Seattle, Washington, is said to be one of the most atheistic cities in the United States. According to a recent Census Bureau statistics report, residents there attend church regularly the least among cities of its size in the U.S. Nearly 64% say, they don’t attend a house of worship or go less than once a year.
But something unique is happening that could make a difference in exposing people to Christ. Evan Robertson is the founder of Accord Lounge, a Christian Nightclub in Seattle. The 25-Year-old pastor says the concept was born out of an event that happened in his life on New Year’s Eve.
Robertson says, “I am my target customer, and in December of 2022, I spent New Year’s Eve alone.”
(We invite you to listen to the conversation between Crystal Thornton and Evan Robertson in the podcast below.)
He had plans to go out with one of his Christian friends and got stood up on December 31, 2022. That sparked a desire in Robertson to build what is now known as the Accord Christian Nightclub.
“I promised myself that year that I would not spend another New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day alone. And the next year we launched Accord Lounge, the Christian Nightclub in Seattle," says Robertson.
Crystal: Tell us a little more about yourself and how you came to know Christ.
Evan: “I’m from Baltimore, MD. So born and raised in Baltimore, East coaster, and I was born in a Christian household, but my faith became my faith in 2021. I had a little bout with depression in December of 2020. I had to decide whether the Bible was truth or not, and through the scripture, it literally brought life back to me. In December of 2020, I legitimately gave everything to God and just started walking on this path of passionate pursuit of his presence. And I haven’t stopped since.”
Crystal: How did you come up with the name "Accord Christian Nightclub?"
Evan: “I went to Morgan State College, an HBCU in Baltimore, MD, where me and a few other friends started a college ministry called Midnight Prayer and Praise. We would meet at 10 or 11 at night in a parking lot and pray and worship. And when it was wintertime, we would sneak into campus buildings to worship with our friends. We would also travel to other church worship nights, because we just loved the young Christian community, helping to build that, and bring them around like-minded believers. And that’s how Accord was born.”
Crystal: What is the purpose and goal of the Accord Nightclub?
Evan: “The goal and the purpose is to give Christians a place to be free. And our mission is to host unconventional parties that free Christians to be their true, authentic selves. And the only way you can do that is if you tap into the image of God within you. And if you satisfy that. So, we have content that is edifying Spiritually, for example music that is edifying and encouraging, and, we have prayer cards, that people can pick up, write a prayer and gain encouragement from that. We just want to be a place where you feel at ease and comfortable being your most authentic Christian self.”
Crystal: How has the Christian Community responded to the Accord Christian Night Club, and has it brought in people who may not be Christian?
Evan: “Absolutely, absolutely. The Christian community online… you know, there are trolls! There are people who are going to push back regardless of what you are doing. We’ve gotten push back on TikTok and Instagram, but in general it’s been a positive response from most people. Most say, they love the concept; 'I love the idea and I’ve seen other Christian nightclubs across the nation, and I love what you all are doing.' And I think it’s much more important in Seattle where you mentioned, it’s the least religious city nationally. And I think it's showing the world that no, we are here, and we’re here to stay. We’re not going anywhere, and we are going to continue to build this community. I think there are a lot of Jesus-curious individuals who want to dig a little deeper and we’re seeing those people show up and come in.”
Crystal: What is a Christian Rave?
Evan: “I’m going to be honest; I never attended or was even interested in one until a friend who lives in Seattle reached out to us and brought the idea of a Christian Rave or worship rave. And it is just EDM-electric dance music, or house music remixes of gospel and contemporary Christian music. We threw our first Christian Rave on a Thursday night in June, and it was our largest Christian event ever! And it was an amazing time, the energy in the room was just amazing.”
Crystal: What do you hope people will leave thinking, after they experience an evening at the Christian lounge?
Evan: “Two years ago I was fasting and God showed me that I was going to be a connecter of people. And through what I do, and through my ministry people would find business partnerships, but not only that, romantic relationships, platonic relationships, and they would find a community of like-minded individuals. And our promise is that if you come alone, you won’t leave alone. You will always walk out with friends, with new people to go to church with, to a concert with. We promise that you will find somebody to connect with before the end of the night. We really want to build kingdom relationships. And that’s what it’s all about.”
Crystal: What is the environment like in your Christian Lounge and why should someone give it a try?
Evan: “We did some customer research, and what you’ll find is that the normal club scene is not the most inviting, especially if you are not drinking. There are men and women who are soliciting inappropriate things, they’re touching, grabbing your waist and saying things to you that are not appropriate. And so, the secular club scene is not an environment that you feel safe in. What we created was a space for you to be free of the influence of drugs and alcohol, and to enjoy being who you are in a place where you can belong. What we want people to realize is that you don’t need all those things to enjoy yourself, to enjoy people to enjoy God. All you need is people.”
The next Accord Christian Night Club event is scheduled to happen on their one-year anniversary, this New Year’s Eve in Seattle.
Crystal: You say, you couldn’t find a “Watch Night Service,” when you moved to Seattle, was that another motivator for you to start The Accord Lounge?
Evan: 9:55 “Yes, we worshipped into the New Year! And at 12 midnight we would be lifting our hands, praising God, and just adoring him for bringing us through another year. And I did that every year until I moved to Seattle, because I’m a church kid. I’m a pastor’s kid, my dad is John Robertson, the Pastor of Kingdom Light Ministries, and my mom is Mrs. Yolanda Robertson, the First Lady of Kingdom Lights Ministries. So, that was my thing, and when I came out here there were none!
Even hopes to expand his Christian Night Club to other parts of the country, but says there are others in Tennessee and in Florida. The next Accord Christian Night Club event is scheduled to happen on it’s one-year anniversary, this New Year’s Eve in Seattle. For more information, follow Accord Christian Night Club on Instagram @Accordseattle.