Era(s)

There seems to be a pretty formidable connection between churches and the times in which they were born. I was struck by that observation recently while attending one of our congregations. As I sat in church, it occurred to me that I had been there for the dedication service of that congregation over 40 years ago. Upon that realization, I began to reflect on how much, and how little, had really changed. On the surface there are differences. The facility has been modernized and updated somewhat, there is a sound system and so on, but when it comes to the programs of the congregation and the expectations that surround those programs, things are more the same than they are different.

That observation is not intended as a criticism; I think it is pretty normal for almost all churches. I suspect a sociological study would show that churches started in the 1750s would maintain certain characteristics while those begun in the 1970s would have quite different ones. Churches seem to maintain a certain continuity with the era in which they were begun. As someone asked me recently, however, if we were starting this congregation today, would we do things the same way? The answer is, "Of course not!" We would not start a new church using the methods that were popular 40 years ago. We would look for methods that appealed to people in this post-modern age, or whatever the current era may eventually be called.

Examples of what a congregation or a ministry started in the 2nd decade of the 21st century might look like are already beginning to emerge. The new Barrie congregation is one of those as highlighted in the recent What’s the Good Word post Steam. Actually Steam is only one of Barrie’s activities that are different. You will probably read about more of them in the weeks to come, or you can follow them now on Facebook.

But there are other examples too. Some of these new Christian movements appear to have their genesis in Great Britain. Messy Church is an example of one such effort. The Messy Church movement is already beginning to appear in Canada, as is its cousin Fresh Expressions.

So here are a couple of questions to ponder. If you were starting a new congregation in 2011, what do you think that church would look like? What would its programming be? What would you do differently than you do today? For church planters of our era, these are the questions that really matter.

Posted by Carman

Steam

What do you think of when you hear the word “Steam”? Perhaps the image of a boiling kettle comes to mind, or a steam generator. Each of you will have your own answer to that question, but I am guessing not many of you thought of Steam as a worship service.

Once each month, Barrie Community of Christ holds an event it calls Steam. In this case, Steam refers to a Christian Coffeehouse held at the TLC Café and Bistro, 49 Maple Avenue in downtown Barrie. During this event, people come together to enjoy live music, share what gives them joy or sorrow, pray, and strengthen their relationship with God and each other. Kind of sounds like worship, doesn’t it? In fact, last Sunday night, Pastor Matthew Swain even shared a homily on a passage from Leviticus in the Hebrew Scriptures he has been studying in Seminary!

Steam is hosted by Larry Christopher, the owner of the TLC café. Larry is a chef and a musician who probably loves all music but is especially devoted to the music of Neil Young. During Steam, Larry is present, preparing and serving food or refreshments for the group, and even sharing his music when invited to do so. Talk to him about his café, his music, or his relationship with Pastor Matthew, and one quickly senses the love Larry seeks to share with the world. Listen to his stories and his generous attitude of graciously doing what he can to make others happy, and it is clear that Larry also receives a lot of love in return. He is a living example of living generously.

What sets Steam apart from church in most congregations is the setting, and not just that it occurs in a downtown cafe. The difference is that Steam happens when the café is open! In other words, the congregation meets in a public place with people coming and going, all of whom are welcome to stay and participate. It rather reminds me of the Apostles in the Book of Acts, going daily to the Temple to worship and teach others about Jesus. Like those ancient Apostles, for the leaders of Steam it is not about inviting people to come where you are, but going where the people are and inviting them to share in the joy.

Will Barrie Community of Christ always do Steam? I confess I do not know. What I can say is that, for now at least, Barrie has found a way to go to the Community and invite others to Christ. They do so in a way that fits the times and the community in which they live. Praise God!

Posted by Carman

Camp

I have been hearing a lot of talk about numbers lately, all of it related to the rapidly approaching camp and reunion season. Here are a two selected samples of conversations I have heard.

