Hi all,
Just in case folks are still stopping by - feel free to read my journaling - but I now have a consolidated site at www.dare2seek.com
The open road calls - I hope you all follow its calling.
Peace and Grace,
David
Monday, July 14, 2008
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
What is Contemporary Worship and What's it For?
I have recently had a number of people ask me about contemporary worship. This is something a bit new for the Unitarian church, and so I find that people have many different understandings of what contemporary worship is , and what it is for. I launched a contemporary service a few years back in Texas, and learned many lessons about it "the hard way." I want to use this column to share the most important lesson that I've learned.
Worship flows from mission
A traditional church that starts contemporary worship does not become a contemporary church. Often times I have seen contemporary worship created as a program within a traditional church. It is created as something for a few folks already there who would like something new. It is one program among many, like a covenant group of sorts.
This sort of program that gets called "contemporary worship" tends to have limited success because it doesn't flow from mission.
Contemporary worship would be better described as missional worship. It is worship the flows from a mission to reach a contemporary population. When we understand this, we can begin to realize it is not about having rock and roll, it is about being relevant to a particular demographic that is different than the demographic already attracted to the dominant church culture. If you're trying to reach cowboys, you want worship to be relevant to the rodeo/honky tonk culture. If you're trying to reach twenty-something goths, you want worship to feel like the underground punk scene.
Imagine a river where on one shore you have a spiritual direction and destination and on the other shore you have the community and culture that is the focus of your mission. Worship should effectively build a bridge between the two, introducing the church's theology to the people right where they are. That could be called contemporary worship, or we could just say that the worship flows from the mission.
This is not just a matter of aesthetics.
This is about the spiritual condition and concerns of the people you are trying to reach. What are people really dealing with, and is our church relevant to those issues. For example, our contemporary language reveals what we wish we could hide.
Remember when the word dysfunctional was not common usage? Neither was neurotic, psychotic, manic, bi-polar, phobia, stress, addiction, breakdown, therapy, 12-step, recovery, burn-out, mid-life crisis, hyperactive, repressed, depression, disorder, A.D.D., A.D.H.D, etc. . . What does that say to us about a contemporary mission?
This is the reality and the challenge that we are being called to. It's not just about singing songs that people like, it is about inviting them to discover that even at their most broken, they still matter. They matter to a God whose love is unbounded. Their life and what they do matters. No matter what their condition of brokenness, there is a hidden wholeness to which they are being called. The criteria for success of contemporary worship is the same as any worship, and the same as for the church in general.
Success is judged by whether we have created every opportunity for people to follow God's call to wholeness.
Does it matter what we call worship that offers that?
Worship flows from mission
A traditional church that starts contemporary worship does not become a contemporary church. Often times I have seen contemporary worship created as a program within a traditional church. It is created as something for a few folks already there who would like something new. It is one program among many, like a covenant group of sorts.
This sort of program that gets called "contemporary worship" tends to have limited success because it doesn't flow from mission.
Contemporary worship would be better described as missional worship. It is worship the flows from a mission to reach a contemporary population. When we understand this, we can begin to realize it is not about having rock and roll, it is about being relevant to a particular demographic that is different than the demographic already attracted to the dominant church culture. If you're trying to reach cowboys, you want worship to be relevant to the rodeo/honky tonk culture. If you're trying to reach twenty-something goths, you want worship to feel like the underground punk scene.
Imagine a river where on one shore you have a spiritual direction and destination and on the other shore you have the community and culture that is the focus of your mission. Worship should effectively build a bridge between the two, introducing the church's theology to the people right where they are. That could be called contemporary worship, or we could just say that the worship flows from the mission.
This is not just a matter of aesthetics.
This is about the spiritual condition and concerns of the people you are trying to reach. What are people really dealing with, and is our church relevant to those issues. For example, our contemporary language reveals what we wish we could hide.
Remember when the word dysfunctional was not common usage? Neither was neurotic, psychotic, manic, bi-polar, phobia, stress, addiction, breakdown, therapy, 12-step, recovery, burn-out, mid-life crisis, hyperactive, repressed, depression, disorder, A.D.D., A.D.H.D, etc. . . What does that say to us about a contemporary mission?
This is the reality and the challenge that we are being called to. It's not just about singing songs that people like, it is about inviting them to discover that even at their most broken, they still matter. They matter to a God whose love is unbounded. Their life and what they do matters. No matter what their condition of brokenness, there is a hidden wholeness to which they are being called. The criteria for success of contemporary worship is the same as any worship, and the same as for the church in general.
