Reality SF

Went with a friend and was somewhat disappointed. Meeting area is overcrowded. Service is longer than it should be. If you’re not part of a Community group, you’re probably not going to feel engaged with this community. Think of the largest class you took in College, and this is what that feels like. You’re sitting in a large auditorium on wooden seats… for two hours. I hope you didn’t drink too much coffee!
I thought the pastor did a good job of covering an intellectual topic in a reassuring way, but it was a sermon largely full of hyperbole and one-​sided. It also went on way longer than it should of and was overly complex when a simple thesis or idea would of been good enough.
They’ve grown spectacularly to 2000 people every Sunday. The problem is, you’re now just a number and community groups are the only way to get that small feeling again.

This is an awesome church! Great to hear the word and the different ways it’s applied into our lives. Very friendly church and easy to get integrated in. This is the place I go whenever I am visiting San Francisco.

This place is seriously such a special place. Every time I’m visiting the city I make sure to come and visit. The worship is unreal. So so good. The pastor also really speaks to me. They have a lot of amazing guest speakers visit. When I lived here in SF, I would come here weekly. Its definitely a young church, with most people there being 30 and under. Really wish there was one closer to where I live now!

Feels a bit like adult youth group with a prevalent attitude of snobbery and a coolness towards outsiders. The unfriendliness seems to reflect more of a country club vibe. Additionally, they have some strange teachings like shaming young families for moving out of the city.

Dear RealitySF,
I’ve hemmed and hawed about writing my thoughts of our church for the 3.5 years I have attended off and on since moving here. I’ve shared these thoughts with some of the leadership and other congregants privately, but feel the need to share them more publicly, in the hope that some of the concerns I share with others are addressed.
Here it goes.
The church has its excellent aspects, and has very much deserved its meteoric growth with poignant and timely sermons, committed leadership and staff, extremely strong community groups, communion each week, and overall really great people. Whether I have attended for my last Sunday or night, I am grateful for a few dear friendships and many kind acquaintances that I have made over the past few years.
However, I never really felt at home or particularly welcomed at RealitySF, and I’ve decided to look elsewhere. I attribute part of this to my own choices — living a bit outside SF for the past 2 years, I have not been a regular at any Community Group, an absolute MUST if you want to feel included at a church of this size.
But I also attribute part of this anonymity to the church model and its reluctant posture to embrace new ideas and change. Frankly, it is just too big for its britches. I have a feeling that the decision to keep one service time per week rather than expand is due to the leadership’s choice to not have enough room for new people until they figure out what to do with the hundreds and hundreds who currently attend. RealitySF has reached a point in which it does not want to expand further in terms of numbers, but grow spiritually and in engagement. I believe this is a thoughtful choice, but it will result in many people on the periphery who fall through the cracks and stop going.
A few weeks ago, when I met a newly arrived to SF first-​time attendee at Mission Bay Community Church, and she asked for my recommendations, I told her about RealitySF and encouraged her to visit, but not without some serious asterisks based on my own experiences:
— the church can feel incredibly impersonal
— if you do not regularly attend a CG or go with friends, you will likely feel ignored; the 4 minute «meet and greets» feel much more procedural than genuine or enthusiastic
— in spite of pronouncements from the senior leadership to bring your best ideas and energies to the church as opposed to church-​hop when you are dissatisfied /​longing for more, do not expect your efforts to be received or supported in more than words
— like many evangelical mega-​churches, the senior pastors predominate on Sundays; there is little room allotted to others, opportunities to bear testimony, or disagree
In the smattering of times I have attended other churches over the last year or so, from MBCC to Cornerstone Church to the LDS Church to City Church, I have found the services to be more welcoming and more deliberative (with the notable and beautiful exception of the «emo» church series at RealitySF … please look it up at
). Partly this is due to the fact that these churches have much smaller numbers or break gatherings into multiple service times to accommodate the size, rather than wedge everyone into a middle school auditorium.
While there are particular aspects of RealitySF that I realized were uniquely ill-​suited for me personally and would probably not apply to many other young Christians (e.g., the focus on contemporary music and singing at the congregation rather than in a more inclusive manner that invites people to join in), there are still some key frustrations I feel toward what RealitySF is and is becoming vs. what it could be.
The last time I checked with the church leadership, upwards of 66% of attendees on Sundays are not involved in CGs or any other capacities within the church (this was awhile ago, so this figure could be outdated, but I doubt it’s much lower). This deeply saddens me, as it means that the vast majority of congregants to RealitySF show up for an hour and a half on Sundays, and then leave, often never speaking with anyone. When there is no other meaningful effort to engage them, and when the church is reluctant to embrace new initiatives and ideas from within the congregation to change this, that is a problem.
On a number of occasions after services, I would walk up to someone who was by themselves or in a pair that seemed like they might be new and asked how they enjoyed the service. Often, I heard similar refrains, «I enjoyed the sermon and it seems like a lot of other young people like it, but I’ve been coming here for 3 weeks now and haven’t spoken to anyone, and am going to check out _​_​_​_​_​_​_​next week.»
After 3 years, I feel the need to do the same.

