Thursday, July 17, 2008
Sanctuary 2.0
What is your ideal church? We have been considering this topic in our Epicenter class while studying Ephesians. The soaring theology of the first three chapters culminates in a "therefore" in chapter 4 verse 1 which leads to a description in the last three chapters of a revolutionary community. Some feel this is Paul's, or one of his student's, articulation of an ideal church. But, what is your ideal church?
I have had visions of everything from small house churches to massive mega-churches as I considered this question in the past. But until recently, I thought only of my local congregation. If the concept of church reached global proportions, what would your ideal church look like?
The latest issue of Spectrum magazine includes the Sabbath sermon that Kendra Haloviak gave at the 2007 Adventist Forum Conference. Her visionary redefinition of sanctuary is as challenging as it is beautiful. Conceptualizing the sanctuary not only as a distinctive end-time doctrine to accept but as a place of safety and rest to create for all people is as inspiring in its inclusiveness as it is daunting in application. If you didn't hear the sermon or haven't read Kendra's article, beg, borrow, or steal to get it. Situational ethics definitely apply here. Breaking the 8th commandment is of course less than ideal; however, the transforming influence of an inclusive view of the Sanctuary will surely enable you to keep all the commandments more faithfully. And then, you can always return the article later. (In the interest of full disclosure, I should proudly mention that through no fault of her own I am related to Kendra since I married her cousin.)
This morning I lay in bed considering just how radical a transformation would result from large numbers of people buying into this expanded concept of the Sanctuary when it struck me. That would be my ideal church. Here then is my ideal church, conceived as an extreme makeover of my actual church, Seventh-day Adventism. I will of necessity speak from my own local context. Other perspectives and voices you will see are desperately needed.
The strengths of the Adventist church are a passionately committed core of world wide believers along with a centralized financial and power structure. Adventism has been creeping toward a congregational model, a move which I have supported in the past. Not any more. I think the conference should take ownership of the local church buildings. Unfortunately, these church buildings are inefficient and generally house warm, cozy, omphaloskeptic congregations interested in attracting visitors rather than engaging with society. Therefore, the faithful conference officials when faced with a new understanding of Sanctuary would need to evict the members and sell the churches, all of them. I can feel the conference treasurers palms itching at the influx but they shouldn't get too comfortable with the fullness of their coffers. We will get to that in a moment.
The church members suddenly finding ourselves without a church building would be forced to find a new church home which would likely literally be in one or more homes. House churches were an ancient necessity whose time has come again. Meeting together in one another's houses is the best and perhaps only way to foster community. In addition, this has the added benefit of efficiency since local members could gather within neighborhoods decreasing gas costs, lessening environmental impact, and removing the overhead of maintaining so many empty buildings for use only a few times a week.
The trauma of this dramatic change could be lessened by laying some groundwork first. The Sabbath School quarterly could be redesigned as a small group/home church study guide with Russell Burrill as the editor. (Clifford Goldstein's sharp tongue and piercing intellect would be in great need elsewhere. For instance, see the Adventist Peace Commandos below, they will be needing a General.) Pastors could be provided with internet training and a website on which to put their sermons and other materials to supplement the study guides. Local church members could be trained in small group ministry in preparation for home church leadership.
After selling off all the church property, what would the local conferences do with all the extra cash? They would go to city council meetings across the nation and request permission to by up entire city blocks in areas of severe urban blight where land can be had on the cheap and ministry opportunities abound. The conferences would then build city Sanctuaries wide open to all people from every nation, tribe, religion, and orientation. The specific functions of each Sanctuary would be planned according to the city and local needs. In Birmingham, our Sanctuary would have a fleet of vehicles to transport the sick and elderly to and from medical appointments as health care access is a real local need given the poor public transportation system. Our Sanctuary would also have ongoing cooking classes, exercise programs, smoking cessation classes, and other classes/group support meetings as preventative healthcare and education are a real community need. In addition, with our city's history of bitter racial division, a goal of our Birmingham Sanctuary would be to provide a location for the entire diverse community to dialogue together about our past, present and future. The location and facility would have to be chosen and designed with these goals in mind.
