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The Rock Church
Rating Details »
Neighborhoods: Point Loma, Liberty Station
2277 Rosecrans St.
(between Whittier St & Xenophon St)
San Diego, CA 92106
(619) 226-7625
2277 Rosecrans St.
(between Whittier St & Xenophon St)
San Diego, CA 92106
(619) 226-7625
115 reviews for The Rock Church
On Sunday, October 18, 2009 The Rock Church had the "dubious" distinction of being the target of picketing by the Westboro Baptist Church- an extremist church out of Topeka, Kansas that seems to like to link every tragedy in the world to homosexuality and Jews.
Between 5-7 p.m., on the corner of Rosecrans Street-directly in front of the Rock Church, several Westboro "worshippers" and most notably-their children held inflammatory signs such as : "The World is Doomed," "God Hates Fags," and "Your Pastor is a Whore." They did conduct a peaceful, non-violent protest, but the involvement of their children-who, when questioned, seemed to really not understand what they were involved in-weighed heavily on the hearts of the Rock flock.
A 12-year old Kansan boy was asked "Why He was There?" and said he was holding up signs to "Tell people they are going to Hell!" Keep in mind this Westboro group also considers "all the sons and daughters of Adam to be depraved." Since they took to the streets in 1991, they have supposedly conducted 41, 226 peaceful demonstrations to oppose (from their website) "the fag lifestyles of soul-damning, nation-destroying filth." This Westboro homophobic and anti-Semitic "Church" is so deluded that it pickets Billy Graham revivals-stating that wonderful preacher who has saved so many souls for God is "..a Hell-bound false prophet."
My favorite is the abuse hurled at the Catholic Church-my childhood parsonage! Current Pope Benedict XVI is termed the "Pervert Pope,"
and "The Godfather of Pedophiles." Surely God IS NOT AMUSED by this at all! When I read this abomination to Rome, I decided to join the Rock Church COUNTER-protesters who also went out onto the sidewalks of the busy streets of Rosecrans and "showed some LOVE" to the misguided.
Many young Rock followers were there as well as a sprinkling of military whose group-the "Patriot Guard" riders journey to honor various military funerals across the country (at the behest of the departed's family.) There they have tangled with the Westboro Baptist Church-who's presence is considered to be an affront to the memory of their fallen comrades.
The "Protest the Protesters" were also peaceful and non-violent. We let the protesters know that "GOD Loves Fags," and "WBC is the Domestic Enemy." But we were very cordial to them because exercising their right to free speech-as hateful as it is-is a First Amendment Right-that we respect. *(Attention Yelp San Francisco: I WAS THERE!)* The Rock Church is a big supporter of the military here in San Diego, which is why it is thought that Westboro decided to come after us, once they were done picketing the Jewish synagogues earlier that day.
There is a saying that "Any publicity is good publicity," and perhaps this is what these Westboro protests are really all about. Some critics say-better to just ignore their vile, but the Rock Church is a "Do Something" ministry and we laid some San Diego LOVE on them this particular Sunday. It surely made for a very interesting day and lots of photo ops too!
13 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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11/11/2009
On Tuesday evening, November 3, 2009, "Simply in the Sanctuary" event was held at the Rock… Read more »
A reply to "Kristin":
I HAVE done my research. AND YES, the Rock produces homophobic material!
From The Rock website about gay marriage: "we are fighting the devil!" Yep: "the devil." Nice.
And, a direct quote FROM THE ROCK WEBSITE:
"Proponents of homosexual marriages argue the importance of loving/accepting others as they are, but the Rock Church refuses to do so. The Rock does not claim to be tolerant, but biblical."
Wow. I can feel the love and acceptance flowing out of that statement! There are more statements on their site, just look on their site.
And for the record, they pulled off some even more offensive stuff that was on their site before. Yes, once again I did my research before writing my review!
If you are going to a homophobic church that does NOT teach tolerance (their words), then fine... but do not claim it is something else other than intolerant and homophobic!
Is this what churches are for? Is this what they consider "doing good"? With all the horror in the world, gays and gay marriage are really the problem?
Oh, and about your comment: "If you are on Yelp just church bashing that's kind of lame. Obviously if you disagree with Biblical principles nothing they do is going to be right in your eyes"...
First off, that IS what Yelp is for, right? Reviews and opinions? I am NOT church bashing... do you see any other negative church reviews on my site? No. And there are A LOT of churches that support two loving gay people building a life together. But according to The Rock, they have given in to the Satan (again, The Rock's own words!).
Second: "Biblical Principals" has a pretty WIDE definition. I consider the "Love thy neighbor" part a pretty big one. From the looks of The Rock's statements, they are more concerned with "Biblical Leviticus style" than focusing on Christ's message. Kind of funny for a CHRISTIAN church. I would consider the fact Christ NEVER mentions gays a big hint as to how important that issue REALLY should be to a Christian! And as for upholding the Old Testament "Biblical Principals," I hope no one at The Rock eats shellfish, has ever worked on Sunday, disobeyed their parents, wears glasses, the list of Old Testament "abominations" goes on and on! But I guess the people at The Rock know how to pick and choose which quotes from the Bible are REALLY important to peace, love and harmony in the world.
Gay Marriage and being gay may be an issue that only enters into certain people's lives once in a while, whether seeing it on the news or bashing it in church. But for those of us who WERE BORN gay, these are issues that impact our lives every second of the day. It is WHO we are, and WHO we love. IT IS A BIG DEAL.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/2/2008
Why is this church holding anti-gay rallies??? That is fine, but take away their non-profit status.… Read more »
After reading some more reviews I have to correct what they are saying. The Rock has NEVER excluded anyone from taking communion in their church regardless of ideals, beliefs, sexual preference, or for any other reason. Obviously you have not actually attended or you would know that already. They do not make any hate statements, as much as you say they are wrong in their beliefs, they disagree with you. It's a matter of difference of opinion. In fact they make a point to welcome people of differing beliefs or people living in ways that they disagree with. All are welcome there. As I have witness personally. Get your facts straight.
I have been attending The Rock for about 8 years. It's an excellent church with an excellent community. Miles is a great pastor, leader, and preaches directly from the Bible. They are a fun and energetic church and most everyone is warm and welcoming. I've since moved to Reno and still watch the sermons online.
