From JoAnne

JoAnne is apparently having trouble posting to the blog, so she asked me to put this on for her. Interesting to read her reflections, I plan to do something like this very soon. Hope you all are well.

JoAnne Amaral

Post Modern Worship CL 4597

Professor Fryer

April 26, 2005

Post-Modern Worship Reflection Draft

Churches attended:

Crossroads United Methodist Lakeville MN

Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church Afton MN

Upper Room (Christ Presbyterian) Edina MN

Solomon’s Porch Minneapolis MN

Spirit Garage St. Paul MN

Readings:
Doug Pagitt, Re-Imaging Spiritual Formation

Brian McLaren, A Generous Orthodoxy
Dan Kimball, Emerging Worship

Attended: QUAKE Conference at Lord of Life Church in Ramsey

Worship

Ø There is no prescribed Post Modern worship style. Yes, there is more use of a multi-sensory approach to worship but there is no one size fits all solution. Kimball warns us that worship is not about multi-sensory but about God! (Kimabll 103)

Ø Many churches say that they are doing post modern worship but in reflection many are just modified contemporary services. Dan Kimball warns against the American Idol approach to worship which reduces leaders to performers and worshippers as judges. (Kimball 34)

Ø Post modern worship is still emerging and coming into its own identity. Minimal data exists on actual numbers on information concerning attendance, giving, etc.

Ø Post Modern worship needs to be multigenerational---we will loose a part of our identity of a gathered body if we do not embrace all generations.

Ø Post modern churches still reflect a predominately white middle class, educated, Anglo-Saxon make up.

Ø Worship is only one component of spiritual formation. “Perhaps we are Christians today are not only to consider what is means to be a 21^st century church, but also—and perhaps more importantly—what it means to have a 21^st century faith.” (Pagitt 22)

Ø Worship needs to be invitational, asking the question “what if God loved the world—what does that mean for us today.” (Brian McLaren)

Ø Key question people are asking about church “if I attend church, what practices will I learn, who will I become , will I become a better person. These are the questions we need to be able to respond to in our worship services and message. We can not ignore them.

Ø Worship experience with Brian McLaren at the 1^st night of Quake was much more traditional contemporary worship (leader centric) and less than a post modern experience. McLaren read the story of the adulterous woman and asked us to participate in several roles as he read: as the woman, as someone in the mob and as Jesus. This could have been much more powerful if we had a chance to talk about this after it, but seemed to loose something by being almost forced back into the standard schema of worship (hymn after the sermon).

Ø The worship experience with Dan Kimball at the 2^nd night of the Quake conference was post modern, I felt really involved. The experience invited you to participate in being in the presence of God through self reflection. It was interesting to get a chance to see where others were as part reflection process. This was kind of frightening because it really forces us to look at the other, this is something we rarely see happening at our traditional services.

Leadership

Ø Leadership in post modern churches is shared and people in the congregation are invited be part of the experience of worship, not just observers.

Ø Post modern thinkers are more than forward and visionary thinkers, they are risk takers willing to bring the gospel message into the 21^st century. “I am increasingly convinced that what matters most in our efforts is our willingness to experiment and try—to develop expressions of faith that are full of our day and time, recognizing that our efforts will be adapted and changed in years to come.” (Pagitt 158)

Ø Leadership of the mega-churches is realizing that they are not reaching many younger people. Strategies of mega-churches are not necessarily creating disciples of Jesus Christ. (Walt Kallestad)

Ø Leadership is not about empire building. “I’d rather scatter the church than gather it.” (Walt Kallestad) This is a new day for the church, we are taking sending seriously.

Ø Dan Kimball #1 concern is conflict with in leadership, when egos and the need for control get in the way. Interesting comments considering the comments from Kallestad, the unfortunate reality is that we still carry around our need to be God. This has been and will be one of our greatest challenges as Post Modern leaders.

Ø “Leadership in the post modern era is more about living the message than making the message slicker” (Walt Kallestad)

Ø Current post modern leadership is heavily male centric. Women are active but have not taken a formal leadership role. In talking with Dan Kimball at the QUAKE Conference he says this is due impart to the few numbers of women publishing on this subject. This was an interesting comment and I have yet to figure out what this actually means. Are we looking to people to reinvigorate the church and create followers of Jesus Christ or are has post modern taken on the scholarly role of “publish or perish.”

Personal Thoughts:

Post modern worship is in its infancy. It is being tried out in many settings and I find that positive. I also find it important that there is no pre-described way to “do church” although there do seem to be common elements in most of the settings: call to worship, gathering and sending and proclamation of the Word. I personally believe that having some of these essential elements is important, it holds on to the timeless truths of our faith while still adapting it to the context of the time and place. C.S. Lewis recognized the changelessness of the liturgy as an extremely important and very valuable characteristic for practical reasons. He went so far as to say it should be like an old shoe; something that fits, something that doesn't have to be broken in all the time, something you don't even notice is there. He concludes these observations by saying "The perfect church service would be one we were almost unaware of; our attention would have been on God.” (litugica.com) Sounds to me like sound advise, as echoed by Dan Kimball and worship being multi-sensory.

I have to admit thought that I am concerned that we (as the organized church) will give this type of worship experience the time and freedom it needs to grow, adapt and evolve. We will need to curb our desire for immediate results and numbers to demonstrate its worth. Rather we need to give this component of Christian living a chance to emerge. “the God given thirst for emergence brings us beyond where we have been, It caused ancient Christians to emerge from first century Judaism.” (McLaren 284) And it this God given thirst that we need to continue and foster today.

Overall, it has been a pleasure to participate in this independent study collectively. (quite an oxymoron) Perhaps there is something here to be learned about seminary education in general. Whereby we come together for a purpose to share knowledge and experiences, and expect God to show up and guide us in our next steps. “To be a Christian in a generous orthodoxy way is not to claim to have the truth captured, stuffed, and mounted on the wall. It is rather to be in a loving (ethical) community of people who are seeking the truth (doctrine) on the road of mission (witness) and who have been launched on a quest by Jesus, who with us, guides us still.” (McLaren 293) Shalom.