Worship in the Emerging Church: What Resonates with Post-Christians Dan Kimball, Sally Morganthaler CCN seminar – May, 2005.

Worship in the Emerging Worship in the Emerging Church: Church:

What Resonates with Post-ChristiansWhat Resonates with Post-Christians

Dan Kimball, Sally MorganthalerDan Kimball, Sally Morganthaler

CCN seminar – May, 2005CCN seminar – May, 2005

Definition of WorshipDefinition of Worship

• ““To bow down,” To bow down,” prostrateprostrate

• Submission to Submission to Lordship of Jesus Lordship of Jesus ChristChrist

• EncounterEncounter

The Cosmic Work of GodThe Cosmic Work of God

• Early Christian Early Christian response to the response to the presence and work of presence and work of God: God: – Psalms, hymns, songsPsalms, hymns, songs– PrayersPrayers– CommunionCommunion– Proclaiming the storyProclaiming the story

• However we package However we package worship, these are the worship, these are the crucial elementscrucial elements

Changes in Culture, Changes in Culture, Changes in WorshipChanges in Worship

• Culture: “VABEs”Culture: “VABEs”

• From Judeo-Christian From Judeo-Christian to post-Christianto post-Christian– Post-EuropeanPost-European

• Generational issues: Generational issues: music, language, music, language, dress, worldviewdress, worldview

Worldview Gap: Worldview Gap: From Modern to PostmodernFrom Modern to Postmodern

Modern valuesModern values

• Excellence (tightly run worship Excellence (tightly run worship experience)experience)

• Cognitive and conceptual Cognitive and conceptual learning through one-way learning through one-way preachingpreaching

• Sometimes, the removal of Sometimes, the removal of ancient or spiritualancient or spiritual

• Going to church Going to church

Postmodern valuesPostmodern values

• Avoiding any sense of Avoiding any sense of performance (relationship performance (relationship and chemistry trump and chemistry trump excellence)excellence)

• Experiential learning through Experiential learning through interactive teaching interactive teaching – encounter trumps informationencounter trumps information– Palette of sensesPalette of senses

• Sometimes, the desire of Sometimes, the desire of roots, history, and roots, history, and supernaturalsupernatural

• Being the church Being the church

Teens and 20s in Church?Teens and 20s in Church?

• Barna: 4% of GenX in Barna: 4% of GenX in leadership in any leadership in any churchchurch

• Emerging generations Emerging generations have the lowest rate of have the lowest rate of church connection of church connection of any generationany generation

• Emerging generations Emerging generations suffer from being suffer from being “hyper-spiritual” rather “hyper-spiritual” rather than being too secularthan being too secular

RemixRemix

• Ancient-futureAncient-future

• Multi-culturalMulti-cultural

• Narrative Narrative – Instead of abstract or Instead of abstract or

bullet pointsbullet points

• CollaborativeCollaborative

• From print to broadcast From print to broadcast to interactive digitalto interactive digital

What does it look like? What does it look like?

• From primarily From primarily cognitive “graphs” cognitive “graphs” – Order of worshipOrder of worship– Preaching and Preaching and

singingsinging

• to palettes of visual to palettes of visual and tactile and tactile experiencesexperiences

From Program to GatheringFrom Program to Gathering

• Not a performance Not a performance but hosting a but hosting a gathering of people gathering of people to experience Godto experience God

• Hospitality issues Hospitality issues of atmosphereof atmosphere

The Palette BrushesThe Palette Brushes

1.1. PrayerPrayer• Involves the community Involves the community

of faith as co-creators of faith as co-creators of the worship they will of the worship they will experienceexperience

2.2. ScriptureScripture– We are not elevating We are not elevating

simply the human simply the human experience, but the experience, but the story of God that story of God that catches up our human catches up our human experienceexperience

Priesthood of All BelieversPriesthood of All Believers

• Richly textured Richly textured worship among co-worship among co-creatorscreators

• Beyond McDonalds Beyond McDonalds to gift-based, to gift-based, passion-driven passion-driven expression of the expression of the community of faithcommunity of faith