Even though the Rock has turned into a very very large church in the last couple of years, they still encourage the "smaller community" feel with ministries, events, and small groups. While they may not do everything perfectly and to everyone else's standards, they remain true to themselves and I think they've done a great job.
If you are on Yelp just church bashing that's kind of lame. Obviously if you disagree with Biblical principles nothing they do is going to be right in your eyes. And I think that's ok with everyone at The Rock. They're goal is to be pleasing in God's eyes, not yours.
If you're looking for a church I definitely recommend checking out The Rock. You can watch a sermon on their website to check it out too.
This is by-far the bast church I have ever been a part of. Pastor Miles is awesome and the long list of ministries allow you to find your calling and honor / obey God in the best possible way! I love the "Come as you are" atmosphere and incredible worship. Who's the man!? JESUS!
The Rocks average rating is actually much lower, but it, much like the popular prop h8 vote has been corrupted by a zealot campaign, this time on Facebook, and I testify, they were witnessed with THIS ON their front page...............
Do you love the Rock? Please help us out!
Share
Today at 10:46am
People have been posting negative comments about the Rock on Yelp because of our involvement with Prop 8. This is peanuts to the vandalism, violence and intimidation experienced by other Prop 8 supporters and churches - but I want you to be heard.
1. Be honest - this isn't a Prop 8 thing because Prop 8 does not define us. Get on there and let people know what the Rock is really like and how God has used the Rock to minister to you and the people of San Diego.
2. We're not blind - we are open to constructive criticism but most of the people on there have never been to the Rock and are lashing out at anyone involved in Prop8.
3. These people need Jesus too - If someone is going to take the time to go and post a negative comment, they may also take the time to read some of the positive ones. This is a ministry opportunity! Feel free to post a bit of your testimony. Let's show them the love of Christ!
Yelp
God bless!
..............
Then I counted. 18, yes 18 of their 5 star ratings came directly from yelpers who only signed up to scam vote with their staged reviews.
Their stars do not represent how the average person feels about the rock, any more than a whole bunch of junkies reviews of heroin.
"The truth shall set you free"
or just prevent you from ever getting suckered in the first place.
That is the reason for review number 2.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/15/2009
Unfortunately I've been to this church quite a few times. Its got a cultish catch jingle to it,… Read more »
Miles is a wise man and many of the things he says are quotable. He is also very funny - especially as far as pastors go. However, there is generally a little too much cheerleading going on for my taste (e.g. making us repeatedly clap for things) by the pastors and leaders.
This is a mega-church with thousands of members. It's a typical Calvary chapel type (it's actually an offshoot from Horizon Christian Fellowship) church. They follow a similar pattern of worship, tithing, prayer and preaching and have a similar non-denominational doctrine.
With a church of this size and power (e.g. Miles McPhearson is an ex-San Diego Charger player), one would expect for the best and biggest Christian bands to be playing here each month. Sadly, this isn't the case. In the many years The Rock has been around (and I was an original member at Horizon, SDSU, Murphy Canyon, then the new building where I very infrequently attend now) they have only featured a couple of great bands. For instance, Delirious and Chris Tomlin are the only big ones I can think of. They should be supporting and bringing in bands like Jars of Clay, Switchfoot, Michael W. Smith, The Newsboys, Crystal Lewis, P.O.D., The Kry, Phil Wickham, Audio Adrenaline (who recently broke up), Sixpence and even TobyMac, Tait and Kevin Max on a regular basis. Instead they settle for bringing in The Katinas about 15 times a year.
There are plenty of ways to get involved at The Rock. You'll generally have to take a service class first, but they like to get people who attend to donate their time.
The Rock has a free classified advertisement section on their web site and it's good. You can post an ad for up to 6 weeks and it usually gets approved within a day or two. They have a cool web site.
I've always had major trouble getting Wi-Fi internet in the sanctuary. I like to bring my laptop to take notes and I can never get the internet. I cannot get it on my iPhone either. Quite disappointing.
I'm sticking to one star even though I still know and value a handful of friends that attend this church.
I will update and say they hosted a hiphop competition this year whom which a huge population of those dancers are part of the LGBT community. I won't comment on the twisted fate (or plan rather) of how this competition got moved to this location, but I will say they told people throughout the show that there would be NO intermission causing people to stay in their seats so that when intermission came, a mini sermon-speech-whatever you want to call it was done.
You can say all you want that it's no big deal, but people shouldn't have to be forced to learn about your religion. If I'm going to a competition for hip hop dance, religion shouldn't play a role.
It's just like how it shouldn't play a role in politics.
Sneaky and desperate if you ask me.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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11/7/2008
I have many friends that go to this Church. I also have many friends who no longer see me as equal… Read more »
Promised myself never to step foot in this place again (barring a full frontal lobotomy) but the unexpected death of a colleague and his family's unfortunate choice for a memorial made it impossible to live up to that promise.
It was a beautiful service, his family and friends and a lot of my coworkers gave some very heartfelt and emotional eulogies - he was only 29 and a great guy so this was a shock to all of us. Beautiful, that is, until the Rock sends in one of their fourth string pastors who makes an entire mockery of the proceedings.
First, he uses the occasion to talk about how he didn't know our friend but we should use his death to "get right with our family and God" and bla bla bla for about 10 minutes. Then, after all his proselytizing, he implores those of us who need to "get right with God" to look up at him during prayer so he can "pray for us" (note: it was hard to not look up and just give him the bird at this point.) Finally, he lifts some quote he found off the internet about how our time here is fleeting (he did not use any words that big, however, that I guarantee you) and that we are like mist - in other words, we will someday fade away. He then pulls out a can of Lysol and sprays it around to demonstrate.
He
sprayed
a motherf'in
can
of Lysol
at my friend's memorial.
After another 2 or 3 minutes of sputtering and blithering, the service concludes with an impressive procession by our officers and me fighting back the urge to grab a taser and shock the sh*t out of this clown.
I will never forgive him or the Rock for destroying what should have been a solemn and beautiful day for his family.
Oh, and miss Carrie Prejean, why don't you stop the gay bashing and holier-than-thou rhetoric, when you yourself so obviously don't adhere to the Lord's teachings. Premarital sex much?
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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5/28/2009
Though I've only been to the actual Rock Church once, I know Pastor Miles well. I was raised in a… Read more »
The Rock... from a newbies perspective.
