McMass aims to bring McDonald's to churches

A Christian design consultancy Lux Dei Design aims to bring McDonald's to a church.

Dubbed as McMass, the project aims to raise $1 million to finance a McDonald's franchise. It will cover the development and franchising costs.

Lux Dei Design is currently crowdsourcing to reach their goal faster. They also sell t-shirts and caps with the official logo.

"We want to revitalize Churches as centers for conversation and cultural engagement by putting a McDonald's franchise in a church," writes the group on McMass's official website.

McMass strives to bring to the table "the idea of the self-sustaining church into the 21st century, to help churches prosper and grow." They compare the project to the Trappist monks who sell homemade beer to provide for themselves.

According to McMass, the church and McDonald's are perfect partners, because the church is a community center that needs to attract people while McDonald's is profitable and attracts crowds but "needs centrally-located" locations.

On why churches need to have a McDonald's franchise, posted on the FAQ said, "Churches need to make sure they are financially stable, and need to engage with the larger community around them. A McDonald's franchise represents an opportunity not only for revenue, but also to draw a wider audience to the church, reinforcing the church as a gathering point."

The firm aims to spread the "message of Christ's love" through design and technology, and campaigning for McMass is one way to do it.

According to the website, the world wide web has given the design firm "the most effective way to speak and be heard; At Lux Dei Design, we use cutting edge communication technology to empower the 21st century church."

Lux Dei Design has chosen McDonald's because they need the most recognizable brand partnership possible. The burger chain works on a franchise model and brings the brand as close to the local community as possible.

The campaign started on Nov. 17 on Indiegogo has already raised $270 from 16 funders.