Gaffney residents will be given a preview of North Point Church. Minister of Music Ryan Bishop and the congregation will meet at 6 p.m. Sunday at Gaffney Middle School and showcase the new church, which features music "that has a definite edge," Bishop said.

On Feb. 13, Gaffney residents will be given a unique preview.

No, it isn't some new movie or television show, but a preview of a new kind of church service - the genesis of North Point Church - helmed by Ryan Bishop and Jack Phillips.

"We first officially met at my house in October of 2004," Bishop said. "Initially, we were a group of people from area churches who were looking for creative ways to reach the north part of Gaffney, specifically the area around Grassy Pond. I had been thinking along those lines for awhile and when I met with Jack and the others we found a lot of our ideas were the same. So, we decided to form a new church. And this Sunday night we'll be having a preview service, of sorts, so anyone who is interested can come and see what it's all about."

The service will be held at 6 p.m. at Gaffney Middle School. The location is actually the second choice for North Point's meeting place.

"We wanted to meet at Grassy Pond Elementary School, but all the chairs there are pretty tiny," Bishop laughed.

Filling seats isn't the biggest concern for the church at the moment. One of their largest undertakings is to help train members to reach out to their communities, and in ways to make church services more interesting. One of the methods of doing this is to teach Church Membership 101.

"We teach the meaning of salvation," Bishop said. "We teach our members about the meaning of baptism, why North Point Church exists, the purpose of observing the Lord's Supper, why we are affiliated with the South Carolina Baptist Convention, Broad River Baptist Association and the Southern Baptist Convention and our strategy and structure for reaching Gaffney. Our church has members who have come from varied backgrounds - part of what we teach is, like, a reprogramming session for people who have learned about 'church as usual.' We feel like the church is failing in its goal to reach people. Attendance around the nation is on the decline. We don't want to change our message, but we've got to change the way we deliver it."

A big change visitors might notice is the way music is handled at North Point Church.

"I would definitely say the music we have has a real edge to it," Bishop said. A 16-year veteran of the ministry, he sees the music as a way to reach out to a disconnected public. "Our musical style is best described as current. We use new songs as well as new versions of classics from the Christian music world. We believe current music will best connect with our 'church-shy' community."

And the leaders aren't charging blindly ahead on their path.

"We've visited many churches all over the state who are 'new' or church plantings that are less than 10 years old," Bishop said. "We've been there to find out what worked and what didn't work. I think people will really enjoy our children's ministry as well. The best way I can describe it is to say that it will be like Vacation Bible School every week."

One other policy that sets NPC apart is that there are no votes taken from the congregation. "We aren't a democratic church," Bishop added. "Everyone gives their own opinion and shares how they feel about a topic, but the church is run by a group of elders. And there are very strict requirements to become one of those. Our goal is to offer a vibrant, positive, life-changing faith to people who are presently not active in a church. Our desire is to have a church that is Christ-centered, simple in structure, and committed to meeting the needs of people in our community."