I didn't really know what to expect...strike that...I did have some preconceived notions what I was getting into. People that I have spoken with, have told me a different myriad of opinions. Some of told me that it's great and awesome. Other's have referred to it as a cult preaching of hate and intolerance. I decided to venture forth and attend a service to make up my own mind to see what this Church is all about.
First off this place is located in Pt. Loma where the old NTC training base is. A lot of traffic on Rosecrans for a Sunday night worship service. Come to find out, most of the traffic was because of all the people attending the service. There's no main parking lot here. Only because of the sheer amt of people attending. Parking lots are spread throughout but within reasonable walking distance. I kinda half expected a tram service to be running between the lots. There were a lot of parking attendants guiding vehicles to the designated lots.
After a short walk, I walked inside the building itself. Being raised as a Roman Catholic, I immediately saw the difference between a Catholic church and this place. I walked into the main auditorium if you wanna call it that and noticed a band playing on stage playing Christian Rock and many a people standing and "jamming". Definitely different from what I'm usually accustomed to. The main auditorium itself was pretty huge with several screens / tv monitors. I didn't know at first whether I was going to church or a concert of some sort.
So the service itself was approximately 90 minutes to 2 hours long by my estimate. The first 30-40 minutes was mainly this Christian Rock Band playing. The lead singer was actually from England. She had a beautiful voice and personality to match. I've never been in a situation where I've listened to Christian Rock live. I gotta say I was pleasantly surprised. You can actually feel the positive vibe that everyone was giving off.
After the medley of songs, it was time for the sermon. I was introduced to Pastor Mickey. Again coming from a Catholic background I didn't know what to expect. Pastor was dressed if he was going to a club, polished black shoes, boot cut denim jeans and a black buttoned down shirt. Definitely different. Pastor Mickey reminded me of this particular motivational speaker that I've seen in my professional career that i've come to respect and admire.
I came to realize that Pastor Mickey as very funny and charismatic. I enjoyed the sermon because he helped me better understand the bible passage to what I can relate to. Trust me, I'm not the type of person to be going to bible study for 2 hours a night / 2x week. I rather enjoyed the message that he was preaching and it got me to think about a lot of things.
Now I hear that I must be there when Pastor Miles preaches. I'll definitely have to be there for that.
Overall, I know myself to be more of a spiritual person, not necessarily into "organized religion" per say. I don't like the all the rules and traditions of the Catholic Church. I'm not knocking the Catholic Church, but I feel for the moment that I need to explore my spiritual beliefs and find what fits for me. Ironically though, I am going to send my daughter to Catholic Catechism classes. The reason why I'm doing this is because I want to give my daughter the opportunity that I had as a child. When she is of age, she can choose her religion.
I think that as a people, we all through our own personal hardships. The message that I took in yesterday is that we all sometimes tend to wear masks or personas that we tend to hide behind. We all go through pain, depression, and anxiety to a certain point. I've been through some personal turmoil the most that I've ever experienced these past couple of years. How did I react? Irresponsibly I have to say. I've done a lot of things that I'm not proud of. I continue to do some things that are not "Christian" per say. I know that going to one service will not drastically change my life. But it did open my mind to a lot of different things. One main thing I took from their service is that God is always listening and willing to help if you allow Him in your life.
I will take what I like from this experience. There are certain things that I will not agree with the Rock. I think I'm more of a liberal, but I'm neutral on some of the hot topic discussions. I'm not the type of person to agree/disagree with homosexuality. I choose to remain neutral because I have a few friends and coworkers that are gay. Don't try to sit down with me and persuade me one way or the other...it's not going to work.
I'm going to continue to go to service at the Rock. I'm going to try to attend more Catholic masses as well. Strange huh? Like I said, I'm exploring my spirituality and sees what works for me.
At least my eyes wide open now and my heart is now willing to learn and to love.
I went to The Rock twice:
The first time, it was Catholic-bashing day. While I'm not Catholic, the lack of respect for other perspectives of Christianity made me sick to my tummy.
The second time, I was asked to sign a petition to support The Rock Church's very specific political agenda.
I'll keep on loving the diversity of the Christian faith and keeping my opinions on politics to myself. So.. thanks anyway, Rockers.
The first time I heard of "The Rock" was when they relocated to a warehouse building off Aero Drive. I used to work next door, which sucked a big one because everyone took up the business parking.
In most work places, one or two minutes don't mean much on your time clock. But where I worked at, one minute late meant a disciplinary action resulting in termination if you didn't watch out.
Finally every Sunday's shift was a traffic nightmare! I had nothing against the people going to church, but how holy can your experience be when a 411 call center is next door to your prayer powerhouse?
Let's fast forward to July 4th, 2006...
The Coors Amphitheatre (currently Cricket Wireless) in Chula Vista held a free event which was sponsored by The Rock. The headlining act was P.O.D. which we all know is a Christian rock band. So what if this was some-kind of mini-soul harvest, but I looked past that for the free show.
My best bud & I were drinking away our beers in the parking lot. We even had a BBQ grill going and invited some others to join us because of the extra carne asada. Finally after our buzz, we entered the show to see some music.
The first band that came out was like a hip hop act. I wasn't paying attention, but when I heard the lyrics in the background: "Ain't no party, like a holy ghost party, because the holy ghost party don't stop!" I got up and headed back outside for more beer.
We were both busting up on the simplicity of the song. Masses of people were swaying their hands, but we didn't want any part of it. How hard was it going to see P.O.D. when everyone and their mother, father, brother and sister were in the audience?
After a few more beers, we headed back inside to see Sonny lead his way on stage and bring out the band. Wow, it was cool. I haven't seen these guys in years. Way back when they had no tattoos, dreadlocks and looked all clean cut.
Back in our seats, they were blasting their best songs. Then Sonny suddenly stopped and headed over the mic to Pastor Miles. Oh man, I was laughing that was an old Charger taking over. He went off preaching and played a Tom and Jerry skit on the projection screens. Uhh, show me the devil (evil) again in the cartoon please?
Next thing you know the show becomes a huge mass. Wow, I have been duped. I stood up stretching out and then suddenly they tell us to see "The Light" and stand forward to accept Sweet Jesus in your life. Within seconds, a few people said I was saved. I was telling them, no I have already been but was stretching out. My friend next to me was standing, and I told him "he was saved!".