1. (A conversation from only about a week ago.)
Question: Why are you budgeting for reduced income? Are you expecting fewer people this year?
Answer: Yes, as of now, we have significantly less people registered for the reunion.

2. (A Conversation from today.)
Question: How are registrations for the reunion looking?
Answer: Good. As of today we have 197 people committed. People are requesting space in a certain dorm, and those rooms were all filled some time ago. We will have at least as many as last year if not more.

An interesting contrast, isn’t it? But the really fascinating thing is that both of these conversations were about the same reunion, and the two discussions only occurred about a week apart! Everywhere I am hearing stories of things coming together, and registrations filling up. I think it is going to be a great summer for the camping season.

What is it about camps and reunions that makes people so interested? Why is it that people look forward to it and really want to be there? Is it the guest ministry? Is it the meals in the dining hall? The fellowship? The friendship? Is it because you get away from work, or computers, or phones? Is it because we can’t afford to fly to P.E.I. this year, but we can afford to go to camp? Is it the change of pace? Or is it because our lives were blessed there before, and we know they will be again?

There are probably as many reasons as people, or perhaps as many ways of expressing the real reasons as there are people who will come. Whatever the reasons, I can tell that the level of anticipation is building. People are staking claim to their room or campsite, getting their kids registered for classes, and making sure they have the time booked off work. The level of excitement is growing. We can feel it.

What about you; are you going to reunion this year? Are your kids or grandkids going to camp? Are you looking forward to the experience with anticipation? Are you excited?

And speaking of kids, we are aware of a large number of children who want to go to camp this year, whose parents simply cannot afford to send them. Is it important that they get to go? Probably. What do we do? We find people who can send them. Are you interested in helping send a kid to camp? If so, you can contact us at the CEM office and we will assist you. Or to paraphrase a famous line from the movie Jerry Maguire; we will “help-you-help-them!”

So, see you at the camp?

Posted by Carman

Port Elgin

In Friday's blog, Marion has already alluded to the fact that this past weekend, the CEM staff was scattered to the four winds. Mike Hewitt was in Ottawa, Marion Smith went to GTA-West on Sunday after being in Port Elgin on Saturday, Susan Skoor offered ministry in Grand Valley, and I was in Port Elgin. I will share a brief report on events in Port Elgin, and perhaps we can catch up on some of the others another day.

The occasion was the gathering of the four congregations that make up the Mighty Waters Mission Advocacy group: Wiarton, Owen Sound, Port Elgin and Collingwood. The weekend began with Marion leading the group through the Discover Your Spiritual Type workshop. If you have never had a chance to work through this study, I highly recommend you do. The text is the book of the same title by Corinne Ware. I have participated more than once, and it is always very revealing. It is a pleasure to see congregation members begin to understand why different people react to various ideas and practices the way they do, and why they don’t “just all think like me.” The workshop, along with the wonderful food provided by Port Elgin’s members made for a very rewarding day.

Sunday’s activities began with the awarding of Port Elgin’s annual Peace Scholarship, given each year to a student from the local high school. The selection committee that reviews all the applications for the scholarship is made up of people from the community as well as representatives from the congregation. 2011 is the tenth year this scholarship has been awarded, and the committee reported having a very difficult time choosing between six fine applicants. Each of them would have been deserving of the scholarship due to their peace making efforts in their community and beyond. In the end, the scholarship went to a very deserving young lady who is definitely making a difference. We wish Emily every success in life, and look forward to hearing more of her efforts for peace.

The congregation then gathered for worship to celebrate Pentecost. I do not know if it was the stimulation caused by the awarding of the peace scholarship that made everyone so attentive, but as a speaker, I have seldom had a congregation as focused as this group was. Pentecost is a unique day in the Christian calendar, and in some ways, a difficult one to grasp deeply, yet this congregation remained sharp and attentive, even as the minute hand made its rapid way a little past noon. It was gratifying to see a group so interested in the story of the Holy Spirit’s movement. Of course the service was followed by a wonderful pot-luck lunch and lots more great fellowship.