The issue of race brings up another big change that would have to occur. Regional conferences for black churches would have to integrate. The regional conferences would rightly be wary of this change since their distinctive voices have the potential to be lost in the merger. This would be equally tragic for members of both local conferences. Therefore, all involved would need to ensure that the regional conference leaders concerns were listened to, addressed, and that they had an equal share in the planning, building and implementing of the city Sanctuary. It wouldn't work any other way.
While we are doing away with regional conferences, we should go ahead and dissolve the union conferences. The Seventh-day Adventist church is second only to the Roman Catholic church in its hierarchical structure. In our new high tech global economy, top-heavy institutions are hopelessly out of date and some if not all of the bureaucracy needs to go. In the process, jobs will be lost, but there will be many new jobs created in the local sanctuaries, at the local conference level, as well as at the general conference level.
Some of the jobs created might be rather unique for the Adventist church. Just consider the security needs for a Sanctuary block planted in the middle of a neighborhood affected by urban blight. The home churches in the surrounding communities would understandably want to gather together regularly, perhaps once a month, and the inner city Sanctuary should be designed to accommodate just such gatherings. But, if families are going to bring their loved ones to the gathering, there needs to be a peace keeping force to maintain security. Can you imagine an Adventist peace keeping force armed to the teeth with non-lethal technology and working in conjunction with the local police force not only in the local sanctuary but also out in the local community, providing a safe place to worship, play, live, and grow? These Adventist Peace Commandos could be our new urban evangelists (with Goldstein at the helm).
While the Adventist peace keeping force may be a little tongue in cheek, the opportunities for translating the gospel into action in poverty stricken inner city areas are endless. Along the Sanctuary block, the church could open a restaurant, health club, florist, dance studio, job placement agency, trade school, movie theater, clinic, bakery, day care, grocery store, dentist, laundromat, art gallery, and housing. So, we might spill over a few blocks. These facilities would provide needed jobs and the rates of some or all of the venues could be based on income level.
The false dichotomy between spiritual and secular would fade as homeless vagabonds wandered into full out worship services, business owners volunteered time to tutor disadvantaged kids, saints laundered their clothes next to former crack addicts, and then they all sat down together to watch a movie, all in the Sanctuary. The Sanctuary would provide a safe place to bring the wealthy and the poor back into contact. This, according to Shane Claiborne, is the answer to the current injustice of our financial system. Redistribution as described in the early church happened as a natural result within the community not as a means to form that community and not as just another ministry of the community. Redistribution will occur spontaneously today when rich and poor get reacquainted in a Sanctuary where fear and condemnation are held at bay.
To some this may sound less like faithful dreaming and more like deconstruction, and ideally that is exactly what it is. In his book, What Would Jesus Deconstruct, John Caputo concludes that Jesus would deconstruct the church since it is 'plan B' and will one day give way to the full realization of 'plan A' the kingdom of God. So, with a nod to Peter Rollins and his new book, The Fidelity of Betrayal, I ask, how many of us are prepared to betray the current context of Adventism in order to remain faithful to the spirit of the early Adventist pioneers? Who will join us in a move to a Christianity beyond the confines of current religion? I feel a song coming on. "You may say that I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one." There are surely others with better, more radical, and more faithful ideas than me. Let's hear them. "I hope some day you'll joint us, and the world will be as one."
I have had visions of everything from small house churches to massive mega-churches as I considered this question in the past. But until recently, I thought only of my local congregation. If the concept of church reached global proportions, what would your ideal church look like?
The latest issue of Spectrum magazine includes the Sabbath sermon that Kendra Haloviak gave at the 2007 Adventist Forum Conference. Her visionary redefinition of sanctuary is as challenging as it is beautiful. Conceptualizing the sanctuary not only as a distinctive end-time doctrine to accept but as a place of safety and rest to create for all people is as inspiring in its inclusiveness as it is daunting in application. If you didn't hear the sermon or haven't read Kendra's article, beg, borrow, or steal to get it. Situational ethics definitely apply here. Breaking the 8th commandment is of course less than ideal; however, the transforming influence of an inclusive view of the Sanctuary will surely enable you to keep all the commandments more faithfully. And then, you can always return the article later. (In the interest of full disclosure, I should proudly mention that through no fault of her own I am related to Kendra since I married her cousin.)
