Church People

Weary from the showiness and materialism that has

overtaken his ministry efforts, Guy (Thor Ramsey) goes on a journey to get back in touch with the heart of ministry and be a real role model to his youth group kids. He makes the difficult decision to cut short his speaking tour managed by his money-focused agent (Donald Faison) after realizing that his reputation has become more fame based than Gospel-driven.

But when Guy attempts to return to regular youth ministry, he is thrust into the throes of dissuading the youth group from performing a strange and potentially blasphemous stunt for the upcoming Easter service, starring a young, zealous new Believer, Blaise. In attempting to manage his youth group while navigating an unexpected love interest in the Senior Pastor’s daughter (Erin Cahill) and being a new father to his grown daughter, Guy ultimately rediscovers and puts on a powerful presentation of why we all need to put our hope in Jesus and not in ourselves.

MY REVIEW: Church People is a film I have been looking forward to and it lived up to my hopes. A laugh-out-loud comedy that touches on some absurdities but also highlights the heart of the message of following Jesus. While most of the action and humor of the film are exaggerations, there is a problem in some ministries with "rock star" personalities who can develop a cult-like following, losing focus on the simple message of salvation. Thor Ramsey is wonderful as the Youth Pastor who sincerely wants to teach about Christ, but finds himself getting caught up in his own popularity.

Pastor Skip Finney (Michael Monks) is the tie-dye wearing lead pastor who loves the crowds and coming up with new stunts and ideas to fill every seat in his huge church. When he goes too far with a Good Friday/Easter production idea, it's up to Guy Sides (Ramsey) to try to bring Pastor Skip and his encouragers back to the heart of worship and the true meaning of the message of the cross. Toss in a romantic interest with the pastor's daughter, a rival (Joey Fatone), a zealous new Believer, and the unexpected reunion with his long-lost daughter... and chaos ensues.

You've also got Stephen Baldwin as the ultimate church greeter, plus William Baldwin and Chynna Phillips as clueless parents. Director Christopher Shawn Shaw pulls all of the characters together into a fun tale I enjoyed watching. As with all good satire, there is some truth mixed in with the exaggerations, and a lesson to be learned. Church People has also been selected as 1 of 5 films nominated for a "K-LOVE Fan Award" for Best Film and Television Impact.

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