ITEMS OF INTEREST July 20, 2009 Issue

ITEMS OF INTEREST

with contributions from G. Jeffrey MacDonald, Julia Duin

When Barry Diamond First Told fellow minister that his Las Vegas church was preparing to leave its 12,00-square-foot rental space in April and worship instead in members' homes, they warned him he was "committing ministry suicide."

But Pastor Diamond and The Village, as his nondeminational church is known, have survived. Fifteen homes now hold intimate services twice a month. On other Sundays, they dip into funds previously earmarked for rent and use them for special events and outreach, such as a May block party for local African refugees. Now other church leaders want to know how they might follow suit.

"I don't know if we uncovered a model that people are longing for or what," Diamond says. "But I have six appointments over the next three or four weeks with [church leaders] who are flying into Las Vegas just to meet and talk about it."

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