This morning I lay in bed considering just how radical a transformation would result from large numbers of people buying into this expanded concept of the Sanctuary when it struck me. That would be my ideal church. Here then is my ideal church, conceived as an extreme makeover of my actual church, Seventh-day Adventism. I will of necessity speak from my own local context. Other perspectives and voices you will see are desperately needed.
The strengths of the Adventist church are a passionately committed core of world wide believers along with a centralized financial and power structure. Adventism has been creeping toward a congregational model, a move which I have supported in the past. Not any more. I think the conference should take ownership of the local church buildings. Unfortunately, these church buildings are inefficient and generally house warm, cozy, omphaloskeptic congregations interested in attracting visitors rather than engaging with society. Therefore, the faithful conference officials when faced with a new understanding of Sanctuary would need to evict the members and sell the churches, all of them. I can feel the conference treasurers palms itching at the influx but they shouldn't get too comfortable with the fullness of their coffers. We will get to that in a moment.
The church members suddenly finding ourselves without a church building would be forced to find a new church home which would likely literally be in one or more homes. House churches were an ancient necessity whose time has come again. Meeting together in one another's houses is the best and perhaps only way to foster community. In addition, this has the added benefit of efficiency since local members could gather within neighborhoods decreasing gas costs, lessening environmental impact, and removing the overhead of maintaining so many empty buildings for use only a few times a week.
The trauma of this dramatic change could be lessened by laying some groundwork first. The Sabbath School quarterly could be redesigned as a small group/home church study guide with Russell Burrill as the editor. (Clifford Goldstein's sharp tongue and piercing intellect would be in great need elsewhere. For instance, see the Adventist Peace Commandos below, they will be needing a General.) Pastors could be provided with internet training and a website on which to put their sermons and other materials to supplement the study guides. Local church members could be trained in small group ministry in preparation for home church leadership.
After selling off all the church property, what would the local conferences do with all the extra cash? They would go to city council meetings across the nation and request permission to by up entire city blocks in areas of severe urban blight where land can be had on the cheap and ministry opportunities abound. The conferences would then build city Sanctuaries wide open to all people from every nation, tribe, religion, and orientation. The specific functions of each Sanctuary would be planned according to the city and local needs. In Birmingham, our Sanctuary would have a fleet of vehicles to transport the sick and elderly to and from medical appointments as health care access is a real local need given the poor public transportation system. Our Sanctuary would also have ongoing cooking classes, exercise programs, smoking cessation classes, and other classes/group support meetings as preventative healthcare and education are a real community need. In addition, with our city's history of bitter racial division, a goal of our Birmingham Sanctuary would be to provide a location for the entire diverse community to dialogue together about our past, present and future. The location and facility would have to be chosen and designed with these goals in mind.
The issue of race brings up another big change that would have to occur. Regional conferences for black churches would have to integrate. The regional conferences would rightly be wary of this change since their distinctive voices have the potential to be lost in the merger. This would be equally tragic for members of both local conferences. Therefore, all involved would need to ensure that the regional conference leaders concerns were listened to, addressed, and that they had an equal share in the planning, building and implementing of the city Sanctuary. It wouldn't work any other way.
While we are doing away with regional conferences, we should go ahead and dissolve the union conferences. The Seventh-day Adventist church is second only to the Roman Catholic church in its hierarchical structure. In our new high tech global economy, top-heavy institutions are hopelessly out of date and some if not all of the bureaucracy needs to go. In the process, jobs will be lost, but there will be many new jobs created in the local sanctuaries, at the local conference level, as well as at the general conference level.
Some of the jobs created might be rather unique for the Adventist church. Just consider the security needs for a Sanctuary block planted in the middle of a neighborhood affected by urban blight. The home churches in the surrounding communities would understandably want to gather together regularly, perhaps once a month, and the inner city Sanctuary should be designed to accommodate just such gatherings. But, if families are going to bring their loved ones to the gathering, there needs to be a peace keeping force to maintain security. Can you imagine an Adventist peace keeping force armed to the teeth with non-lethal technology and working in conjunction with the local police force not only in the local sanctuary but also out in the local community, providing a safe place to worship, play, live, and grow? These Adventist Peace Commandos could be our new urban evangelists (with Goldstein at the helm).
