Getting God at the Center of Your Church’s Life and Message Anthony B. Robinson .

Getting God at the Center of Getting God at the Center of Your Church’s Life and MessageYour Church’s Life and Message

Anthony B. RobinsonAnthony B. Robinson

www.anthonybrobinson.com

God at the Centre/ God at the Centre/ OverviewOverview

A New Time: Challenge and OpportunityA New Time: Challenge and Opportunity

Report from the Field: A Curious AbsenceReport from the Field: A Curious Absence

What’s Going On?What’s Going On?

What’s To Be Done? How Some Churches are What’s To Be Done? How Some Churches are Responding.Responding.

Part I: Backdrop: A New and Part I: Backdrop: A New and Challenging TimeChallenging Time

Living in the Midst of a “Sea Change”Living in the Midst of a “Sea Change”

Lindbeck: “We live in a time when Christianity Lindbeck: “We live in a time when Christianity is in the awkwardly intermediate stage of is in the awkwardly intermediate stage of having once been culturally established but is having once been culturally established but is not yet clearly disestablished.”not yet clearly disestablished.”

Established Church Going/ Intentional ChurchEstablished Church Going/ Intentional Church

A quick capsule on “Established” A quick capsule on “Established” from Hadaway, Rerouting Prot. M/Sfrom Hadaway, Rerouting Prot. M/S

““M/s churches want to hold their services, M/s churches want to hold their services, perform their rituals, minister to the sick and perform their rituals, minister to the sick and needy, provide warm community attachments needy, provide warm community attachments for their members, and be at the center of civic for their members, and be at the center of civic life. That is, they want to be parish churches for life. That is, they want to be parish churches for homogeneous communities which presumably homogeneous communities which presumably accept their necessity.”accept their necessity.”

Established Capsule (cont.)Established Capsule (cont.)

Nothing is wrong with this model in the Nothing is wrong with this model in the abstract. Indeed, it worked well in abstract. Indeed, it worked well in another era. But diversity has fragmented another era. But diversity has fragmented that by-gone homogeneity, and few that by-gone homogeneity, and few people any longer presume the necessity people any longer presume the necessity of church membership.”of church membership.”

A quick capsule on Intentional from A quick capsule on Intentional from Ammerman, “Running on Empty”Ammerman, “Running on Empty”

““In the average urban or suburban Prot. In the average urban or suburban Prot. Congregation, less than ½ live within ten Congregation, less than ½ live within ten minutes’ drive of the church, up to 1/3 have minutes’ drive of the church, up to 1/3 have moved to the community in the past 5 years, moved to the community in the past 5 years, about ½ were brought up in another about ½ were brought up in another denomination/ faith, and less than that ¼ have denomination/ faith, and less than that ¼ have been in the congregation all their lives. We been in the congregation all their lives. We don’t share a common culture or values and don’t share a common culture or values and practices of church that can be taken for practices of church that can be taken for granted.”granted.”

Intentional (cont.)Intentional (cont.)

““So churches have to be intentional if So churches have to be intentional if they are to create a sense of Christian they are to create a sense of Christian identity and belonging of any sort.identity and belonging of any sort.

Of 549 diverse congregations studied, Of 549 diverse congregations studied, one pattern stood out, “The religious one pattern stood out, “The religious groups that spend the least energy on groups that spend the least energy on the core tasks of worship and religious the core tasks of worship and religious education are the mainline Prot. ones.”education are the mainline Prot. ones.”

From Institutional to Missional

Institutional: centered on building and program. Get people to building for programs = success

Missional: building/ program have a place but as means not ends; end is forming/ equipping/ sending people into the “mission field”

Crossing the Muddy JordanCrossing the Muddy Jordan

Making the transition from “established” Making the transition from “established” to “intentional” from “institutional to to “intentional” from “institutional to missional” ain’t easy.missional” ain’t easy.

Grief/ joy, laughter/ tears all mixed upGrief/ joy, laughter/ tears all mixed up Moreover, no silver bullets, quick fixes, or Moreover, no silver bullets, quick fixes, or

easy answers. And yet vital, healthy, easy answers. And yet vital, healthy, growing intentional/ missional growing intentional/ missional congregations are emerging.congregations are emerging.

