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Exiled on Vine Street Liz Ellis Reporter
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hat would happen if there was a place where you could ask whatever question you wanted and could challenge anything? Where the only rule was to be nice to others, and it would be OK to wear whatever you wanted? What if you could own up to your strange quirks and hobbies and not have to worry about being judged or mocked? What if you could share your beliefs and opinions and question the beliefs and opinions of others without fear? Imagine that place exists. Imagine that it is welcoming and relaxed, a place where everyone is free to be themselves, to be imperfect and loved for it. Imagine that place is in Poplar Bluff. Now, imagine that place is a church. If it is hard to believe, then you probably have not heard of The Exiles Church, located at 411 Vine St. This nearly five-year-old emergent congregation was founded on the idea that no question would be taboo and the most important thing was to, “Be Nice.” “The first few meetings were actually at a restaurant,” said Bob McDonald, pastor of The Exiles Church. “We decided that it was time to do something different, to try to create some-
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The Exiles Church logo is as simple as their motto: Be Nice. However, it is, pastor Bob McDonald said, a bit harder to live by than it sounds. thing where culture wasn’t always the enemy. There is a strong cultural line that runs through churches in this area, and a lot of people aren’t comfortable with it and kind of run counter to it.” An example of that culture is the assumption some places have that if you
are Christian, you will also be a Republican, Bob said. But not everyone fits that mold, and this church is a place for those who fall between the cracks. The idea, he continued, was to create a church where bikers and gamers and business people could all intermingle without worry, and where everyone fits in. The church has no particular denomination and often attracts people from all different sects of Christianity including Catholics, Baptists, Pentecostals and others. “This whole thing is really relationally based,” Bob explained. “What does it mean to be a follower of Christ? What does it mean to be a Christian? Well it means to be part of this family, and to be a part of each other’s lives. That’s what it means. It means things like loyalty; like showing actual compassion for the poor. It means we love people where they are, regardless of where they are, without preconception or judgment.” With more than 50 different churches in Poplar Bluff, the McDonalds said they are not trying to compete with other churches; they merely are offering a different kind of experience. And it is not for everyone. “If you are a person who has got it all figured out, who has your theology lined out with how it ought to be, then we’re probably not going to be your
place,” Bob said. “We really like to appeal to people who aren’t afraid of questions. The questions are more important than the answers for us a lot of the time, and nothing is off limits. You can ask whatever you want about whatever you want.”
Beliefs The belief system at The Exiles is pretty simple: be nice and love one another. “…Scripture teaches that God loves us with a pure and perfect love. He loves you right now as much as he ever will,” Bob said. “In our screwed up, fallen, horrible condition, he loves you. If you’re trying to do better, he loves you. If you have no intention of ever doing better in your life, he loves you. If you intend on getting worse, he still loves you.” The Exiles Church is also about studying and discussing the Bible’s teachings to better understand them. And, Bob said, they often do not agree on anything. But disagreement and argument is a method of teaching that the McDonalds embrace. Bob sums the church’s stance up like this: “You don’t have to act like you didn’t see that movie. You know how it is, when the new movie comes out,
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