While the Adventist peace keeping force may be a little tongue in cheek, the opportunities for translating the gospel into action in poverty stricken inner city areas are endless. Along the Sanctuary block, the church could open a restaurant, health club, florist, dance studio, job placement agency, trade school, movie theater, clinic, bakery, day care, grocery store, dentist, laundromat, art gallery, and housing. So, we might spill over a few blocks. These facilities would provide needed jobs and the rates of some or all of the venues could be based on income level.
The false dichotomy between spiritual and secular would fade as homeless vagabonds wandered into full out worship services, business owners volunteered time to tutor disadvantaged kids, saints laundered their clothes next to former crack addicts, and then they all sat down together to watch a movie, all in the Sanctuary. The Sanctuary would provide a safe place to bring the wealthy and the poor back into contact. This, according to Shane Claiborne, is the answer to the current injustice of our financial system. Redistribution as described in the early church happened as a natural result within the community not as a means to form that community and not as just another ministry of the community. Redistribution will occur spontaneously today when rich and poor get reacquainted in a Sanctuary where fear and condemnation are held at bay.
To some this may sound less like faithful dreaming and more like deconstruction, and ideally that is exactly what it is. In his book, What Would Jesus Deconstruct, John Caputo concludes that Jesus would deconstruct the church since it is 'plan B' and will one day give way to the full realization of 'plan A' the kingdom of God. So, with a nod to Peter Rollins and his new book, The Fidelity of Betrayal, I ask, how many of us are prepared to betray the current context of Adventism in order to remain faithful to the spirit of the early Adventist pioneers? Who will join us in a move to a Christianity beyond the confines of current religion? I feel a song coming on. "You may say that I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one." There are surely others with better, more radical, and more faithful ideas than me. Let's hear them. "I hope some day you'll joint us, and the world will be as one."
Labels: Adventist, community, Ephesians, Epicenter, giving, gospel, Movies, passion, Sabbath, Sanctuary, smoking, unity
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A good friend of mine responded:
What is the perfect church? Unconditional love and acceptance is the center piece of salvation and our Lord and Saviour. Our religous organizations will only reflect the "perfect" Christ/church when we or should I say, when I accept Christ completely into my life.
Thanks for the comment. I agree that the perfect church would be one that lives Jesus summarization of Moses and the Prophets, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and soul and strength and love your neighbor as yourself." I should have included that in my post.
The point I was trying to make, however awkwardly, is that the current church structure does not facilitate and may actually hinder our ability to demonstrate love for God and others. While my 'plan' described above may be outlandish, the system I described is no less irrational than the one we've got now. Of course, without the love of Christ, any structure is nothing more than a bunch of empty noise.
Thanks for the reminder of what is essential.
What is the perfect church? Unconditional love and acceptance is the center piece of salvation and our Lord and Saviour. Our religous organizations will only reflect the "perfect" Christ/church when we or should I say, when I accept Christ completely into my life.
Thanks for the comment. I agree that the perfect church would be one that lives Jesus summarization of Moses and the Prophets, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and soul and strength and love your neighbor as yourself." I should have included that in my post.
The point I was trying to make, however awkwardly, is that the current church structure does not facilitate and may actually hinder our ability to demonstrate love for God and others. While my 'plan' described above may be outlandish, the system I described is no less irrational than the one we've got now. Of course, without the love of Christ, any structure is nothing more than a bunch of empty noise.
Thanks for the reminder of what is essential.
You know of the great interest I have in this, and I especially appreciate your wider non-localized ideas! Wow! I'm hoping everyone who contributes to this blog will write their thoughts and ideas because I learn so much from others. On a more personal note, your use of the word omphaloskeptic ROCKS! It was my first vocabulary word in 3rd grade home school and I'm impressed with your fabulous choice of adjective here!