If you’re checking out churches in San Francisco then Reality should be on your «must try» list. It wasn’t the right fit for me, but it is the right fit for many lovers of Jesus in the city, and it might be for you, too– especially if you’re a Millennial or a Hipster (or both). Go hop on your fixie and head over to Epic.
My husband an I attended Reality for about one year, and we really enjoyed the people we were in community with there (through joining a community group, which I would recommend to anyone trying to get connected).
The worship was a little emo for my taste (and I have a Vineyard background, if that tells you anything), but the music is well done and they really do have a heart for Jesus and bringing people into relationship with him. We went there at the old location in the Castro, so I can’t really speak to the current setting, but do remember that they serve great hipster coffee (people without plaid shirts and skinny jeans need not apply for this ministry). To me, the atmosphere is very similar to a Campus Crusade for Christ meeting, which my husband didn’t notice because he was not a Christian in college and never darkened the door of a campus ministry. I think this was really just a product of how young the church was in San Francisco at the time we attended, and the fact that most [everyone?] in leadership was straight from the Santa Barbara location.
Ultimately we left for two reasons.
First, we realized after a year that we were still being «vetted» by the leadership. Neither my husband nor myself are wallflowers, and sometimes we are probably a thorn in the side of people who are not accustomed to being questioned, ever. But what you see if what you get, and we love Jesus and have been a part of the greater Christian community in San Francisco for well over 15 years.
Second, we just could not get over their position on women in ministry. They have no elder/​pastors on staff, and this is not an accident. If you’re a woman there are plenty of other opportunities for you to direct things and/​or organize, but you’ll never be an elder or a pastor. This is not as clear on the Reality SF website staff page:
as it is on the Reality Santa Barbara/​Carpenteria site:
.
If you read the article in the Guardian it wasn’t too far off. I think that Dave Lomas is a great guy, but I wish for Reality’s sake that he had just agreed to an interview. The church in San Francisco gets into trouble when it’s too closed off (I guess that’s true anywhere). I think this is just one growing pain that they will experience though, and I believe that because they truly are focused on Christ that they will continue to grow and prosper. I love hearing when my friends find a home church there, and know that they will be well loved and directed in their faith.

Reality SF is a group of people who really love Jesus. I recently worshipped with this church for the first time and felt extremely welcomed and blessed. The musical worship is very meditative and you feel free to worship whatever that looks like. They are committed to serving the city and the world, supporting non-​profits in both these settings. They put a huge emphasis on community and they have almost sixty small groups throughout the city! I pray you encounter God if you visit, and that God continues to move through and bless this church.

Visiting SF from Orange County and found the nearest church to where we stayed. The church meets in a middle school theater. Young vibe. Moving worship, with some responsive liturgy included. Don’t think the church is very old (5 years?) so great opportunity for people to get involved on the ground floor of what God is doing here to bring His Kingdom to SF.