After tripping out over the dreadful experience, the church goers were bugging my friend to "go down for acceptance". Those beers started kicking in and I had to use the restroom. When we headed down, everyone that stood up was walking down to hundreds of kids wearing blue shirts. Each had a flyer in their hand which was information on going to the church.
Uh, no. Are you telling me that they are doing this for their boost in attendance then actually asking people to go? I went to the restroom and never came back to the show.
When we left, others were joining us. Did they see what we were seeing? I am not sure, but in the rear view mirror I saw the fireworks go off. Was I saved from a cult?
Years later I always shared my experience from the show. And now they are even huge with a mega-church in Liberty Station. From what I hear parking is a nightmare, but if you build it they will come.
The fat: If I wanted to see a concert...
The skinny: I would rather go pay to see a live band play.
Think what you want about the church. I go there regularly and until I was involved in a ministry I felt no real connection. I can understand why people would be turned off by some of the showy aspect of the church. What I really want to address is the "hate" that some of you believe comes out of the rock...
Jesus is love. Love is not interchangeable with the word acceptance. If you would actually read your bible cover to cover you will see that heaven does not have an "everyone is welcome" sign above the door. Everyone has the oppertunity but the only way to the father is through the son. The only way to reach God is through following Jesus' teachings. Jesus does teach us to love one another. Yes Jesus did surround himself with sinners and that is because it was the sinners who needed him. He never just accepted who they were, sins and all, and told them their behavior was just fine with him. Jesus spent time teaching a holy lifestyle. Saying that it is a sin to participate in a homosexual lifestyle is not hate... it means I love you and want to try and prevent you from missing out on eternal life with God.
If you wanted to cross the street while a bus was coming...should I not try and stop you? Would it be more loving if I just accepted your decision to cross the street?
Apparently, my other review for this was deleted. No. Not going to happen. I sent an email to Brad Wilson, pastor McPherson's assistant, genuinely concerned about a particular topic in the United States: the coming of fascism. And I mean that, and stated clearly in my email, that I use that term conservatively. I didn't hear back. I sent the same email three more times.
Didn't hear back.
Why have email on your website, if you're not going to get back to people?
Please note that Mr. Wilson is also on Yelp. I suspect that he reported out my last review for whatever reason. Are you uncomfortable, sir, that I might be right? Then email me, douche.
Anyway, here's what I wrote to him:
"Mr. Wilson,
In an attempt that is analogous to Mohandas Gandhi writing Adolf Hitler (in a letter to which Hitler didn't consider, lot alone respond), I write to you and pastor Miles McPherson in the sincerest hopes that this email be read and forwarded on.
What I want to address and call your attention to is something which has been troubling me for some time; a worrying trend from the American right within the past decade; to the point, what I (and distinguished others) have warned as the rise of fascism in the United States.
This term is used both rhetorically and conservatively. I employ it conservatively to address alarming parallels between the United States today and early nazi Germany. Particularly with relations of the targeting of gays and lesbians and their disfranchisement; onward to fear of undocumented workers crossing the border and the wars in foreign lands which are certainly racist; still onward to the fear of feminists; and yet still onward to fear of unions and socialism.
What's particularly interesting with the political right-wing in the United States and that of early nazi Germany are the following fascist tactics used by the nazis (and other fascists in Italy, Spain, and even with "red fascists" like Stalin). The right-wing in the Weimar republic had banned, after the Reichstag fire, any and all gay organizations and burned books from the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft and the Humboldt University; obviously, there was a deeply racial, political and dogmatic ideology guiding fascists in Germany, and I don't think it's worth going into deeply; Hitler declared abortion illegal in nazi Germany, banned family planning clinics and actively went after feminists forcing them to flee or become victims of the death camps (which is ironic of the term "feminazi"); and finally, the reasons the nazis came to power after the Reichstag fire, which the nazis set and blamed on the communists, was because Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany by the president who feared appointing a socialist. This is what opened to door for the horror that followed.
What's worth noting of these events is that the people in the margins of the mainstream eventually were eliminated and the sights were set on the mainstream society. In Germany it started with Jews, gays and lesbians, feminists, Gypsies, communists, socialists, anarchists, etc., until it gathered up the mainstream.
Right now, I'm seeing the disfranchisement of gays and lesbians and, more disturbingly, political assassinations (Dr. George Tiller) (a Night Of The Long Knives?), and continuous wars still being waged.
What I would like to see is a critical look at the current flow of Christian activism in the political right, an address of the issue I brought up.
Thank you for your time."
This email is even more relevant now with the "heckling" sponsored by huge public-relations corporations; models that of Italy and Germany in the 1920s and -30s, respectively.
If Mr. Wilson gave a damn about people trying to reach him via email (listed here: http://www.therocksand...) maybe this review wouldn't be warranted; however, he never got back to me many times, and probably sought out to delete my past review.
Or, perhaps he's just too stupid to have a conversation.
The Rock Church is extremely popular but the church's message is not very Christian (IMO). I was raised to believe that God and Jesus are about love and acceptance, and sadly this is not the vibe of this church. My husband and I agree that Rev. Miles is an inspirational speaker but sadly he promotes ideas that we do not feel comfortable exposing our children too. I also find it highly hypocritical that so many of the church members park in merchant parking spots in Liberty Station which are clearly marked "NO ROCK PARKING" and then walk with their bibles in hand to church. Seriously?
I went here a while back at the urging from a co-worker (who has since been fired for sexual misconduct) On a technical note Mr. Miles was a fine speaker, his message on the other hand was so filled with hate and rage. This is as much a Christian church as is a Mormon Temple or Scientology.
This will be the toughest review to date for the following reason:
I have to review on my experience while attending the Rock instead of what others wrote. I have to say having several friends and a close relative that are gay I would have been uncomfortable hearing derogatory statements from anyone, whether it's another friend or a family member. However, today when I went with a friend I decided to view it objectively and this is what I found:
The building did not look like a church...but hey who am I to judge what looked like a penitentiary. There was sort of an eerie feeling when I walked up since I felt like I was walking with a herd of Buffalo's through the Von's shopping center.