Perhaps the most delightful surprise of the weekend for me, however, was meeting old friends and acquaintances, some of whom I had not seen for more than 40 years. Each brief reconnection was followed by an all too short visit to try to catch up on what had happened to each other in that interval. Not all the news was good, but the visits and reconnections were wonderful.

So another busy weekend has come and gone, this one spent in the charming community of Port Elgin. There is much more I could share, however I will summarize by saying that this was a wonderful weekend indeed.

Posted by Carman

Voice

There is a sense in which our collective voice in North America has been increasingly quieted over the past 50 years. It began in the 1960s, which is beyond memory to our youth and young adults; ancient history, like talking about the 1400s. Never-the-less, the quieting began there when we began to hear disturbing questions being raised concerning the many truths we had always held up to the world. Was the Garden of Eden metaphorical rather than actual? Was the flood an incorporation of ancient mythology rather than a historical event? Could the Book of Mormon be true if it was not historical? The list of questions grew and grew, and we began to question every aspect of our sacred story, both ancient and modern.

Slowly but inevitably our voice which once called out with claims of being the “one true church” grew quiet. Our voice went from proclaiming in loud and confident if sometimes brash tones to speaking hesitantly and then to almost whispering. We were no longer sure what to proclaim.

While the latter half of the 20th century was a time of much needed questioning for us, as the 21st century dawned, new understandings began to move from concepts to words. It began with the prophetic leadership of Grant McMurray and has continued with Steven Veazey. Their discerned insights have been formed into words and phrases that await our grasp. Those words need to be lived and spoken.

Read anew the persistent and growing call that is reflected in Doctrine and Covenants Sections 161 – 164. Hear again the divine Voice that calls us to realize and share our blessings. See how often that Voice speaks the word “Community.” The Voice has gone so far as to say that this word not only matters but is so important that it is our very identity and calling! (D. & C. 163:1). This is not some new insight or theology but a fresh way of understanding what has always been true; our call is to create and invite others to community which we used to identify as Zion.

It is time for the Community of Christ in North America to find its voice. Oh we have learned a few things in the past 50 years. We need not shout brashly from the rooftops with inflated claims about who we are, but we do have something to say, and we need to say it. Our voice needs to be heard. It may be a quiet voice, especially at first as we experiment and discover what sharing community really means, but we do need to speak.

Reach out in understanding, clasp their hands and invite all to share in the blessings of community. (D. & C. 161:3a).

It is time we found our voice.

Posted by Carman

Community

A few months ago, Joan and I had lunch with a dear friend who, because of driving distance, work, and the normal busyness of life, we do not see as often as we used to, or as often as we would like. This friend stopped attending church several years ago, and is what I would probably describe as a “hard-core” post-congregational person.

As we visited, I asked if she ever missed church. Her answer surprised me. She smiled at the question, and then gave me a thoughtful reply that went something like this. “Well, I don’t miss sitting in church, or sermons, or all the theological stuff. I sure don’t miss the guilt that goes with so much of organized religion, but you know, I really do miss the community. I miss that sense of being part of something. I have to admit that I do miss the people.”

For those familiar with Corrine Ware’s book, Discover Your Spiritual Type, this friend is definitely in the mystic quadrant. Mystics often tend to be somewhat isolated within the faith community because they are frequently not well understood. There are a variety of reasons for this, but it always begins with theology. The mystic’s spiritual journey often causes them to look at life in a way that many people choose not to believe or understand. After being made to feel uncomfortable enough times, mystics often begin to withdraw. Frequently they seek solitude in order to follow the spiritual path that calls to them. My friend had all of these reasons for her separation and more. And yet, here she was, telling me that she misses the community! She is not alone in that.

I thought of that conversation again recently while reflecting on chapter 17 of the Gospel of John. In John’s telling of Jesus' prayer for his disciples, ancient and current, it seems to me that the same longing for community is present. “…that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us…” (verse 21). That love and desire for community continues to be reflected throughout the entire prayer.