3rd grade! I learned that word while I was in medical school. Maybe those homeschoolers really are ahead of the curve.
Hopefully others will have time to share their thoughts but if not, we will pick up this topic in a couple of weeks at Epicenter.
The post I wrote above would require buy in from an entire denomination. Not likely to say the least. But, maybe some of the ideas could be implemented on a less grandiose scale?
Hopefully others will have time to share their thoughts but if not, we will pick up this topic in a couple of weeks at Epicenter.
The post I wrote above would require buy in from an entire denomination. Not likely to say the least. But, maybe some of the ideas could be implemented on a less grandiose scale?
As Obama says - It's time For Change. And as Birmingham's mayor has said "what we really need is a crazy man". I think it's time for entire church to do some introspection, look to the future, and start listening to a younger generation. Not everything our generation comes up with is arbitrarily brilliant, but putting young minds together and coming up with a culmination of thoughts and visionary ideas from people who are committed to our mission, care about the future, and love God deeply would make me feel that "we" have a voice. At least.
And I really like how you stepped further out to get a wider perspective on this. I think a wider perspective means something bigger for all of us. I'm going to re-read and we can discuss more. I also forwarded this to an editor friend of mind. :)
And I really like how you stepped further out to get a wider perspective on this. I think a wider perspective means something bigger for all of us. I'm going to re-read and we can discuss more. I also forwarded this to an editor friend of mind. :)
This conversation reminds me of Crosswalk in Southern CA. They planned to sell their church building so that they could invest money in the community for outreach (They were going to rent a space on Saturdays which would have freed up hundreds of thousands of dollars a year for mission). Somehow they got the church board and I suppose most of the church to go along with this idea and then at the last minute they found another church who wanted to rent their facility from them on Sundays. So, they were willing to give up their church building for mission, and then God gave it back to them with money for mission as well. Or did He? Hmmmm...
Then there is the Hollywood SDA church where they are using their building as a focal point for mission within the community. They don't plan to sell their building because they feel that they are well situated in the community in an ideal location to play an integral role in renewing the downtown Hollywood area. I love their most recent project which is to have a local artist paint a mural on the back of their church (which faces a major freeway) using community funding. Sure, my separation of church and state radar ramps up, but integrating with the community this way is inspiring.
Here is a link to an old post about the pending sale that was not meant to be. Notice the comments by Karah and Ryan Bell below.
Beyond Buildings: An Adventist Congregation Chooses Missions Over Mortar
Then there is the Hollywood SDA church where they are using their building as a focal point for mission within the community. They don't plan to sell their building because they feel that they are well situated in the community in an ideal location to play an integral role in renewing the downtown Hollywood area. I love their most recent project which is to have a local artist paint a mural on the back of their church (which faces a major freeway) using community funding. Sure, my separation of church and state radar ramps up, but integrating with the community this way is inspiring.
Here is a link to an old post about the pending sale that was not meant to be. Notice the comments by Karah and Ryan Bell below.
Beyond Buildings: An Adventist Congregation Chooses Missions Over Mortar
After reading the initial fictional commentary above I now see how the time of the end can unfold so easily.
With great minds and dreams also did the Natzi movement unfold great tyranny and persecution as will the evangelical movement. The dubbed Adventist Peace Keeping force armed with non-lethal technology working in conjunction with the local police with Cliff Goldstein at the helm? We need to step away from the Starbucks Coffee here and onto our knees with empowerment to do what we can in our own neighborhoods where we live. When was the last time anyone spoke with their neighbors and helped them with their problems?
As our master said, Behold I stand at the oor and Knock. If any man here my voice and open the door, I will come in and sup with him and he with me. Rev. 3:20
With great minds and dreams also did the Natzi movement unfold great tyranny and persecution as will the evangelical movement. The dubbed Adventist Peace Keeping force armed with non-lethal technology working in conjunction with the local police with Cliff Goldstein at the helm? We need to step away from the Starbucks Coffee here and onto our knees with empowerment to do what we can in our own neighborhoods where we live. When was the last time anyone spoke with their neighbors and helped them with their problems?