This is what I wasn't expecting:
Once inside I heard music. There was a comfort that fell over me as I sat down. The atmosphere was very laid back and the preaching seemed nonjudgmental. The pastor was quite funny as he talked about his childhood with 4 siblings and the way they would be disciplined for misbehaving. I even liked the part where he talked about his cocaine use and how giving it up helped him with his life. To me he seemed sincere as he talked about himself and never once talked about others.
He also struck something in me when he talked about gossip and how a person needs to let things go. In years past I have always tried to do the right thing and have always been too trusting with others. It has taken me years to figure out that boundaries are a good thing in life. Sometimes when people step over boundaries in certain situations it can be damaging even if it wasn't intended to be that way. So before I go down a long drawn out story and start sounding like Reverend Jackson I have to say the service kept my attention, I didn't fall asleep nor even think about leaving. In fact I found myself laughing on a few occasions and enjoying the part where he talked about each person donating a few hours of their time in the next month to do volunteer work for the city.
Do I feel guilty for enjoying it? A little...yes. Because I can tell by reading others reviews that I wouldn't have been so kind if I would have heard remarks as they had. So I look at it like this. I don't agree 100% with anyone. There will be yelpers who may read this and be upset that I enjoyed the sermon. There may even be yelpers who might not like the fact that I am for gay rights. But I am putting myself out there to see what type of message I can get for myself and learn from it, and this is what I learned:
"The next assho*e (forgive me) that calls up and wants to gossip about something that recently happened will be surprised to hear me say "It's the new year and I am ready to move on" Welcome 2009 and Welcome any changes coming my way".
I would have given another 1/2 of star but seeing as I can't I will go with 3. Who knows? Maybe a review update will be in store in the near future.
---Disclaimer---
Unlike many of the negative reviewers, I've actually attended the Rock for over a year, so this review will encompass my entire time and experience there, not just one visit or a repeating of something I read on the internet or heard from a friend of a friend.
Also, after reading several reviews, most of the negative ones seem to have more of a problem with the Bible and Christianity than the Rock itself, which is perfectly fine, but may give a distorted view on this specific church. In over a year, I've yet to hear or see anything taught that isn't consistent with the Bible. I understand that not everyone will like what the Bible says, but taking it out on the Rock in a review is like giving a Mexican restaurant a bad review because they only serve Mexican food there.
---Style---
The first thing you'll notice is that the Rock is huge (at least to me). They have a brand new building that is very contemporary and modern, and really looks nothing like a church. The sanctuary holds 3,500 people and depending on which of the 5 services you go to (8am, 10am, 12pm, 5pm, 7pm) it can be anywhere from 2/3 full to overflowing. Typically the 8am and the 5pm have plenty of available seating, but if you get there a few minutes early you should have no problem getting a decent seat at any service. The church has their own bookstore called the Rockpile and also offers childcare during the service.
The style is very outreach oriented, welcoming to everyone regardless of background or whether you've ever been to church or not. No dress code, you can get dressed up if you'd like, but most people will be found in jeans, shorts, and Chargers jerseys. They have greeters that meet you with a smile, give you a program, and can help you find a seat.
---The Service---
Worship is more like a short Christian concert, often times with special guest recording artists leading worship. This is very cool and I really like it, but if you were expecting to pull out your hymnal and listen to the organ player, you're in for a surprise.
Typically between worship and the sermon they have special announcements, top of the line multimedia presentations, and tithes and offering.
The sermon is my favorite part of the service. Whether it is Miles, another staff pastor, or one of their guest speakers, I always leave the service encouraged and challenged at the same time. The style is very non-churchy (putting things in layman's terms, telling funny stories, etc.) but the message is always Biblically sound. It's usually part of a sermon series and comes with corresponding notes to take and review throughout the week.
Also, if you miss a sermon or would like to check one out before you visit, they have a video podcast of all of their sermons you can download through iTunes or their website: http://www.therocksand....
---The Community---
Since the church is so big, one of the main concerns people have is that it would be hard to get connected to people. The Rock offers tons of chances every week to get involved in a smaller, more intimate group. They currently offer Home Groups throughout San Diego county that meet once a week, over 60 different Ministries you can volunteer or get involved with ranging from something as wild as the Motorcycle Ministry or something as life changing as the Cancer Care ministry. The church also offers classes throughout the week on topics ranging from chapters of the Bible, to marriage, to planning your finances.
For more info on these opportunities visit the Rock's website and look under "ARMY".
As you'll see I reviewed this place a while ago. I had this naive outlook that they were doing something right for some people. No more. I can't even believe this place is able to exist with the bankroll it has. What an embarrassment of riches.
I do not know what bastardization of Jesus Christ they are following. The Jesus Christ I know is not the one portrayed in this establishment.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/26/2007
I didn' t dig it.
I should preface this by stating that I'm not a very church going person. I'm a… Read more »
Scored some excellent weed here. Other than that, the "pastor" painfully bends the mind with frightening mistruths.
I have done some thinking over the past couple of days since my review was flagged. I have decided to put it back up with some additional thoughts to the Flagger. I DID attend this church ONE TIME, just like most people on here who give out 1 or 5 Star reviews to places that they have only visited once, I wrote my review which was pulled partially based on my experience there. Here is some additional info that I should have included: 1) While the peeps there are nice and VERY friendly, I did not care for the mega-church environment. I feel uncomfortable in large crowds in general and that place seemed to swallow me up! :-) I prefer a smaller more intimate place of worship which I have found.
2) I have doctrinal issues with the teachings there. I am a Calvinist and I believe in pre-destination, yes this means that God determines who will go to heaven BEFORE they are born...
I found a place that is closer to what I believe and smaller than this church and to the Flagger of my original review, I find you to be hypocritical. You are allowing a review (which I get the humor of it) regarding a lewd sexual act to be up there even though the person may not have attended at all but yet you flagged me.
If t his is flagged again with the same complaint, I will accept the decision of the Yelp court and not put this back up there but here it is again, because what I wrote is true and it was written in a humorous fashion..BTW, how do you know that Jesus doesn't listen to me? Did He tell you that? If HE did, I need to talk to him about it...:-D
BTW, I went a second time due to a friend bugging me to go with her, I did not stay long because I did not wish to stay for the sermon.
