Missouri Church Holds Gun Raffle to Attract Men to Parish
- Carrie Dedrick
- Updated Jun 23, 2014
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Ignite Church of Joplin Missouri has adopted a new strategy to attract young men to the parish; the church recently held a gun raffle as a form of outreach to get men in the door. The Father’s Day raffle gave away two Black Rain AR15 assault rifles; all dads had to do to enter was come to church.
The church’s Facebook page said, "Want to win a Black Rain AR-15? Dads, you earn an entry for yourself, each child you have and if you bring your dad to church. Those that registered last week get to register again!!! Don't miss this."
Ignite Church lead pastor Heath Mooneyham said in a promotional video, “So get your butts to church, if you're late don't cry to me that you're a pansy and you cannot set your alarm, alright? You're a big boy. You got big balls between your legs, you're a dad right?"
The gun raffle was met with criticism, but Mooneyham shrugged it off. “The point is to get people to church. If we get people in the door, we get to preach the gospel. If we can get more people to follow Jesus, I'll give away 1,000 guns. I don't care."
Publication date: June 23, 2014