Success is judged by whether we have created every opportunity for people to follow God's call to wholeness.
Does it matter what we call worship that offers that?
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Beyond Mere Words
I feel broken. I don't know if there is any way to look at what happened in Virginia and not feel broken. I feel the brokenness of our times. The repercussions of that brokenness have now been felt directly by the people of the Virginia Tech community, and more broadly by anyone with a soul.
When I speak about extending and renewing God's covenant that can sound very abstract. It can sound like something overly spiritual and mystical. Perhaps it is. Maybe the language of spirituality, religion, and theology has led us astray. As the most religiously Christian industrial nation, perhaps our religion has led us astray because we are also the most violent of all the modern nations.
When I speak of a mission to extend or restore the covenant I am trying to talk about how it is that we live together. I am trying to talk about how we reach the alienated, the isolated, and the outsider. I am trying to talk about how our relationship as a human community would not let someone with known mental health issues buy guns. I am trying to talk about how our connection with one another might have a way of bringing grace and justice to the mentally ill, before they act out.
It is an incredible understatement to say that something went wrong. How wrong is beyond the power of mere words to describe. Hopefully the grace and justice that is beyond mere words will bring some healing, hope, and wholeness into a terrible situation.
VTech, our prayers our with you.
When I speak about extending and renewing God's covenant that can sound very abstract. It can sound like something overly spiritual and mystical. Perhaps it is. Maybe the language of spirituality, religion, and theology has led us astray. As the most religiously Christian industrial nation, perhaps our religion has led us astray because we are also the most violent of all the modern nations.
When I speak of a mission to extend or restore the covenant I am trying to talk about how it is that we live together. I am trying to talk about how we reach the alienated, the isolated, and the outsider. I am trying to talk about how our relationship as a human community would not let someone with known mental health issues buy guns. I am trying to talk about how our connection with one another might have a way of bringing grace and justice to the mentally ill, before they act out.
It is an incredible understatement to say that something went wrong. How wrong is beyond the power of mere words to describe. Hopefully the grace and justice that is beyond mere words will bring some healing, hope, and wholeness into a terrible situation.
VTech, our prayers our with you.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Heretics Guide part deux
So I've just finished A Heretics Guide to Eternity. For a couple of reasons this has been one of the better books that I have read in a while.
First, the writer does an excellent job of explaining theology. I have studied the great theologians like Paul Tillich, Charles Hartshorne, Alfred North Whitehead, Soren Kierkegaard, Walter Brugermann, and others during my time at theological seminary. After reading and learning about the theology of these towering thinkers I sometimes have found myself jaded as to whether a regular church-goer will ever think deeply about his or her faith. For example, Whitehead is a brilliant theologian who explains panentheism in his book Process and Reality. There is no possible way on God's green earth that I could have gotten past page 3 without the help of my theology professor. Reading that book was like learning an entirely different language by reading foreign chemical engineering manuals.
Spencer Burke manages to get around to many of the same theological insights covered by the great theologians of our time. Best of all he does so in an accessible way. As I read the book, I get the feeling that I'm listening to a sermon. An intellectual sermon, but a well crafted, and easy to follow one. He teaches some important theological lessons by simply inviting us to follow our own journey of faith a little further than the church world generally allows.
The other reason I think I enjoyed the book is that he went straight to the heart of an evangelical blind-spot that has always annoyed me to no end. In fact it is the very reason that I sometimes avoid labeling myself Christian in any traditional sense, and that is the issue of grace. When it comes to the meaning of grace Spencer Burke gets it, and communicates it.
The point that grace is either unearned or it isn't grace is almost universally lost on religious people. If you have to do something, perform some ritual, believe something, say the magic words, then it isn't grace - it's works. Period. End of story. It's one or the other, so get over it and move on.
Also, he has the best interpretation of the parable of the prodigal son. You need to get the book and read it just for that, it's worth it.
Anyway, now I feel like I have to get back to books on church planting, leadership, and other reading that has it's uses as well. But I believe I will be more effective at sharing God's grace after this journey with Spencer Burke.
First, the writer does an excellent job of explaining theology. I have studied the great theologians like Paul Tillich, Charles Hartshorne, Alfred North Whitehead, Soren Kierkegaard, Walter Brugermann, and others during my time at theological seminary. After reading and learning about the theology of these towering thinkers I sometimes have found myself jaded as to whether a regular church-goer will ever think deeply about his or her faith. For example, Whitehead is a brilliant theologian who explains panentheism in his book Process and Reality. There is no possible way on God's green earth that I could have gotten past page 3 without the help of my theology professor. Reading that book was like learning an entirely different language by reading foreign chemical engineering manuals.