Preaching in the Emerging Preaching in the Emerging ChurchChurch

• Preaching: “heralding” or Preaching: “heralding” or “proclaiming”“proclaiming”– Not ourselves, but The StoryNot ourselves, but The Story

• From: male, up-front, From: male, up-front, wordy, bullet-pointswordy, bullet-points

• To: oral/aural, visual, To: oral/aural, visual, tactile, interactive, tactile, interactive, kinesthetickinesthetic

How we learn and retainHow we learn and retain

• 10%: what we hear10%: what we hear

• 15%: what we see15%: what we see

• 20%: what we hear 20%: what we hear and seeand see

• 60%: what we do60%: what we do

• 80%: what we do 80%: what we do with reflectionwith reflection

• 90%: what we 90%: what we teachteach

In every classroom there In every classroom there are:are:• 2 auditory learners2 auditory learners

• 4 visual learners4 visual learners

• 4 tactile-kinesthetic 4 tactile-kinesthetic learnerslearners

• Chinese proverb: “I Chinese proverb: “I hear and I forget, I see hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I remember, I do and I understand”and I understand”

The point of teaching …The point of teaching …

• Is Is learninglearning

• Not just a matter of the Not just a matter of the preacher saying, “I did preacher saying, “I did my job, hope they get my job, hope they get it!”it!”

• We teach in different We teach in different ways so that people will ways so that people will be more likely to learn be more likely to learn and be transformedand be transformed

Creating a culture of Creating a culture of dialoguedialogue• Via small groupsVia small groups

• Reflection opportunitiesReflection opportunities

• Post-preaching dialoguesPost-preaching dialogues

• Beyond answer-spew and into engagementBeyond answer-spew and into engagement

• Early churches met in Early churches met in houseshouses – they had opportunities – they had opportunities for dialoguefor dialogue

• From news-anchor to the blog From news-anchor to the blog – From “preacher has all the answers” to push-back on the blogFrom “preacher has all the answers” to push-back on the blog

Sacred Space and Sacred Space and EnvironmentEnvironment

• Worship spaces in Worship spaces in the Bible:the Bible:– Garden of EdenGarden of Eden– Jacob’s pillar Jacob’s pillar

(Gen.28:18)(Gen.28:18)– TabernacleTabernacle– TempleTemple– SynagogueSynagogue– House churchesHouse churches

Sacred Space and Sacred Space and EnvironmentEnvironment

• Worship spaces post-Bible:Worship spaces post-Bible:– Basilica (co-opted government Basilica (co-opted government

town hall space)town hall space)– Cathedral (pulpit replaces altar Cathedral (pulpit replaces altar

as center; no chairs till 1400s)as center; no chairs till 1400s)– Lecture hall (after printing press)Lecture hall (after printing press)– Tent and auditorium space Tent and auditorium space

• Revivalism reflected in architecture Revivalism reflected in architecture tilting toward theatretilting toward theatre

– Non-religious theatreNon-religious theatre

Sacred Space Reflects Sacred Space Reflects ValuesValues• If there is a desire for a If there is a desire for a

sense of the transcendent, sense of the transcendent, then how would the worship then how would the worship space look and feel?space look and feel?

• What value does your space What value does your space communicate?communicate?– How does our space help us How does our space help us

connect to God and each connect to God and each other?other?

– If you value “response,” is If you value “response,” is there room for people to there room for people to move?move?

