We’ve known for some time that new churches and those seeking multiple site expansions have chosen movie theaters as a venue of choice. However, cinema churches continue to make local news. Check out this latest endeavor in Nebraska that piqued the interest of the Lincoln Journal Star. Not only does the church meet in a movie theater, the minister’s office is at the local coffee shop.

I volunteered one weekend for a church plant that chose a movie theater for weekend services. Setting up and taking down all the children’s ministry things, worship band, etc. was a lot of work—and sometimes sticky. But those involved in the church were most excited about seeing new faces each week, people who may have shied away from a traditional church building, but who were unintimidated by the multi-plex.

That congregation, Watermarke Church in Canton, Ga., north of Atlanta, restarted last week as a sort of satellite of Andy Stanley’s North Point Community Church in Alpharetta. According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Watermarke minister, Eddie Johnson, is simply after the best way to serve the growing community in the area. Incidentally, they are now meeting in a middle school.

The movie theater ministry model is leaping to another level this fall with the opening of the next "Left Behind" movie that will be screened for thousands at local churches rather than cinemas. Now what if your church happens to meet in a cinema? I don’t know. But promoters are hoping this new distribution system will also create a big outreach opportunity for congregations.

The church release is scheduled for October 21, for "Left Behind: World at War." The film’s star, Kirk Cameron says this new release style follows the pattern of support "The Passion" film enlisted from churches. Although the film will not be released in theatres but go straight to DVD.

According to Crosswalk.com, participating congregations will play the film on DVD, Oct. 21-23 before the DVD goes public on Oct. 25. After paying a license fee, churches who screen the film can designate their ticket sales money to benefit a ministry program.

Then of course the next big cinema event that churches around the world are anticipating is the release of "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," in theaters Dec. 9.

Then in January, a 50^th anniversary film, End of the Spear, to commemorate the events of a jungle encounter in 1956 that made Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, et al, legendary in Christian circles. And since I had the opportunity to travel to India with Steve Saint last month and hear first hand about the project and meet Mincaye, the now 80-something grandfather from the Waodani tribe who killed the missionaries, I can recommend the film.

But I am reticent to recommend all these cinematic efforts as pure evangelism. They’re not. They represent a mishmash of motives from purifying American entertainment, to making money off one of the fastest growing markets—Christian multimedia. My cynicism tells me that far more people got rich off "The Passion" than found Christ.

I mean it would be nice if a movie was all it took to bring people to reconciliation with God—most of America would be saved. And maybe for some people, knowing a Christian isn't that important to finding the way of Christ. But most people still need someone they trust—friend or family member usually—to share the love of Christ with them personally.

Dr. Thom Rainer reported in his book "The Unchurched Next Door," that some 57 percent of the formerly unchurched cited a relationship as important in their decision to become a Christian. Of those, family members accounted for 42 percent of the greatest influence on people coming to church. Learn more about this in Rainer’s article "Ten surprises about the unchurched." Check out surprise No. 8.