Worshippers rock Christmas Eve service

A jam session is not what you would expect to find at a Christmas Eve service.

But that's what makes Torch Church in Round Lake different from other more traditional churches, said lead pastor Mark Carter.

That and the fact the church has a casual, laid-back approach to worship and uses a lot of the latest technologies like podcasting, and popular social networking tools, such as Facebook and Twitter, to reach congregants who are primarily young adults.

"It's not like a primary marketing strategy as much as it's a part of how everybody does life," said Carter, 32, the church's only ordained minister. "There's a youthful culture. I use the word dude a lot. I talk like a reality TV show (host), not like a preacher. It's just kind of a young way to do it."

The church, which started in July having Sunday services at Regal Cinemas in Round Lake Beach, celebrated its first Christmas Eve service Thursday at the Round Lake Beach Cultural and Civic Center.

A group of musicians rocked the house with a mix of contemporary Christian music and traditional holiday hymns.

"They do a great job of effectively blending both contemporary and traditional church components," said Todd Wickbolt of Grayslake, who met his wife Becky, both 25 years old, when the church was just forming.

"We are drawn back weekly because of the positive, friendly and original environment that the church provides," Wickbolt said.

While the church is open to all ages, having a congregation that's largely of the same generation helps people relate, Becky Wickbolt added.

Torch Church grew out of a young adult ministry at the Chapel in Mundelein. Carter and a few other core members decided to go solo after the young adult ministry picked up steam.

"Every generation needs their own expression of devotion to Jesus Christ," he said.

The goal of Thursday's service was "to help people recognize what the Christmas story really means and how it makes sense today," he said.

Carter said the traditional churches he attended during his youth always felt distant.

"While I had an affinity for God, there was something not accessible in the way it was presented and couched," he said.

Torch Church is "historical Christianity in an updated form," he said.

"It's removed some of the traditional trappings that sometimes turns people off," he said. "We want to make it accessible."

Members still engage in some traditional forms of worship, such as Bible study and Sunday morning services.

Carter said the portable nature of the church makes it easier to focus on what really matters, and worshippers are more focused on performing community service as a means of expressing their faith.

"It helps us take a lot more money and put it toward people and ministry instead of buildings," Carter said.

That's not to say worshippers don't want to have a physical church of their own. But that will come later, he added.