‘The Cove’, a pop-up nightclub in Nashville, gives adults aged 18 and over an alternative to traditional nightlife: a nonalcoholic space for young Christians to let loose without compromising their faith-based values.
The hotspot located in the heart of the ‘music city’ has three nonnegotiable rules: no twerking, no drinking, and no smoking.
There is reportedly another unspoken rule enacted by the club: a playlist featuring all Christian music.
TEXAS PASTOR SAYS WITHOUT JESUS CHRIST, 'WE DO NOT KNOW THE WAY OF PEACE'
The discotheque, founded by seven Black Christian men in their 20s, first opened its doors in 2023 with the intent of building "a thriving community and a welcoming space for young Christians outside houses of worship."
Cornell University alumni, Eric Diggs, one of the co-founders and CEO of ‘The Cove,’ said, "We ourselves experienced a pain point of not being able to find community outside of our church, not knowing what to do to have fun without feeling bad for doing stuff that’s conflicting to our values. There wasn’t a space to cultivate that, so we created it ourselves."
The Christian nightclub held their first monthly party during the holiday season this past November, their second event was during New Years, and their most recent get together was held just last month.
Diggs, one of seven founding members, runs ‘The Cove’ alongside his two brothers, Jonathan and Jordan, events manager Shem, nightclub assistant Darin Starks, social media manager Aaron Dews and production manager Battz.
IRAN VIOLENTLY CLAMPS DOWN ON CHRISTIANS AMID REPORTS OF TORTURE, FINES AND FLOGGINGS
Jordan, manager of ‘The Cove,’ said, "Christians get a rep for being corny, and we want to show that Christians can be normal, can be cool, and they can have fun."
The young entrepreneurs used the power of social media to build a community and promote the nightclub’s events. A recent TikTok video on The Cove’s page was captioned, "We’ve officially redefined party culture for Gen Z [and] young Millennials."
The 45-second clip continued, saying, "It all started with an idea. What if we could create a space for young adults to turn up and have fun without alcohol or substances? So we came up with the idea of starting a Christian nightclub in Nashville."
Dews added, "With us being seven Black guys, just seeing the expansion of the type of people that we can bring in, and the unification around one idea has been incredibly encouraging."
A spokesperson for ‘The Cove' told Fox News Digital, "Our mission is to cultivate a welcoming space where young adults can connect, have fun and encounter God through innovative experiences and vibrant community. Recognizing the growing health-conscious movement among Gen Z and young Millennials, we offer a unique, safe and substance-free environment for young adults to enjoy themselves. This is more than a nightclub. It’s a community. It’s a movement."
The statement continued, "In a generation where so many people have experienced church hurt, we believe many individuals will choose to step foot into The Cove before stepping foot into a church. We embrace the seemingly contrasting ideas of "nightclub" and "Christian," as we believe Jesus is present everywhere, not just within the four walls of a church building."
"It sounds oxymoronic — a Christian dance club," Nicholas Oldham, who manages the club’s business, told the Associated Press.
"What it says for old fogies like me, is that the young are hungry for the word of God," Oldham continued. "The church isn’t the building, and these young people are catching up to that."
