold the status quo, but it would not be a friendly place for anyone who is a deeply critical thinker, seeking diversity in a community, needs a better intellectual or deeper understanding of Christianity, single and looking to meet other singles, or is sympathetic to the LGBTQ+ community and their causes.
I am not saying that the people and the leaders at this church are not good people, but at the end of the day, I sadly felt that this church could not meet me in my current season of faith, was not a good fit for my intellectual needs or progressive leanings, and could not offer me the kind of diverse community and long term support I may have needed to get through my doubts.