Spencer Burke manages to get around to many of the same theological insights covered by the great theologians of our time. Best of all he does so in an accessible way. As I read the book, I get the feeling that I'm listening to a sermon. An intellectual sermon, but a well crafted, and easy to follow one. He teaches some important theological lessons by simply inviting us to follow our own journey of faith a little further than the church world generally allows.
The other reason I think I enjoyed the book is that he went straight to the heart of an evangelical blind-spot that has always annoyed me to no end. In fact it is the very reason that I sometimes avoid labeling myself Christian in any traditional sense, and that is the issue of grace. When it comes to the meaning of grace Spencer Burke gets it, and communicates it.
The point that grace is either unearned or it isn't grace is almost universally lost on religious people. If you have to do something, perform some ritual, believe something, say the magic words, then it isn't grace - it's works. Period. End of story. It's one or the other, so get over it and move on.
Also, he has the best interpretation of the parable of the prodigal son. You need to get the book and read it just for that, it's worth it.
Anyway, now I feel like I have to get back to books on church planting, leadership, and other reading that has it's uses as well. But I believe I will be more effective at sharing God's grace after this journey with Spencer Burke.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
A Heretic's Guide to Eternity
I am midway through Spencer Burke's new book, A Heretic's Guide to Eternity. As a pastor, and a person of faith who finds himself to be too evangelical for many Unitarians and too Unitarian for many evangelicals, this book has been truly refreshing.
I find the trends in emergent theology to be extremely exciting. The emergent conversation can be summed up very simply. There is a generation of "believers" who are discovering a spiritual depth that was previously hidden because of the way their faith has been presented in the past. It is truly fascinating to see this evolution occuring in in both evangelical and Unitarian circles - though they are coming from different directions they may well be heading toward one another.
One of my favorite passages from the book:
"As we enter this brave new world of the spirit, we can come with fear or arrogance or armed to the teeth with dogmatism. But that is not my desire. I venture into this world to conquer no one, to plant no flags and claim no territory, but to share what I hold dear from my tradition and offer my story about the grace of God as a gift to all who journey beyond religion."
To summarize what I've read so far, and what I personally resonate with:
While my understading of God, and our covenantal response to God, is certainly articulated through a religious tradition, there is a relationship with God that is beyond religion. Perhaps it is the nature of religion that it is like a pendulum swinging from priestly orthodoxy to prophetic heresay. The orthodoxy needs the prophet, just as the prophet needs the orthodoxy. They shape one another, they give faith both its roots and its wings
I recommend the book for any who dare to seek a God whose love is unbounded and are unafraid of the fact that the truth can take you on an offroad adventure.
I find the trends in emergent theology to be extremely exciting. The emergent conversation can be summed up very simply. There is a generation of "believers" who are discovering a spiritual depth that was previously hidden because of the way their faith has been presented in the past. It is truly fascinating to see this evolution occuring in in both evangelical and Unitarian circles - though they are coming from different directions they may well be heading toward one another.
One of my favorite passages from the book:
"As we enter this brave new world of the spirit, we can come with fear or arrogance or armed to the teeth with dogmatism. But that is not my desire. I venture into this world to conquer no one, to plant no flags and claim no territory, but to share what I hold dear from my tradition and offer my story about the grace of God as a gift to all who journey beyond religion."
To summarize what I've read so far, and what I personally resonate with:
While my understading of God, and our covenantal response to God, is certainly articulated through a religious tradition, there is a relationship with God that is beyond religion. Perhaps it is the nature of religion that it is like a pendulum swinging from priestly orthodoxy to prophetic heresay. The orthodoxy needs the prophet, just as the prophet needs the orthodoxy. They shape one another, they give faith both its roots and its wings
I recommend the book for any who dare to seek a God whose love is unbounded and are unafraid of the fact that the truth can take you on an offroad adventure.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
chewing gum and walking at the same time
The ETA for Micah's Porch to be launched is in October 2007.
In looking at the target for launching a church I have discovered that there are two tracks that need to merge at that date. The two tracks can be roughly described as institution building and community building. Trying to manage both of these tracks at the same time is proving to be quite a challenge. Throw into the mix the fact that I'm currently pastoring a church up in Wisconsin, and at times I feel like I'm developing a split personality.