Removed Review:
Do you know what "LOVE Thy Neighbor as you love yourself" means? If ya did, you wouldn't be askin' folks to post fake reviews on a web site that is liberal, youth minded and fun loving like Yelp.. Not sure what is up but it would be very great if you did, perhaps do some soul searching about what exactly it means to love your neighbor. I will do the same if you will.
BTW, to have Gay Marriage is A CIVIL matter not a church one. Not sure why a non-Profit thinks that they should mandate what is good on the civil side.
Oh BTW, I forgot to mention that Jesus told me that He would be very, very happy if you all learned to park... you are preventing me from buying wine! I told on you to Him.
Ok. Went to a service at the Rock tonight.
The first 20-30 minutes of the service is a Christian band, which the church employs regularly. This gets the congregation in the mood to praise Jesus and to welcome their pastor, Miles. In between the band and the appearance of Miles, there was a brief intermission with COMMERCIALS. What? Ok.
Included in these commercials was one about a toy drive that said, "What's Christmas without toys?!" Wait...isn't Christmas supposed to be about the birth of Jesus? Right. Seems pretty strange for a god loving community. After this a pastor came out and talked about the toys as well, and had people raise their hands if they were going to donate. He then said that one "should feel guilty" if they weren't!
Then Miles came out. I am not a fan of this guy. He feels slimy, even from the back row of the church. Let me just give you some highlights:
-He claimed that emotions and hormones, if you listen to them, go against god's will.
-During a story which included a woman menstruating, he called her unclean.
-He used the words hoochie mama and baby daddy in his sermon (see Paige M's review for more detail about this part).
-He included sexual addiction, drug addiction, rape, and adultery in front of extremely young children. WTF?
-He also admitted that he wouldn't be alone anywhere with any woman except for his wife, not because he doesn't trust himself (even though he's cheated on his wife in the past), but because of "appearances and accusations." Um...right.
Miles is obviously about creating fear of god instead of love. Well, I guess that's one way to earn respect.
I won't even go there with their political involvement. We all know that story. Rock followers: Do you really think that Jesus would send to hell people for loving another human being, same sex or not? You're all so hypocritical. Disgusting. Love thy neighbor my ass.
I'm not really sure how the Rock gets away with calling itself a church and not a business. Take a look at the big screens, the gift shop with Rock paraphernalia, the café, the money they waste on printing a new pamphlet for each service, the "donate $300 dollars to sponsor a seat," and the over $20 million raised to "support the building" in the past year (I think it was year), and the live action cams that play on the audience during the service, and you will see where this church's money goes. Why don't they spend their millions on helping people instead of buying a fog machine for their band?
This place is a gimmick.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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11/16/2008
the congregation of this church seems to be pretty robotic.
some type of spokesperson asks them to… Read more »
Since the bible is a document of truth to be followed blindly like Miles,regardless of its inconsistencies, I sincerely hope none of you women are going to this church stuffed up with tampons. Leviticus says you are making the chairs you sit on unclean, as well as the men you touch unclean. The bible says to stay in your house till your done bleeding, so please stop sullying the temple of "God".
The bible is a great book. It can be used to tell blacks they're animals, women that they're inferior, native Americans that they're barbarians and gays that they're sinners. To top it off, the priest/minister/cult leader will put the "hand of god" on your nether regions, to drive the point home that homosexuality is wrong.
Smart money's on Miles being the next Ted Haggard. Keep up the hate, Rock. Then keep wondering why religion in America is slowly becoming a joke.
Hint: it's because of "churches" like yours.
Congratulations, Rock Church. I am now ashamed that I ever attended you, which I did in 2001-2002. Congratulations on once again making our shared faith appear to be nothing more than a smokescreen for hatred, bigotry and misinformation. I am saddened that so many devastated LGBT identified men and women, when trying to put a face to the people that told them their rights were less, will see yours.
As a fellow Christian, I'm deeply saddened at your shallow political choice.
2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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6/17/2008
I'm dropping the Rock down two stars. Why? I was impressed, very much so with their dedication and… Read more »
Rock Church, this heathen totally agrees with you, actually.
I can totally see why you think that Marriage Equality is a bad thing... i mean... i can think of at least 12 reasons why it's gonna be the downfall of our country...
1. Homosexuality is not natural, much like eyeglasses, polyester, and birth control are not natural.
2. Heterosexual marriages are valid because they produce children. Infertile couples and old people cannot get legally married because the world needs more children.
3. Obviously gay parents will raise gay children because straight parents only raise straight children.
4. Straight marriage will be less meaningful, since Britney Spears's 55-hour just-for-fun marriage was meaningful.
5. Heterosexual marriage has been around for a long time, and it hasn't changed at all: women are property, Blacks can't marry Whites, and divorce is illegal.
6. Gay marriage should be decided by the people, not the courts, because the majority-elected legislatures, not courts, have historically protected the rights of minorities.
7. Gay marriage is not supported by religion. In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are always imposed on the entire country. That's why we only have one religion in America.
8. Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people makes you tall.
9. Legalizing gay marriage will open the door to all kinds of crazy behavior. People may even wish to marry their pets because a dog has legal standing and can sign a marriage license.
10. Children can never succeed without both male and female role models at home. That's why single parents are forbidden to raise children.
11. Gay marriage will change the foundation of society. Heterosexual marriage has been around for a long time, and we could never adapt to new social norms because we haven't adapted to cars or longer lifespans.
12. Civil unions, providing most of the same benefits as marriage with a different name are better, because a "separate but equal" institution is always constitutional. Separate schools for African-Americans worked just as well as separate marriages will for gays & lesbians.
Great and fun messages...
Pastor Miles adds personality and keeps the messages interesting.
Place is very up-to-date and has everything you need, including a cafeteria, classrooms, daycare, flatscreens everywhere, etc etc.
You can wear whatever you want which makes you feel more at home.
The staff is never pushy and always welcoming.
They have many services including late Saturday, and all day Sunday.
I'm not a religious person, but am a person of decency, human compassion and of open mind and heart. I like to consider myself one to live and let live when it comes to religion, even if I totally, TOTALLY don't agree. But this... man, this grated my cheese, people.
I just was hit with a link to this in the sidebar of my Facebook account:
-------------------
Do you love the Rock? Please help us out!
Share
Today at 10:46am
People have been posting negative comments about the Rock on Yelp because of our involvement with Prop 8. This is peanuts to the vandalism, violence and intimidation experienced by other Prop 8 supporters and churches - but I want you to be heard.