In places where the Holy Spirit is working and spreading, that place will always be 5 stars.
Churches are not easy to plant, especially in the city where there has been a lot of backlash against Christianity But, this city is definitely blessed with Reality SF, right in the heart of Castro and Mission.
I heard about Reality through a friend who went to Reality LA. I was church hunting, and because of the location and such, it seemed like a great place to check out.
Reality is a quickly growing church, with new members joining every day. The pastors always have such solid messages and series geared toward growing the church spiritually, and encouraging all of us to spread the love of God in our communities. Our community is strong, building within our ministries, community groups, and families.
It was a little overwhelming going to RSF, located in a large middle school auditorium, with grand worship and so many people around you, especially if you go by yourself. The church has offered great opportunities for its members to get plugged in. For example, they have eat ups every Sunday for new members to share a meal with members of the church after service so that they can talk about Reality and Christ in a more intimate setting. They also give a few minutes each service for everyone to meet the people around them.
They had community groups, where members gather once a week outside of Sunday service to worship and learn about Christ in a smaller setting as well. Community groups are organized by location/​neighborhood, which I love because it puts all ages, male and female, all these different people in different stages in life to gather and love God. I’ve learned so much from my community groups, and I am so thankful to be around such a loving group of people geared toward spread the Gospel in their lives.
During service, there are moments of worship at the beginning and end, a great sermon by one of our pastors, communion, and prayer, They have prayer team willing to pray with anyone, which is very encouraging. In and out of service, there is great support from the pastors and elders of the church to help work through any questions you may have about faith and Christ.
There are different ministries to get involved with as well, such as hospitality, music, etc. Personally, I am involved with the children’s ministry, and I love working with the kids and the families of the church. I’ve always felt that RSF is encouraging of helping everyone, and there is support for everyone. I’m happy to be a support for the families in Reality.
They also have different conferences geared toward the community’s growth in faith, such as lectures on dating, technology and Christianity, and parenting. They hold women’s and men’s retreats to foster growth and intimacy with Christ. There are monthly prayer nights to pray for the church, and prayer nights geared towards different events such as Easter and Christmas. Reality also has great connections with the other Reality churches and churches and organizations around the city as well, supporting the work being done around the world.
No church is picture perfect, but we are all flawed in some way. We are all working together to build the kingdom of God, and that’s all we can aim to do. I’m extremely thankful for RSF, I love what Christ is doing in our church and in us individually in order to spread the joy and love of Christ in San Francisco, the Bay Area, and the world. Praise God!

We’ve been here twice. My daughter’s friend invited us. A very young church, with serious relevant teaching that makes you think, and make you want to take notes. Unfortunately, these days, we’re running out of churches like that. Their fellowship time is extended, something like 7 – 10 minutes which is refreshing. You actually get to start a small conversation with the person/​people around you, which is really the whole point of fellowship, isn’t it?
Extremely crowded. Don’t be late or you will not get a seat.
Worship was authentic. I actually heard people singing – not just watching.
They take communion every week, which is a really cool idea to me. They have an interesting way of doing things. They have space up front for praying and reflecting during communion time.
We’re going back this Sunday.

I have been praying for Reality SF since the beginning, and I’m so grateful to God for His annointing on this fellowship. Love the teaching, love the worship. I live in SoCal, and never miss an opportunity to worship with the Believers at Reality when I’m in the Bay Area. Such a blessing to see the young, multi-​ethnic, church body growing miraculously, coming together out of the spiritual darkness of San Francisco, hungry for the things of God.

