Acts 29 is one of about a dozen U.S. church-planting networks, nondenominational groups that start new congregations. Often founded by megachurch pastors, they offer some of the benefits that denominations provide without much bureaucracy.

One of the first rules for ministers starting a new church: Don’t hang out in your office. Go out and meet people.

That’s an easy one for the Rev. Jeremy Rose to follow.

His startup congregation in Nashville, known as The Axis Church, doesn’t have a building or any office space. On Monday night, Rose and five guys from his church sat around a table at J & J’s Market & Cafe in Nashville, drinking beer and talking about Jesus.

Rose admits that a Bible study in a bar may sound odd to some churchgoers, but he contends Jesus was called a drunkard because he went to too many parties.

“If you’re going to be accused of being a sinner,” Rose said, “you should at least hang around where they are once in a while.”

The Axis Church, which started last year, is one of three local churches with ties to a church-planting group called Acts 29 — a name chosen because the biblical book ends with 28 chapters. Founded by Seattle megachurch pastor Mark Driscoll, the group
has already launched 200 new churches.

Acts 29 primarily attracts young men with its unconventional approach to religion, and the group has close to 100 new churches in the works. But some wonder if its methods undermine its message.