Mary Hardbarger | The Roanoke Times

Bill McCarthy, worship leader at The River, a church located in Kipps Elementary School in Blacksburg, and the rest of the band play as the crowd joins along in song and worship.

| Mary Hardbarger

mary.hardbarger@roanoke.com, 381-1679

BLACKSBURG -- Families, couples, college students and toddlers rose to their feet as the music kicked in.

Bill McCarthy led the band through scores of songs, some slow and some upbeat.

Although this setup may sound like a concert, it was just another Sunday worship at The River, a church located in Kipps Elementary School in Blacksburg.

"We are a very laid-back group," admitted Jim Sallie, lay pastor of the church.

This energy, and the people that spark it, attracted pastor Jonathan Tagg and his family to the church last fall.

Much like The River, Tagg's previous job followed a less conventional path.

Before becoming pastor of The River, Tagg founded and managed The Broad Street Cafe in Durham, N.C. The business began with just two staff members, but soon grew into one of Durham's many attractions.

Tagg's eagerness to work in a social environment and his love of beer and wine shaped the cafe into an eclectic mix of live music, art, poetry readings and spirits.

"Most Anglicans are pretty comfortable with drinking," Tagg said.

Tagg has spent 14 years in the ministry, starting churches throughout the United States. While in Colorado, he had a rough experience working in a religious environment that did not reflect his beliefs.

"I ran into a conservatism that seemed to be concerned more about dogma than people," Tagg said. "It was like John Calvin on steroids."

Rather than follow a strict set of religious rules, Tagg's faith is guided by the saying "Jesus will set you free."

He even sports a tattoo on his left arm -- a Celtic cross with the Greek word "Eleutheria," meaning freedom, underneath.

Knowing that his relationship with God was strong within the ministry, Tagg began questioning what his life might look like outside it -- apart from God.

Tagg found the answer in the three years that he worked at the cafe. He discovered his faith in God was stronger than ever, but his faith in the restaurant business wavered.

"My life as a restaurateur was very disconserting," Tagg said. "We started out so small ... and then suddenly the cafe turned into a large restaurant with bartenders, servers and a kitchen staff."

Through ties at an Anglican church he attended in Chapel Hill, N.C., Tagg learned of The River and its continuing search for a new pastor. Tagg eventually sat down with a group of the church's members, including Gray Roberson.

"My first impression of Jonathan was 'Wow -- he has a very different background," Roberson said. "He had a lot of life experiences and we empathized with his struggles."

Tagg, who is married and has five children, was immediately attracted to the realness of the church.

"We were impressed with the contemporary aspect of The River," Tagg explained. "They shared our values and followed the kind of the biblical, nonlegalistic faith that we follow."

Today, Tagg is having quite an impact on the church, no doubt because of his vast array of life experiences. The River is continually growing as Tagg ventures out into the community.

"Jonathan is reaching out to anybody and everybody that comes in [to the church]," Roberson said. "He has stepped into the leadership role and brought a lot of excitement to the table."