1. Be honest - this isn't a Prop 8 thing because Prop 8 does not define us. Get on there and let people know what the Rock is really like and how God has used the Rock to minister to you and the people of San Diego.
2. We're not blind - we are open to constructive criticism but most of the people on there have never been to the Rock and are lashing out at anyone involved in Prop8.
3. These people need Jesus too - If someone is going to take the time to go and post a negative comment, they may also take the time to read some of the positive ones. This is a ministry opportunity! Feel free to post a bit of your testimony. Let's show them the love of Christ!
Yelp
God bless!
-------------------
No, I'm not lashing out at "anyone" involved in Prop8, I'm lashing out at those who are hypocritically crying love and peace and ministry and compassion when they purposefully support discrimination.
Prop 8 *is* discrimination, as unpalatable as that may be to those who fancy themselves righteous. Defying Prop 8? Showing that you can support and lift up everyone, regardless of whether or not you agree with their lifestyle? Now THAT would be "ministry" and THAT would deserve positive reviews here.
And while I've never been to The Rock, I'd never go. But I did have one of their ministers, Miles McPherson, as a youth pastor in my teens.
Oh, and your parking sucks. The "love of Christ" doesn't entitle you to park wherever you want. Learn to read a sign. Some of us need groceries.
I don't even like the concept of this place. It's like a catch all religion where people are so blinded by what they are told that they mindlessly follow.
A religion should be adhered to, but should also be questioned. I actually learned that from a Catholic priest who welcomes questions and offers discourse when I am unsure about a certain belief, etc. Not to mention that he accepts everyone into his church and does not speak against certain groups of people. To me that is REAL religion not this generic trash that was quickly put together to make a profit and make mindless cronies out of its followers.
p.s. I like all the fake reviews of this place....I think the ones from people with more than....um, 1 review should be taken into consideration.
I should watch what I say....next thing I know, they will be told to write twoooo reviews so it looks more credible and they will follow.
p.p.s. I have been here, I didn't like it....get over it.
I hated the huge jam The Rock would cause on Aero Dr. every Sunday and now I see someone write in that the church "prays for homosexuals".
Praying that God will change all homosexuals into heterosexuals doesn't count, y'all!
Sad.
I have only one gripe with the church...
It makes going to Trader Joe's a living hell on Sunday's. Yes... A LIVING HELL!!!
Your church is a symbol of hell in my mind just due to the fact that:
1. There are so many issues with traffic due to the size of the assembly.
2. It lasts all day into the night.
3. I don't think anyone there knows how to read...
Let me just put it this way, the rest of us who do not attend your church can read the "NO CHURCH PARKING!!!" signs in the parking lot in front of Trader Joe's.. Yet, the parking lot is full of you.. I so much want to scream out at everyone on Sundays due to this one fact..
Good Luck on doing God's work if you continue to not be neighborly.
This makes you all look like fools!
After a lonely person I knew was persuaded to try this place, every happy accident was because God intervened. She found an ATM when she needed one: "Don't try to tell me this was a coincidence!"
I noticed her new friends saying things like, "Doctors, teachers, and psychologists all across the board all agree that homosexuality is caused by childhood abuse." Which isn't true. She was irritated that a pastor in a movie was portrayed as being flirty, and wrote, "Maybe a high school principal would do this. But a God-fearing Protestant? Not hardly."
She was given or recommended a book, _I Kissed Dating Good-bye_, which she quoted happily: "Whether or not you have a biological clock and whether or not it is ticking, marriage will inevitably sneak up on you." Unless you die first despite wanting to be married.
When she was talking about how some friends from the Rock had been in a car accident and had gasoline leaked onto them but they weren't killed, she said it was a statistical impossibility. In response to my questioning what she meant, another member of the Rock became combative and asked me if I thought her belief in God was erroneous, if I thought miracles didn't occur, and if I thought it was a coincidence that she had such a change in heart. I did not want to argue with him because he was misconstruing my sentiment with a general attack on the contents of the Bible, which I had no interest in making.
To sum up, I'm not religious, I was not attacking Christianity, my brother-in-law has done missionary work and he and my sister go to a nice church. But I am appalled at the mindset of a cross-section of people going to the Rock. Here's an appropriate quote I heard from a different pastor: "So I asked myself, if God can help someone find a parking space, what can God do about wars and famine?"
I am sorely disappointed to see that this church has supported prop 8.
As someone that attended with friends on occasion back in the SDSU days, I was initially put off by the "huge crowd" atmosphere - I always felt religion was more about personal expression and being spiritually close to whatever creator you believe in (or don't believe in) - so I thought it was just a difference of opinions...
But honestly, after seeing the contributions to such a hate-filled, spiteful, ugly thing as prop 8, I had to throw in my review.
Shame on you, Rock church.
I notice that there are a ton of reviews on here about the Rock from people with one or two reviews. This tells me two things. 1. ) someone told you to go on Yelp and write a favorable review and 2.) you did exactly what you were told.
I find it hypocritical when you say you preach love but your actions clearly center around hate. Whether you think that homosexuality is a sin or not. Our country was founded with a clear separation of church and state. Equality means the same rights for all people.
Sorry "The Rock" you can keep your theocracy out of my democracy.
Difficult to say how I feel about this place considering it's a Church.
The core of any church comes from the philosophies of the sermon and how the pastor/speaker portrays that to the church go-ers. For non-denominational churches (The Rock Church), they have much more elbow room from strict traditional practices. Non-denominational means, for this church, free-reign.
Miles MacDaddy knows wassup. Well, at least that's how he'd word it. This guy connects with the audience by unconventional slang and an untucked shirt. He made it poignantly clear that we were the "cool" Christians and not the "goofy god-bless-you" Christians. His demeanor and humor is that of an unrealistic WB/UPN African American oriented tv show.
The philosophies are ... well...surrendering I suppose is the best word, taken straight from Miles. He reads then reinterprets passages (KJV of course). He touched on the greed and lust of our eyes, then the evil desires to live your life the way you want to as opposed to the way god wants. (But if youre living the way god wants you to, isnt that just another way of living the way you want since its your choosing to follow?) 60% of the time, Miles is going off on a tangent, trying to include his own experiences and what he heard from someone else .. vague, I know.
