Podcast Summary: Red Rocks Church – "God's Vision for the Church"

Podcast: Red Rocks Church Weekend Messages
Host: Doug Weckenman (Lead Pastor)
Date: September 6, 2025
Episode Theme: A call to embrace and embody "rowdy church"—a culture of passionate, imperfect people who can’t keep quiet about Jesus, using the five senses as a metaphor for how the church should be experienced.

Episode Overview

Doug Weckenman launches the “Rowdy Church” series—a fresh expression of Red Rocks Church’s longstanding culture, rooted in Acts 4:20:

“As for us, we cannot help but speaking about what we have seen and what we have heard.” (Acts 4:20)

The episode explores what it means to be a “rowdy church” in today’s world: a place for imperfect people, prodigals, and the broken, welcoming all to experience and share Jesus. Doug uses the five senses as a framework to unpack how the early church in Acts lived out the gospel—inviting Red Rocks Church to do the same.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Defining “Rowdy Church” (00:00 – 07:00)

• The “rowdy church” isn’t about volume but about spirit—imperfect people who can’t help sharing about Jesus.
• It’s not a Christian country club or a courtroom, but a party for prodigals and a hospital for the broken.

  "We're not a Christian country club. We're a party for prodigals… We're not a courtroom for the convicted. We're a hospital for the broken. And we take God seriously, but not ourselves." (A, 01:20)

• The mission: Making heaven more crowded by turning up the celebration and sharing their faith.

2. The Five Senses of a Rowdy Church (07:00 – 57:00)

Doug structures the message around the five senses, illustrating each with scripture and stories.

Sight: A Church That Looks Like People Who Know God (30:20)

• The early church was comprised of ordinary, “unqualified” people who simply knew Jesus.

  “The reason I love that is because the Greek word behind 'ordinary' is 'idios'… It means, in the most endearing way, 'idiots.'” (Doug, 32:49)

• The identity of the church is not a building but the people who have been transformed by Jesus.

Memorable Moment:
Doug attributes the church’s “rowdiness” to ordinary, passionate people, comparing the community to characters from Dumb and Dumber, with playful self-deprecation:

“We take God very serious and we take our calling to build his church… We just don’t think we should take ourselves very serious.” (Doug, 33:22)

Taste: A Church That Tastes Salty (34:54)

• Drawing from Matthew 5:13; the church is called to be “the salt of the earth”—preserving and revealing “God flavors” to a watching world.

  “Let me tell you why you are here… You’re here to be the salt seasoning that brings out the God flavors of this earth.” (Doug quoting Matthew 5:13 Message, 36:30)

• Being salty is not forcing faith but living in a way that makes others curious about God. Salt preserves and flavors; Christians should flavor the world with godliness and preserve godly values.
• The “salty test”: Do people in your life know your faith has changed you?

  “Salt is about you living on purpose… It’s about you standing out… It’s about living loud in a godly way that makes a watching world wonder.” (Doug, 40:07)

Smell: A Church That Smells Sweet and Smoky (42:33)

• Based on 2 Corinthians 2:14–15, the church should carry a “Christlike fragrance”—grace and truth have an aroma.
• Doug shares a personal story about losing his sense of smell after COVID, humorously highlighting that the church must be perceptibly different:

  “Like, you ever go to your favorite store in the mall that has a smell… You should smell like you’ve been in the presence of God.” (Doug, 46:20)

• The “smoky” part comes from Jude 1:23—snatching others from the flames, meaning a church reaching those far from God will “smell like smoke” from rescuing people from spiritual peril.

  “How precious must the human soul be if both God and the devil want it that bad? The most mature thing a church can do is reach the lost… That’s why a rowdy church should smell smoky.” (Doug, 48:50)

Touch/Feel: A Church That Feels Like a Party (52:12)

• Heavenly parties happen every time a person turns to God (Luke 15, prodigal son).
• Doug argues the church should replace somberness with celebration, as God’s idea of a party is life-giving, not empty:

  “Heaven throws parties every single time a lost person comes home… That’s where we get our party culture at Red Rocks Church.” (Doug, 53:28)

• Red Rocks throws “parties with a purpose”—baptisms, worship nights, and services rooted in joy and salvation.

Sound: A Church That Sounds Like People Who Won’t Be Quiet About Jesus (56:01)

• When something changes your life, you can’t keep it to yourself.
• Doug relates spreading faith to how he evangelizes for cold plunges, but emphasizes faith deserves even more passion:

  “As for us, we cannot help telling everybody about what we have seen and heard. I’ve seen too much. I know too much…” (Acts 4:20; Doug, 58:10)

• The message includes a powerful real-life story of a church member, Dan Gillette, who lived his last days with a bold faith, urging the church to make eternity their mindset:

  “Eternity is too real for me. I can’t just keep this quiet.” (Doug, 59:12)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “We’re not a Christian country club. We’re a party for prodigals… We’re going to enjoy the ride as we go because we believe Jesus is the answer.” (01:20)
• “Rowdy church is not a volume thing, it’s a spirit thing.” (08:50)
• “We are way more like a movie theater in Fiji than some fancy fundraising… Jesus is back from the dead, and we can’t help it if the greatest news in the universe makes us just a little bit rowdy.” (21:34)
• “You don’t clean yourself up and then come to Jesus. You just simply come to Jesus and he begins to take care of the rest.” (50:10)
• “Heaven and hell are real. This is not a game. And this is the greatest evangelistic tool the planet will ever know.” (Dan Gillette, quoted by Doug, 1:00:15)
• “The world might get loud about fear. We’re going to get louder about faith… We’re a rowdy church!” (Doug, 1:03:20)

Important Timestamps

• 00:00–07:00: Introduction to “Rowdy Church” and cultural vision.
• 10:30: Shoutout to global campuses, especially the Lane Murray Correctional facility.
• 13:50: Fiji movie theater story as a metaphor for true celebration.
• 30:20: Translating Acts church qualities into today’s local church.
• 34:54: “Salty” explanation from Matthew 5:13.
• 42:33: Sweet and smoky aroma (2 Corinthians 2:14–15, Jude 1:23).
• 52:12: Church should feel like a party (Luke 15).
• 56:01–1:03:20: Boldness to share about Jesus—Dan Gillette’s legacy, invitation to faith, call to action.

Conclusion

Doug Weckenman passionately invites listeners—whether lifelong church members or new faces—to be part of a “rowdy” movement:

• A church for imperfect people, not defined by silence or self-importance.
• A place where knowing God, flavoring the world with faith, sharing the aroma of Christ, partying over redemption, and raising a ruckus for Jesus are central.
• The real vision: making heaven more crowded by living out and proclaiming the good news.

“We can’t keep quiet about what we’ve seen. We can’t keep quiet about what we’ve heard. We’re gonna praise and worship until all the earth knows that Jesus is King.” (Doug, 1:02:45)