The longing for community is probably universal, and yet so many of us tend to live our lives in isolation. Most of us do not really know our neighbours, and even with our friends we are often do not share our lives very openly. Our desire for community is often trumped by our own unwillingness to be open, because opening our hearts and lives makes us feel vulnerable.

Where do you find community? Will you share that experience here?

Posted by Carman

Seat

When was the last time you went into a room and found someone else sitting in your seat? It may have been a classroom, or the dining room or, God forbid, it may even have been the church!

Do you have a seat that is “yours” in the sanctuary where you normally worship? Are you a “back-sitter” or a “front-sitter”? We have this conversation from time to time around our CEM lunch table. Now most of us tend to be sitting up front in the speaker’s chair, looking out over the congregation. But occasionally we get to just be part of the crowd and need to select another seat. We compare notes as to which part of the room feels most comfortable to us. Some like to stay at the back, the better to have a perspective of the whole room. Others prefer to sit at the front, so as not to be distracted by whatever is going on back there. Yet others always tend to this or that side of the room based mainly on where they sat as a child! It just feels better, they’ll say.

Hardly anyone just sits – wherever.

Where do you sit? And why do you sit there? And what happens if someone else sits in your seat? Maybe it doesn’t make much difference to you. But I’ll wager that there is someone in your congregation whose name is on a seat, and if some interloper sits there by mistake, everyone waits to see what the reaction will be. Will they ask them to move? Will they just glare and sit somewhere else? Will they crowd into the seat beside them rather than take another less comfortable spot?

I know those things happen. I’ve sat up front often enough to be able to see it happening. I see whole congregations crowded into the back three or four pews. I notice folks scattered around the room with long stretches of emptiness between them. I’ve heard presiders plead with congregants to “please move up”—mostly to no avail.

I have no explanations to offer. No theological principles for you to ponder based on this obscure metaphor of church seating. I’m just tossing it out there for your consideration. What do you say? Any reflections, insights, sermon seeds to share based on where we all sit in church?

Posted by Marion

Multisite

Not that many years ago most people who attended church went to a single building with somewhere between 50 and 250 people. One pastor and probably a part-time church secretary made up the entire staff, with one or more volunteer musicians, volunteer Children’s ministry leaders, and perhaps dreams of one day hiring a youth minister.

Then the world began to change. I am not sure when it was that we began to hear about something called a megachurch, but I am thinking it was probalby longer ago that it seems, perhaps in the 1970s. Megachurches were usually defined as congregations with 2,000 people or more in attendance. Churches of this size were able to do many things because of their economy of scale. For instance, they could hire not only a youth pastor, but pastors or leaders for all kinds of ministries, not to mention a full-time worship leader.

It is only within the past few years that I began to hear about another new thing; churches with more than one campus. Generally the new locations are under the direction of the same leadership team and board of directors, but with a site specific pastor and staff. The first book I read on this subject was the 2002 title, Fling Open the Doors by a United Methodist Pastor, Paul Nixon. At that time, Nixon was himself a pastor of a second site congregation in Florida. (Paul Nixon is also the author of I Refuse to Lead a Dying Church, and Finding Jesus on the Metro.) At the time, I found it a somewhat surprising concept, but this development, now known as a multisite (or a multisite church), has become a significant trend. In fact, according to a new report by the Leadership Network, there are now about 3,000 multisite churches in North America, which is more than the number of megachurches.

You might expect that multisite churches are churches that have grown so big that they cannot accommodate any more people or parking at their current facilities. Sometimes that is the case, however not all multisites are huge. Multisite churches vary in size from 100 to more than 10,000 people.

Churches may have a variety of reasons for starting a second or third location. For example, some services may be conducted in another language, and it may be advantageous to have those services in a certain neighbourhood. This would especially be true if the main church is not serviced by convenient public transit. Most second campuses are close to the first, however, with 85% being within 30 minutes travel and 40% within 15 minutes. The most popular venues for second or third sites are schools, but others include storefronts and movie theatres.