Institution building is the side of church planting that is about developing legal and financial structures, networking with potential financial partners, and various administrative goals. This part of the work involves working with people who may never even step foot inside Micah's Porch.
Community building is the more enjoyable ministry of meeting people, sharing my faith with them, getting them excited about joining the vision, and building a team to launch the church itself. This group of people could care less about many of the details that people from the first group care about.
The additional complexity is that institution building is my most pressing current activity. After all, if I can't develop any partners to fund the launch, then it's going to be extremely difficult to get the church off the ground. The people building activity is something that I am involved in pretty much anywhere I go, but it really is not supposed to kick into high gear until about two to three months out from the launch. After all, someone may be really excited right now, but without anything to bring them to, eight months down the road a whole lot can change.
So the point of this post is... Navigating two paths while holding down a full time workload is a challenge. Not impossible of course, but certainly a reason for a whole lot of prayer.
In looking at the target for launching a church I have discovered that there are two tracks that need to merge at that date. The two tracks can be roughly described as institution building and community building. Trying to manage both of these tracks at the same time is proving to be quite a challenge. Throw into the mix the fact that I'm currently pastoring a church up in Wisconsin, and at times I feel like I'm developing a split personality.
Institution building is the side of church planting that is about developing legal and financial structures, networking with potential financial partners, and various administrative goals. This part of the work involves working with people who may never even step foot inside Micah's Porch.
Community building is the more enjoyable ministry of meeting people, sharing my faith with them, getting them excited about joining the vision, and building a team to launch the church itself. This group of people could care less about many of the details that people from the first group care about.
The additional complexity is that institution building is my most pressing current activity. After all, if I can't develop any partners to fund the launch, then it's going to be extremely difficult to get the church off the ground. The people building activity is something that I am involved in pretty much anywhere I go, but it really is not supposed to kick into high gear until about two to three months out from the launch. After all, someone may be really excited right now, but without anything to bring them to, eight months down the road a whole lot can change.
So the point of this post is... Navigating two paths while holding down a full time workload is a challenge. Not impossible of course, but certainly a reason for a whole lot of prayer.
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Micah's Porch
Vision is such a buzzword. Your life needs vision. The church needs vision. A pastor needs to cast the vision. God's vision must guide a people of faith!!!
What I have been discovering in my life is that vision changes. When I say change, it is not that it completely chage directions. For instance, I began with a vision to launch a progressive church. This has not been dramatically altered. However it has changed.
Maybe changed is the wrong word when speaking of vision. A better word is that the vision has become more focused. The details shift and certain parts become clear, while other areas of the vision emerge in my sight.
My prayer for direction in this church planting process has always been to receive THE VISION. The answer to my prayer has been in small bits and pieces that come into focus. The name of the church plant is a point of focus. In prayer, the name that came to me is Micah's Porch. I thought this was quite unique until I heard there was a church called Solomon's Porch out there somewhere. I guess God does indeed speak to us all.
Micah's Porch represents a vision and mission rooted in covenantal theology.
The first part comes from the prophet Micah's clarity of calling to restore wholeness:
What I have been discovering in my life is that vision changes. When I say change, it is not that it completely chage directions. For instance, I began with a vision to launch a progressive church. This has not been dramatically altered. However it has changed.
Maybe changed is the wrong word when speaking of vision. A better word is that the vision has become more focused. The details shift and certain parts become clear, while other areas of the vision emerge in my sight.
My prayer for direction in this church planting process has always been to receive THE VISION. The answer to my prayer has been in small bits and pieces that come into focus. The name of the church plant is a point of focus. In prayer, the name that came to me is Micah's Porch. I thought this was quite unique until I heard there was a church called Solomon's Porch out there somewhere. I guess God does indeed speak to us all.
Micah's Porch represents a vision and mission rooted in covenantal theology.
The first part comes from the prophet Micah's clarity of calling to restore wholeness:
What does the lord your God require of you but to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God. - Micah 6:8
The second part, the 'Porch' is a secular represention of God's love gathering us together in community. God is always drawing us back into the covenant through which culture and creation are reconciled and redeemed.
The front porch has traditionally been the place where people can feel comfortable connecting with others. But few houses are built with front porches anymore.
The Micah's Porch vision is to create a front porch experience where strangers become neighbors and neighbors become friends.
In this way Micah's Porch seeks to share God's love by creating a space for grace, a space for drawing people into authentic community and faithfulness to the calling to do justice, love mercy, and walk hubly with your God.
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