I have always hesitated about reviewing my church on Unilocal,because to me a church extends beyond just rating a sandwich or beer selection. A 5 Star review can dangerously signal the impression that the church is perfect, which as we all know is never the case, and yet while no church is perfect, the impact Reality has had on my life is irreplaceable.
Dave Lomas is an incredibly gifted speaker, managing to translate the Gospel of Christ into a both intellectual and practical realm, continuing to touch on the difficulties and questions the 20 and 30 somethings that flock to this church have. The worship music is inspired and extremely talented. On any given week you might get a cello, keyboard, guitar, drums, violin, and a rotating selection of singers, all of whom are phenomenal. And on one special occasion, I even managed to see one of the pastors on bass… pretty epic.
Speaking of the pastors, they are not your stereotypical group, with one even having done jail time for drug dealing. While we are all flawed, they have a genuine enthusiasm for Christ and are such a perfect fit for this city.
But the people here are utterly phenomenal. I totally get how you might get the impression that this is a clique-​ish church… it’s because they do such a good job facilitating close friendships outside of simply the services. My community group has been one of the biggest blessings in my life, and I have made close, intimate friendships with people I never would have expected to. There are so many ways to get plugged in outside of the worship services, from prayer nights to dodgeball tournaments to service opportunities to 50+ person Dolores picnics after church. So if you feel like everybody knows each other, I highly encourage you to attend a community group and some of the other activities… that’s where my closest friendships have been made. It can admittedly be hard to make friends by only attending the insanely large service.
Lastly, while some have mentioned the fact that there are drinkers and partiers here, a truly Biblical church should be a welcoming place for people from all types of lives and backgrounds… the fact that everybody from drug addicts to homeless citizens, and a healthy dose of tattooed hipsters, feels welcome here is a testament that the Spirit is at work here.
The congregation is a mix of evangelicals to questioning skeptics, with more than a few people rediscovering the stagnant faith of their childhood in a deeper, meaningful way. The massive baptisms are a testament that this church is preaching the Gospel in a way that connects with the urbanites that flock here, and seeing 1,000+ people, of all races, ages, and «hoods» (Mission hipsters and Marina bros alike) worship corporately is absolutely inspiring.
If you have questions about God, are seeking to figure out what you believe, or are looking for an incredibly challenging and Biblically centered environment to grow deeper in your faith, this is 100% the place for you. I cannot stress enough to get plugged in to a Community Group, however, because that is what took the services to another level for me and how I met the most people.
I cannot, cannot, cannot stress what an unbelievable influence this church has been for my life, and my faith (and this is coming from a former atheist).

Love this place :) Good feel. Good speaker. Good people. Good worship. Annnnnd it’s nearby Philz and Dolores Park :)

Heartfelt worship. Authentic community. Wonderful people. Amazing and challenging teaching. Points towards Jesus and is actively seeking to be the church He has called us to be. You will receive as much as you put into becoming part of the life of any church you choose to go to and Reality SF will no doubtedly bless you regardless of the amount of participation you put into it. I was totally new to the area and Reality SF felt like coming home on the first day of going.

There are a few things I liked during my first experience here and a few I didn’t.
The worship music and all was great. This church seems to cater more to people in their early 20’s to late 30’s. As a result, the vibe is very indie/​hipster-​ish, with the worship being almost like a Decemberists concert than Hillsong. The girl leading worship that morning had a great voice that wasn’t typical. It was a nice switch up from what I’m used to. The message was relevant and I did find myself very engaged which is always a plus. I even found myself chuckle a couple times. Very reminiscent of the youth church I attended before moving here. They also served cups of coffee and tea along with small breakfast muffins (not that it matters all that much).
That said, there were a couple of negative aspects of my visit as well. Now no church is perfect and I do not expect them to be. This is just my observation as I’m looking for a new church on the West coast. I’ve heard Reality is rapidly expanding. This might explain why it felt so cramped in here. Walking through the lobby was like a video game, having to dodge all these people just to get to the auditorium. The chairs were hard and very packed together both side by side and front to back. There was very little space for me to put my jacket without it getting into other people’s personal space. I was also perpetually worried about knocking over my cup of tea I had placed on the ground, and even moreso once communion began and people started to get up. I know they have been adding more services to help with the crowd issue, and perhaps they might move to a larger location in the future that will help as well.
I also have to agree with Sang L somewhat when he said people are standoffish. That’s not to say the people are mean, but they aren’t exactly welcoming. I came with my bf and his two friends who were from out of town otherwise I would have felt a bit out of place. You would walk past a group of people and they’d glance at you but wouldn’t say anything. I just felt like I was being judged a little. *shrug*
I’m also kind of bothered to find someone who clearly attends this church on a regular basis attacking someone who had a bad experience. Perhaps turn the other cheek and use it as a base to reach out to new people and show them first impressions aren’t always accurate.
Overall, I enjoyed the contemporary approach, and honestly, the number one thing I look for in a church is message. Perhaps I will come back. For now, still searching.