Part II: Report from the FieldPart II: Report from the Field

Berkeley, “But what do we believe?”Berkeley, “But what do we believe?” Edina, “Can we talk about God here?”Edina, “Can we talk about God here?” Winchester, “Longing for experience”Winchester, “Longing for experience” Toronto, “Renewing Our Faith”Toronto, “Renewing Our Faith” Seattle Suburb, “We’re not sure if our Seattle Suburb, “We’re not sure if our

church is still God-centered?”church is still God-centered?”

What’s Going On?What’s Going On?

Anthropology has trumped TheologyAnthropology has trumped Theology

Morality has eclipsed FaithMorality has eclipsed Faith

Huston Smith, The Soul of ChristianityHuston Smith, The Soul of Christianity

Huston SmithHuston Smith

““The chickens are coming home to roost; The chickens are coming home to roost; we are seeing the culmination of a two-we are seeing the culmination of a two-century transformation of liberal theology century transformation of liberal theology into ethical philosophy, and piety into into ethical philosophy, and piety into morality. Morality has become the morality. Morality has become the foundation of liberal Christianity, rather foundation of liberal Christianity, rather than the reverse, and as a result the than the reverse, and as a result the authority of religion has waned along with authority of religion has waned along with the mystery of the sacred.”the mystery of the sacred.”

Tom Long, “No News is Bad News”Tom Long, “No News is Bad News”

The one language entrusted to us, the The one language entrusted to us, the language of gospel, of what the God we language of gospel, of what the God we know in Jesus Christ, through the Holy know in Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit has done, is doing, and will do Spirit has done, is doing, and will do among us. Oddly, this is the one among us. Oddly, this is the one language that seems most missing from language that seems most missing from current preaching.”current preaching.”

A crucial matter: divine agencyA crucial matter: divine agency

Is God active?Is God active?

Is there a living God who acts?Is there a living God who acts?

Is God up to something in the world?Is God up to something in the world?

Part IV: What Some Churches are Part IV: What Some Churches are Doing to Get God at the CenterDoing to Get God at the Center

Worship as event/ experience of God’s Worship as event/ experience of God’s presencepresence

PreachingPreaching Mission/ ServiceMission/ Service Spiritual Practices/ “Re-Traditioning”Spiritual Practices/ “Re-Traditioning”

Worship

Priority on Worship Worship as Event/ Experience Does “predictable” describe your worship

“very well” or “quite well”? Words (to describe worship) that

correlate with vitality and growth were “joyful,” “exciting,” “has a sense of expectancy.”

Preaching/ ProclamationPreaching/ Proclamation

In PreachingIn Preaching Pay attention to the subject of your verbsPay attention to the subject of your verbs Theologize before you moralize (Epiphany)Theologize before you moralize (Epiphany) Proclamation “Setting Words on Fire”Proclamation “Setting Words on Fire”

Proclamation

Setting Words on Fire: Putting God at the Center of the Sermon, Paul Scott Wilson

People need to hear God speaking . . . Effective proclaimers say words like: “Change your ways. I love you. I forgive you. I died for you. Death has no more power over you.”

Mission/ Service Mission/ Service

In mission and serviceIn mission and service Givers to receivers who giveGivers to receivers who give Service to practice of discipleshipService to practice of discipleship The 3 questionsThe 3 questions

What did you give?What did you give? What did you receive?What did you receive? Where was God in the experience?Where was God in the experience?

Mission/ Service

“mission” is never less than corporeal “works of mercy,” but also always more

Mission is sharing faith, helping people come to faith, knowing God, being part of the community of faith/ the church

Recovery of Spiritual Practices/ Recovery of Spiritual Practices/ “Re-Traditioning”“Re-Traditioning”

Recovery of Spiritual Practices/ Re-Traditioning Recovery of Spiritual Practices/ Re-Traditioning (Diana Butler Bass)(Diana Butler Bass) Testimony “Speaking of our experience of God’s Testimony “Speaking of our experience of God’s

presence”presence” Discernment “Discovering what God is doing and Discernment “Discovering what God is doing and

what God would have us do in response”what God would have us do in response” Catechumenate “Welcoming Faith: Forming New Catechumenate “Welcoming Faith: Forming New

Christians in a Secular (and Skeptical) WorldChristians in a Secular (and Skeptical) World

Re-Traditioning

An Ash Wednesday Story

www.anthonybrobinson.com What’s Tony Thinking? Weekly Reading Next Book: “Stewardship for Vital Congregations,”

Pilgrim Press, March 2011