I'm Giving Up On "Church" (part 2)

Something struck me Sunday morning. Lynn and I spent part of the evening Saturday trying to figure out where we would go to worship. After an extremely difficult week of dealing with the challenges associated with our relocation (movers, travel, apartment managers, etc.) we were ready to go be among God's people in an environment of authentic worship.

We couldn't decide where to go, so we just went back to the Vineyard church that I'd been to a couple of times. I've enjoyed it the times I've been there, but I've never felt myself overwhelmed by God's presence while there. So we returned.

What I experienced felt strangely odd to me. I say "strangely" odd because what I experienced wasn't out of the ordinary for a church service. But on this morning...it felt very strange...even foreign to me.

Everyone walked into the building and proceeded to their seats all of which were facing forward toward a stage. At the appointed time musicians walked up on the stage and lined up under the spotlights. The front-man said good morning and then we all began the church equivilent of an olympic synchronized sport. We all stood up together on cue. We all began clapping our hands on cue in rythmn to the music. We all stopped on cue and sat down. We listened to a 40 minute speech. At the pastor's cue, people who had been "authorized" to pray lined the front of the stage and people from the congregation were invited to the front to be prayed for. While this was happening, the rest of us were dismissed.

Now...none of this is much different from what happens in most churches on Sunday morning. But for the first time in 20 years of Church life, this felt really weird to me. If this time on Sunday morning was a designated time for the people of God to come worship corporately, why was the worship experience so limited so simply singing, clapping, and listening to a speech.

What if there were people there who connected with God most intimately through painting with oil on a canvas? What if there were people there who connected with God most intimately through writing poetry? Why were we all supposed to stand, face the same direction, and follow cues? I am suddenly having a very difficult time with the typical Sunday morning format. Is this what happened when the Acts Christians came together as the body?

"Being created in the image of God makes us multi-sensory beings. People learn best when all of their senses are engaged. The next generation of churches will avoid the stiff and cerebral and will offer people a multi-sensory experience of God." ~Mike Slaughter; Unlearning Church

I envision a different kind of "church experience." Let me introduce you to Brandon. He's a fictional character who will now tell you about his experience visiting the church that's in my mind.

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It was a Thursday evening. A friend of mine from work invited me to come to church with him; something that I hadn't done since attending Sunday School as a child. We got off work around 5:30 and drove downtown. We parked out on the street, went into one of the downtown buildings that vacated long ago when all of the businesses moved out to the new mall.

We went upstairs and walked into a large 3 room loft. As I walked through the door I was confronted head-on with two things: the sound of dozens of people laughing and talking, and the aroma of a home-cooked meal. I was surprised when my friend said to me, "We start every gathering by having a meal together. Some of the women who are gifted in and passionate about hospitality get here about an hour early to prepare the meal for everyone."

There was probably 75 to 100 people there, and we all ate dinner together. The conversations around the table were wonderful. About 45 minutes later six or seven people washed their dishes and went through a doorway into another room. Soon after they left I heard music being played in the other room. It was a live band and they were top-notch.

About time the music started everyone began moving into the other room which they called "The Sanctuary." It was quite large and didn't look at all like a church sanctuary. Instead it looked like a huge family room. There were couches, loveseats, big comfy chairs, end-tables, coffee tables, lamps. And on the walls were paintings, crosses, ancient iconography, lighted candle sconces. The lighting was down low, the room was mostly candle-lit with a few of the lamps on. The band was off to the side of the room playing music that set a deeply spiritual tone to the room. Moving images were up on a screen near the front of the room.

As the congregation gathered in the sanctuary, a worship time began like I never expected. Some people stood with their hands raised, singing along with the band. Some huddled together in groups of 2 or 3 and prayed for one another and for other needs that they were aware of. A couple of people actually set up a canvas and easel and did an oil painting that depicted what they were experiencing in their relationship with God. One girl sat quietly off to the side writing in a journal. Some people went to special prayer stations built into little alcoves in the wall. One was a "repentance station" and I saw a young guy there write some stuff on a piece of paper and then light it on fire. I then noticed that he was crying as he dipped his hands in a basin of water and then raised them in the air to God.

Everyone kind of did their own thing with God, while the band set the tone of the moment with music and scripture readings.

After about 45 minutes the pastor said a few words, inviting everyone to come together for "The Forum." I didn't know what this was going to be. I assumed it was time for him to preach but I'd never heard the term "Forum" used for this. He then explained that this was the time for conversation and the sharing of experiences we've had in our relationship with Christ or with others. It was kind of like open-mic night. People came and read poetry or journal entries. The painter explained the meaning behind his painting and a lot of people cried as he told how the images on the canvas represented how God had helped him make peace with his earthly father...who had abandoned him years earlier.

After 3 or 4 people shared some things the pastor came back and spoke for about 30 minutes. He read a passage of Scripture, taught the meaning of it, and then explained it's relevance to our life.

The forum ended, some music started back up. Most of the people began slowly making their way out to head home. Several just stayed around talking, drinking coffee. My friend told me that the place usually emptied out around 11:00 or 12:00 at night. And this was church.

He told me that they met like this three times per week. Each night focused on one of what they called the "Core 3." The "Core 3" are the three things this church focuses on: Intimacy, Healing, and Purpose. On Sunday evenings the worship and forum time are built around the theme of intimacy with God through Jesus Christ and intimacy with one another. On Tuesday night the theme is all about healing...mostly emotional and spiritual healing. My friend said that things can get pretty raw on Tuesday nights as people talk and pray through abuse issues, addictions, etc. On Thursday nights the theme is centered around purpose. The forum on this night is designed to help people discover who they are in Christ, how they are gifted and called, and to equip and train them to live out their life purpose.

After my first visit, I feel like this is a place where I can be me - I can be real - and I can experience God in the unique ways that He's built me to experience Him. I'll be back next week, with my cousin Danny.