LOVE LOVE LOVE this Church!
The setup is contemporary and the theology is sound.
The sermons are topical and they do a great job teaching not only the feel-​good part of the Bible, but also the consequences of disobedience that many churches often omit.
The people there seem normal (rarity in the city — jk!)
Looking forward to connect with the community groups :)

awesome

good church wtih a nice crowd. pastor talks about good topics and uses scripture to back it up. its a rather big church so it can get rather intimidating. the crowd is generally young SFers in their 20s and 30s. i believe they just started a childrens ministry in order to accommodate the young families. parking is kinda crazy since it is located in the middle of castro but they generally get parking at the funeral home down the street but you can’t linger after church as they need you to move your car right away and plus if there is a funeral then no parking period. parking isnt TOO hard if you come for early service or right after the first service gets out. spaces open up like crazy. i recommend using public transit if you can avoid driving.
@Sang. you sound like a very judgment, pompous, entitled and arrogant know-​it-​all. first off its spelled ‘cliques’. 2^nd, for a congregation this big, cliques are almost inevitable, should they be there? ideally no, but for everyone to know everyone and be bffs is unrealistic and impossible unless you were at church ALL day. why do you expect everyone to come greet you. you can always go talk to others. quit asking for hand outs. this is a two way street. if you’re sitting there and sulking about no one talking to you then no one is going to talk to you. i don’t know which sermon you listened to but the one i heard is nothing like what you heard. mine was about what it really means to pray and how we should pray and the general misconceptions on how we understand prayer. if thats not for you then i guess thats just not for you. as to the gathering you went to, well guess what, no one is perfect and not everyone who goes there is christian. its a sad truth that you seem to be just realizing. im not saying its ok for people to be like that when professing the name of God but for you to judge the entire congregation is pretty jacked up. there will be bad eggs at every single church you ever go to. that is just human nature. i guess you grew up in a pretty conservative bubble and probably just realizing what reality is really like (no pun intended)

It feels strange to rate a church. I am not giving it 5 stars because no church is perfect.
I am actually writing this review in response to Sang L. I’m so sorry that you had a terrible experience. Finding a good church isn’t easy. I am new to the area so if you are still looking for a church, please let me know. Maybe we can look together!
Let me start off by reiterating that Reality is NOT my home church. I just moved here so I checked out Reality a few times.
I actually thought Reality was quite welcoming. I met someone who’s been tremendously helpful with my move– showing me where thing are, where to buy things– and she’s even helped my wife explore job opportunities here. And, I have a lunch meeting scheduled with another person who just wants to get to know me and help me get plugged into the community. Cliquish? Most definitely not based on my experience.
In my humble opinion, the sermons are not at all watered-​down. They seem to be based on solid orthodox theology and are relevant to our modern culture. I particularly like that the preacher does not assume that he is speaking to a Christian audience. He doesn’t use much «Christianese» and explains things thoroughly.
From today’s Easter Sunday message, I got «sola fide» and «solus Christus” — - isn’t that what the gospel is all about? The preacher quoted extensively from scripture, cited well-​known theologians, and made a case for why we need Jesus. He even cracked a couple of jokes that were actually funny. I went with some non-​Christian friends I just met and they enjoyed the preaching and said they got a lot out of it.
Lastly, I absolutely LOVE that there are ex-​hipsters or wanna be hipsters there. Maybe they aren’t EX at all. Maybe they are the biggest binge drinking party people in SF. However, I’d rather go to a church that is welcoming to those that many churches reject and condemn. Jesus welcomes white, blacks, asians, fornicators, left-​handed people, homosexuals, those who cheat on their taxes, those who hit their dogs, and those who are overly-​religious. He is an equal opportunity Savior.
I am looking for a church that preaches that Jesus came to heal the sick and to make us fully human– alive in Christ. I don’t want to go to a church that merely turns people into Christians. The healthy do not need a doctor. I may not party and get drunk on the weekends all the time, but I am probably a bigger sinner in my heart than those who do.
As for finding the perfect church… well, if you find one, tell me to stay way from it because it will become imperfect the moment I join. But if there are other churches that I should visit, please let me know!

a very clickish church… reminds me of high school… went there alone and only one person bothered to approach me… everyone else was really stand offish…
message wise… seems like a self-​justifying watered down type sermon more focused on not offending ppl and keeping ppl coming back perhaps cuz of the paypal option on their website ppl have to give their offering
congregation of ex-​hipsters/​wanna be hipsters who party on the weekends (went to a lil gathering of one of their congregation members on a sat where there was plenty of booze n drunk ppl) n prolly fornicate (saw a couple making out in front of the church after service) then wake –up n become holy on sunday morning…
one star for all the sexy sluts who got banged one too many times n r now looking for the nice guy to take care of them n their offspring