The point of this blog is not to evaluate or judge this trend in any way; it is simply to report on it. It is an interesting development.

If you would like to read the full, 26 page report from the Leadership Network, entitled Multisite is Multiplying, you can download it here. You will be asked to complete a very simple registration with your name and email address before you can download the full report. Enjoy!

Posted by Carman

Rituals

Prologue: the following are merely some thoughts and questions that stir an analytic mind in a few moments of quiet reflection. They are merely questions, and should not be construed as anything more than that. Above all, they should not be read as criticism of any congregation's worship traditions but should be understood in light of Corrine Ware's Discover Your Spiritual Type.

On Sunday I attended and enjoyed a lovely Christmas service in one of our small but faithful communities. There were twenty of us present, and we gathered in a sanctuary that was beautifully decorated for Christmas. In evidence were the banners, the poinsettias, the nativity scene, and the Christmas tree complete with groceries beneath, all destined for the local food bank. All of these are lovely symbols of the ritual of our Christmas worship.

As I waited for the service to begin, I began to reflect on how many rituals were represented in the sanctuary. The slightly raised dais, the sculpted oak pulpit, the lovely matching heavy oak chairs with the leather seats that have been in use for as long as I can remember; all of these have become symbols of our worship ritual. The rather formal setting with the individual chairs all set in straight rows facing the rostrum speaks clearly of another aspect of our ritual tradition. The bulletin, the order of worship, the music; all are examples of what have become formal expressions of our gathering.

Rituals can be comforting because they are familiar. For those who gather regularly to worship, the constant presence of these symbols may say that all is well in this safe, predictable space. At the same time, I couldn’t help but wonder how those same ritual symbols would be seen by those unfamiliar with traditional church worship. Would they find the symbols comforting or would their formal nature merely seem archaic? Would the forty chairs in straight rows facing the three officers at the front seem comfortable or cold? How would the seventeen people scattered across the back ¾ of those forty chairs be read? (After all, nobody is going to sit in the front row!)

What would happen if we put twenty-two chairs in a circle, providing two for our expected guests? Would the less formal setting make our guests feel more at ease or less? Would they feel more included and less ignored? What if the heart of the gathering was not about listening to a sermon, but the sharing of stories, happy and sad, that happened the previous week when we were out in the community engaged in mission? Is it possible that we would need to add more chairs to accommodate the people who were attracted to such real ministry? I'm sad to say, I do not know.

What I do know is that the patterns that come into use in one era because they make sense for that day become rituals that remain long after the reasons for their adoption are forgotten. They become "the way we have always done things!" That is not necessarily wrong, but neither is it necessarily right. And that brings me to one more question. Is it time to adapt some new rituals for our day? I wonder what those would look like.

If any of this resonates with you or if you have any thoughts on the subject, lets talk.

Posted by Carman

Pews

(It was this word or the other one.) I think too often we spend much too much time trying to figure out how to get bums in pews! Not that it isn't related or important or even easy. But how very easy it is for us to get distracted by the question: How can we get more bums into our pews?

It's the Field of Dreams school of Christian thought: if you build it, they will come. And then we try very hard to figure out just exactly what kind of thing to build. Should it have hymals and organs or praise bands and power point? What will bring the young folks back? Should we encourage people to bring in their coffee?

But that's not the right question. That's not what matters most! I'd be thrilled beyond belief if I could say: Those folks aren't here today because they're out blessing their community. They're serving the needy, or working on an important justice project or visiting in a hospice or cleaning out an animal shelter or...

I've even been known to come down in favour of coaching a kids' soccer game that happened to be scheduled on a Sunday morning. If that's what it takes to be part of a community, to inject values and teach fair play with my kids and their peers, I would rather be there than with my bum in the pew.

Now please give me something of value when I do show up. Help me learn those values and give me skills for teaching our children. Support my efforts to create Christian community. Don't scold me for not coming to sing hymns with you every single week. I'll vote with my feet.