As our master said, Behold I stand at the oor and Knock. If any man here my voice and open the door, I will come in and sup with him and he with me. Rev. 3:20
# posted by 
: 9:16 AM
: 9:16 AM
Garfield,
Either you don't get my sense of humor or I don't get yours, but you seem to have taken my Adventist Peace Keeping Force much more seriously than I intended. The response I was hoping for was, "Yeah right," a pause and then reflection on how we could provide a safe, secure and welcoming sanctuary where people from the neighborhood could hang out and help eachother as you said "with their problems." Even if we had some security guards at the local sanctuaries I fail to follow your leap of logic from security guards maintaining a safe environment to an oppressive endtime regime.
This is probably related to a difference in our imaginations. In the last chapter of his recent book, The World is Flat, Thomas Friedman describes two ways our imaginations lead us. There are those who imagine a connected world with united communities and open conversations exemplified by 11/9 when the Berlin wall was brought down by joyous throngs of liberated people. On the other hand, there are those who imagine a fragmented world with closed communities and violent interaction exemplified by 9/11 when a few deluded fundamentalists brought down the twin towers.
Like you, I see this having eschatological implications. The connected imagination of love will eventually triumph over the fragmented imagination of fear but there may be a time when the outcome is not clear. So, while I recognize the reality of the negative imagination and the increasingly destructive results, I choose not to lend my own imagination to fear mongering and I will continue to imagine a restored, connected world and encourage others to join along with John Lennon until the God he couldn't imagine brings his vision to completion.
Either you don't get my sense of humor or I don't get yours, but you seem to have taken my Adventist Peace Keeping Force much more seriously than I intended. The response I was hoping for was, "Yeah right," a pause and then reflection on how we could provide a safe, secure and welcoming sanctuary where people from the neighborhood could hang out and help eachother as you said "with their problems." Even if we had some security guards at the local sanctuaries I fail to follow your leap of logic from security guards maintaining a safe environment to an oppressive endtime regime.
This is probably related to a difference in our imaginations. In the last chapter of his recent book, The World is Flat, Thomas Friedman describes two ways our imaginations lead us. There are those who imagine a connected world with united communities and open conversations exemplified by 11/9 when the Berlin wall was brought down by joyous throngs of liberated people. On the other hand, there are those who imagine a fragmented world with closed communities and violent interaction exemplified by 9/11 when a few deluded fundamentalists brought down the twin towers.
Like you, I see this having eschatological implications. The connected imagination of love will eventually triumph over the fragmented imagination of fear but there may be a time when the outcome is not clear. So, while I recognize the reality of the negative imagination and the increasingly destructive results, I choose not to lend my own imagination to fear mongering and I will continue to imagine a restored, connected world and encourage others to join along with John Lennon until the God he couldn't imagine brings his vision to completion.
Garfield,
It might be good to consider that some people with dreams may ALREADY be hosting block parties in their neighborhood, visiting their neighbors regularly & being available when sickness or sadness occur, praying for and with those we come in contact with, and longing for a better place where Perfection is everywhere. If you don't see us passing out Bible studies, please don't despair and think that we are doing NOTHING to share the Love that we've been given. Thankfully, God created us all with a plethora of different gifts and abilities, and when creative minds can come together, what a blessing we should all be able to see.
It might be good to consider that some people with dreams may ALREADY be hosting block parties in their neighborhood, visiting their neighbors regularly & being available when sickness or sadness occur, praying for and with those we come in contact with, and longing for a better place where Perfection is everywhere. If you don't see us passing out Bible studies, please don't despair and think that we are doing NOTHING to share the Love that we've been given. Thankfully, God created us all with a plethora of different gifts and abilities, and when creative minds can come together, what a blessing we should all be able to see.
I suspect there are many that would actually buy in to this seemingly radical proposal, however I am haunted by the words of a retired pastor at a Spectrum chapter meeting. When asked for his thoughts on unifying conferences within the same region, he responded that not much was likely to change unless the leadership changed. And that wasn't likely to happen until they left and new leaders came in. How sad, I thought. But a smile came just as quickly as I thought: perhaps Jesus will come quicker!
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