Admittingly, I have a lot of gripes about the way Christianity is run in our age. If Jesus were alive, he'd fill up ten shitters worth of disappointment and sorrow. Even what IS left of the Christian Bible (not "new" testament), its not hard to read it yourself and see what he meant. Its a great story, just incomplete. Nag Hammadi? Red Sea Scrolls? Gnosticism? C'mon Christians, fess up. There are undeniable gaps in your history and chronology (not just talking about Jesus' 30 year vacation from existence). I dont mean "mysterious," I mean "_____." Where is the truth exactly? If it's located in my heart (this is what god actually means), then what do I need any book for?
So the church itself is bigger than a football field. Just take a look at the pictures. This place is loaded. Cafeteria, a few playgrounds, stadium seating, superb sound quality. I felt like I SHOULD have paid to sit there. One of the stranger things I saw was the weapon check at the door. Yea, they make sure youre not packing heat. Rosecrans isn't exactly the Four Corners of Death.
Another tidbit, the communion came in to-go, single serving cups. Complete with the "body" (cracker) and the "blood" (grapejuice). Kinda neat, kinda wasteful. I understand the sheer mass of the place probably requires this speedy remedy. This does take alot out of the communal side of church though. As you can read in reviews below, some regular Rock Church attendees decided to stop because of the main focus pointing towards recruiting new followers.
While I was studying to get my BA in Religious Studies, ahem, I met a few Rock Church recruiters and they invited me to a big show at SDSU's Cox Arena, followed by an absurd barrage of phone calls, begging me to goto their church. I went to the show but for certainly opted out of the rest.
For some, including a few of my friends who attend regularly, the Rock Church is their own church where they can dress anyway they want and fulfill a searching soul. That reminds me...there were an ABUNDANCE of hotties at this place!! Holy shit. Too bad I have a brain down there too.
I'm not going to address anyone else's reviews here, because this is my review of my experience at the Rock.
I got started to read the Bible more from Miles and really examine myself. His messages made the old testaments fun, which is a tough job. I didn't even know how much I'd like reading it until after going here.
Being a mega church has downsides, like it's hard to really know the rest of the church. But, it also helps you with resources to outreach.
The Rock continues to be a beacon of light in the community. Its pretty sad how Miles' position of Prop 8 is taken out of context as "anti-gay" and "hate speech" because of his involvement in the issue.
I still attend the church weekly, even though I have been in LA for the past year+. I would estimate (based on my weekly attendance) that 9 times out of 10 when he brings up homosexuality, right behind it is "all sexual sin"! The Rock doesn't endorse premarital sex just as much as homosexuality. Most churches do. But of course, these words are breezed over and all that is promoted is his stance on gay marriage.
On to the content, Miles continues to inspire those that are seeking God to give their lives over to him. Des and I have, and I've got no complaints whatsoever with the path that he has opened for us. While not easy, I truly believe it is the best path for all of us.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/23/2008
Miles has an exceptional way of inspiring us to be better Christians, and better humans. You can… Read more »
I'm joining the Church of Satan, whos coming with me ?
George W ? Oprah ? Martha Stewart ? Pastor Miles ? Hannah Montana ?
http://www.churchofsat.../
" On Earth as it is in Hell "
I am inspired. I think that I too shall start a church. What a concept- find a bunch of followers, hustle them out of there money, and then build myself a big ass "church."
This place is an eyesore. It looks like a giant box in the middle of a cool little community.
I may not be homosexual but I believe we all deserve to live a rich, fulfulling life. We should all enjoy the same oppurtunities. And some jerkoff, who has been less than a model citizen his entire life, is leading his tribe down the road of discrimination. Sounds like a great 'church' if you ask me, NOT!!
Kind of reminds me of a cult.
As a former member of the Rock, I am disgraced to even say that I went there. To those of you reading the "positive" reviews, please see from their Facebook posting that they are being solicited from their congregation. I would argue that most would normally never even post on Yelp. Below is the note:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do you love the Rock? Please help us out!
Share
Today at 10:46am
People have been posting negative comments about the Rock on Yelp because of our involvement with Prop 8. This is peanuts to the vandalism, violence and intimidation experienced by other Prop 8 supporters and churches - but I want you to be heard.
1. Be honest - this isn't a Prop 8 thing because Prop 8 does not define us. Get on there and let people know what the Rock is really like and how God has used the Rock to minister to you and the people of San Diego.
2. We're not blind - we are open to constructive criticism but most of the people on there have never been to the Rock and are lashing out at anyone involved in Prop8.
3. These people need Jesus too - If someone is going to take the time to go and post a negative comment, they may also take the time to read some of the positive ones. This is a ministry opportunity! Feel free to post a bit of your testimony. Let's show them the love of Christ!
Yelp
God bless!
If you look at the Rating Details of the Rock Church, you can see where their clearly went wrong--when they aligned themselves with a hateful message during the Prop 8 campaign, they lost a lot of us. They lost us because their message of peace was lost.
Look at the Rating Details. There's a slow but steady decline in ratings and then a sharp jump which amounts to nothing more than damage control. The damage is done, and the Rock is forever tarnished in God's country.
The Rock has hurt and alienated the very people it sought to save. If it takes a bunch of one-time reviewers to keep the church afloat, than I feel sorry for you. You hurt me and my friends and you will now feel God's wrath on http://Yelp.com.
Also, I hate that you take up all the parking in the Von's parking lot. Maybe with the money you make off your followers you should build a multilevel parking structure... perhaps?
3 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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11/16/2008
This is merely an affirmation of how much I oppose the Rock Church's involvement with Prop 8. I… Read more »
Cleanliness is next to godliness, and godliness is next to Trader Joe's.
The rock. is huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge and falls under the same thoughts as Skyline - what the hell? This place is a jail house. Where's your steeple?? Where are your doors that open up so you can see all the people???
oh my goodness.
You know how in night clubs in the 70's deivates would put drugs into the ventilation system so people would get high and have a "better" time? Ya. I totally felt like that when I was here.
I have never been and never will be a fan of these large auditorium-type meetings. It's disgusting and you lose all sense of community, if you ask me.
Check out a high quality Baptist Church complete with singing, clapping and excitement about following baby Jesus and God!! =D