Can we please pay attention to what questions we should be answering? Is it how to get more bums in our pews? Or is it something else?

Posted by Marion

Road

Your CEM team is on the road this weekend. We'll be scattering in several directions and hoping to see many of you.

It's good to have this little on-line community too. Some of us are exploring how to best use our technology to stay connected. Expect to hear more about that too as we're trying our blogs, internet groups, skype calls, twitter. I confess I'm not totally "up" on all those, but love to hear your experiences and will be sharing as I can.

But "face to face" is important too. And for some folks it's the only way. (I don't agree with those "only way" opinions, by the way, as I'll be talking about in some future Blog posts.) But "face to face" is great!

So watch for us this week in Guelph, Kitchener, Montreal and California! Joining us will be friends from Corinth, Elora, Grand Valley, Cambridge, and who knows where.

I'd be happy to hear who else is on the road and where you're gathering this weekend. I've got an idea we're not the only ones.

Language

I have been living with the Healthy Congregation model for more than five years now. Congregations where there have been CPI conversations have seen the model and have begun to use its language. It takes some time for this language to be spoken; it takes longer for it to be understood; it takes even longer to internalize it.

I do understand Carman’s question: what was I thinking when I expressed this goal? Deploy the Healthy Congregation model in every CEM congregation!

I’m not sure if ten years will be enough to accomplish this one either. But having lived with it for five years, I do acknowledge that it is useful and I’m beginning to internalize its concepts. Elements of the Healthy Congregation model spring readily to my mind on lots of occasions, in lots of differing situations. It’s starting to be really helpful to me when some of the typical questions are posed, or when I want to explain what I mean.

I recently read an Interview with a Street Preacher here and was struck by this comment he made:
Jesus went to seek and save the lost, and I don't see him passing out flyers for the upper room meeting but healing, preaching, and ministering where people were. Many pray for seats to be filled by incoming sinners, while I often pray for them to be emptied by the outgoing saints.

Right there in that short paragraph I see elements of the three kinds of ministry the HC Model refers to! I think of the people, the saints gathered together in those seats, in that upper room. I imagine the going out in service to find the lost in the community in response to Jesus’ message, and I feel the invitation to be part of these ministries—the work of the healthy congregation.

All these ministries are part of the tradition, the foundation built on an understanding of God’s generous grace and in response to a great need in the world for the overarching values of peace, reconciliation and healing of the Spirit. Too often we imagine the “church” as living inside that box, that one in the middle of the drawing. But if there is a true Spirit there, we feel its pull—or its push—outside the box and into the world. That’s one message I get from this Model. There will be others. You may recognize others yourself.

What is your experience in hearing, understanding, internalizing the language of the Healthy Congregation Model?
(Posted by Marion)

Together

It appears we're a people who really, really enjoy coming together. We've been finding ways to get together a lot. Recently we've gathered at the Retirees' Retreat (I was there!). Youth and young adults gathered at their annual Thanksgiving retreat. Another small group had a few days of silent retreat in each other's company.

Within recent weeks we've had a men's retreat at McGowan's Lake and a women's retreat at Ziontario. And it's not long since Family and Friends met at Erie Beach. Many of us couldn't get through a summer season without a reunion or a camp experience, be it kids camp or junior or senior high; and others teamed up with Canada West youth for a bus trip to SPEC and IYF.

Now here's my thought on all this togetherness. Why do we do that? Is it because we just love each other's company? Or does the coming together help us do what we need to do between gatherings?

Glenn McDonald in The Disciple Making Church suggests that every disciple needs an Antioch--the place we return to, to regain our strenth. But we also need a Macedonia--the place we're called to go and bring ministry. True disciples, says McDonald, need both.

Go back from time to time to your Antioch, but pay attention to the call to Macedonia. Now that we've all be strengthened and nurtured by coming together, it's time to listen for the call to do ministry in the community. Let's think a minute about where we're being called.