Music in the Emerging Music in the Emerging ChurchChurch

• Recent excesses of musical Recent excesses of musical worship emphasis:worship emphasis:

– Turning the leader into a starTurning the leader into a star

– Equating music with worshipEquating music with worship

– Imbalance of psalms, hymns, and Imbalance of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songsspiritual songs

– Imbalance of celebration and lamentImbalance of celebration and lament

– Music not often enough the “servant Music not often enough the “servant art,” too often the “lead art”art,” too often the “lead art”

Music in the Emerging Music in the Emerging ChurchChurch• Spontaneous Spontaneous

worshipworship

• Pay attention to Pay attention to lyrics and theology lyrics and theology of songsof songs

• Introducing ancient Introducing ancient songs and hymnssongs and hymns

Prayer Stations and Interactive Prayer Stations and Interactive ResponseResponse

• Not just teaching the Not just teaching the importance of prayer importance of prayer but providing actual but providing actual time, space, and time, space, and permission to do itpermission to do it

• Creating non-chaotic Creating non-chaotic prayer stations which prayer stations which enhance teaching and enhance teaching and offer places of offer places of spontaneous responsespontaneous response

• Making sure you have Making sure you have times and places in times and places in worship that give worship that give people opportunity to people opportunity to move and respondmove and respond

• Offering places of Offering places of conversation conversation inin worshipworship– Lord’s Supper? Lord’s Supper?

Offertory? Prayer time?Offertory? Prayer time?

Art in the Emerging ChurchArt in the Emerging Church

• Use of artists within Use of artists within the communitythe community– Indigenous Indigenous

expressionexpression

• Artists, poets, Artists, poets, photographers, web photographers, web designers, hobbyistsdesigners, hobbyists

• ““Then the Lord said Then the Lord said to Moses, “I have to Moses, “I have filled him with the filled him with the Spirit of God, with Spirit of God, with skill, ability, and skill, ability, and knowledge in all knowledge in all kinds of crafts to kinds of crafts to make artistic make artistic designs …”designs …”– Exodus 31:1-4Exodus 31:1-4

Film in Emerging WorshipFilm in Emerging Worship

• Have clip be a catalyst Have clip be a catalyst for responsefor response

• Use film to set a “vibe”Use film to set a “vibe”

• Use during message, Use during message, times of meditationtimes of meditation

• Sometimes more Sometimes more difficult to produce difficult to produce indigenously and thus indigenously and thus easier to buyeasier to buy

Some Final “Don’ts” … Some Final “Don’ts” …

1.1. Don’t begin experimenting, make sure you teach Don’t begin experimenting, make sure you teach the “why” and theology behind it.the “why” and theology behind it.

2.2. Don’t necessarily begin with sweeping changes, Don’t necessarily begin with sweeping changes, but incremental, subtle changes.but incremental, subtle changes.

3.3. Don’t just copy another church; make your Don’t just copy another church; make your worship an expression of the gifts and passions of worship an expression of the gifts and passions of the people God has brought here.the people God has brought here.

4.4. Don’t create “worship consumers” by focusing too Don’t create “worship consumers” by focusing too much on the performance of worship.much on the performance of worship.

Some Final “Do’s” …Some Final “Do’s” …

1.1. Do start without waiting for huge budget and Do start without waiting for huge budget and technology helps.technology helps.

2.2. Do keep Jesus in the center of planning Do keep Jesus in the center of planning creative worship gatherings.creative worship gatherings.

3.3. Do be mindful of how much money and time Do be mindful of how much money and time we spend on creative worship vs. what we we spend on creative worship vs. what we are doing with the poor and needy and in are doing with the poor and needy and in fulfilling God’s call for us in the world.fulfilling God’s call for us in the world.

ResourcesResources

• www.vintagefaith.comwww.vintagefaith.com

• www.sacramentis.comwww.sacramentis.com

• www.ccn.tvwww.ccn.tv – worship seminars on DVD – worship seminars on DVD

• www.midnightoil.comwww.midnightoil.com

• www.churchmedia.netwww.churchmedia.net

• www.sermonspice.comwww.sermonspice.com

• www.highwayvideo.comwww.highwayvideo.com

• www.barnafilms.comwww.barnafilms.com

• www.angelhouse.comwww.angelhouse.com

Worship in the Emerging Worship in the Emerging ChurchChurch

What Resonates with Post-What Resonates with Post-ChristiansChristians

Dr. John P. ChandlerDr. John P. Chandlerwww.rasnet.orgwww.rasnet.org

[email protected]@vbmb.orgCopy right John P. Chandler, 2005Copy right John P. Chandler, 2005