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
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
It Takes A Church--Some Ideas from Me
This is my first foray into actual blogging, so there might be a learning curve for me here. This blog is in regards to something that has weighed alot on me in the last few years: "Why are so many young people leaving the church?" Each person has a story, and varied reasons for leaving, but I'm sure that it really comes down to a personal relationship with Christ, and a comprehension of His personal compassion for each one of us. I do have some theories about how we might change the rate of young (teens to mid twenties) people leaving our church though.
Here goes:
The "It takes a village" theory that Hillary Clinton spawned in regards to children and education is even more relevant in church. It's obvious that not every child attending church has a spiritually supportive home where not only is their earthly education valued, but their spiritual lives and souls are cared for. Given this, each child, no matter what their home is like, needs a spiritual mentor. This is especially possible in smaller churches. In huge campus churches it seems almost impossible to implement a program like this, but in small home churches, it's a necessary plan that could save children. Just having ONE person who cares about a child, prays for & with them, asks them about issues they're dealing with, and just loves them spiritually, can make a life changing effect! I really believe this. If some of my friends from childhood had someone from their church who always checked up on them, prayed for them, and cared for them through life issues (parents divorces, public schools, private schools, breakups, meltdowns, all the things that happen that make life so tumultuous) I'd venture to guess most would still be attending at least SOME church today.
The other thing I think is important is making our church a community. Not only should we have fun social events, and get togethers, but including kids in church responsibilities. Not a begrudging DUTY type thing, but including them in the processes of the church. Taking up offering is simple, but doing a work-bee requires a little bit more out of us, and it ties us to our church and church members because we've sweated together. I grew up helping out my church and it made me feel like I made a difference, even when I was 9 or 10. When kids get back from mission trips, we need to hear their stories & see their pictures. And if they want to go on a mission trip, we need to make sure they can afford to go. They should have the opportunity to actually "run" the church, and be included. (of course, that means that not everything might be done "just right" but with a mentor, they would get the chance to become a real part of the church functions)
The third thing that I feel is really important and so VERY VERY under rated, is our church's impact on the world. Fortunately, my parents are, and have always been overly involved in the world church. They were missionaries, they have done evangelism, and they always keep their finger on the pulse of the church's involvement in other countries. Kids need to know how massive, far-reaching, and important our church really is. Sometimes SDA's are the first missionaries to come to a country and teach them about Jesus. SDA's also work with other Christian religions in a variety of ways that are very cooperative and world-changing. ADRA is an example that we hardly EVER hear about anymore. AFM is full of missionaries that aren't really "missionaries". They're everyday people who live and learn among a country and slowly and carefully teach them about Jesus. Many in dangerous places that are closed to proselyzation in any form. Our church really cares about PEOPLE. Not just making our church numbers bigger. We care about schools, communities, about hospitals and clinics, about rebuilding, about making life better for people who can't care for themselves. There are SO many things that our church (and in turn, our very own tithe & offering) does for the world. Every child in church would WANT to be involved and passionate about our faith if they really knew all the things our church is doing. Why do we not have some kind of feature every single week in church where we highlight something amazing that has happened in the world church that week?
The three things I mentioned are the three things I feel would connect people to the community of church. They all involve RELATIONSHIPS and they all involve people who care. Without that, there isn't a sense of community anyway. Duh! I was blessed to have caring parents who prayed for me ALOT!, especially when i really needed it, but I was also blessed to know how amazing our church is. It's not just politics, and debates about jewlery and steak. There is so much more to our church that it makes everything else pale in comparison. I was blessed to be able to see the forest for the trees and I think that's why I've stayed. I love my church (not every single thing about it) but I love how special and unique we are, and I love that we want so badly to share the incredible gift Jesus with everyone on earth!
That's my two (three) bits! Please blog me a river . . . I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas!
Here goes:
The "It takes a village" theory that Hillary Clinton spawned in regards to children and education is even more relevant in church. It's obvious that not every child attending church has a spiritually supportive home where not only is their earthly education valued, but their spiritual lives and souls are cared for. Given this, each child, no matter what their home is like, needs a spiritual mentor. This is especially possible in smaller churches. In huge campus churches it seems almost impossible to implement a program like this, but in small home churches, it's a necessary plan that could save children. Just having ONE person who cares about a child, prays for & with them, asks them about issues they're dealing with, and just loves them spiritually, can make a life changing effect! I really believe this. If some of my friends from childhood had someone from their church who always checked up on them, prayed for them, and cared for them through life issues (parents divorces, public schools, private schools, breakups, meltdowns, all the things that happen that make life so tumultuous) I'd venture to guess most would still be attending at least SOME church today.
The other thing I think is important is making our church a community. Not only should we have fun social events, and get togethers, but including kids in church responsibilities. Not a begrudging DUTY type thing, but including them in the processes of the church. Taking up offering is simple, but doing a work-bee requires a little bit more out of us, and it ties us to our church and church members because we've sweated together. I grew up helping out my church and it made me feel like I made a difference, even when I was 9 or 10. When kids get back from mission trips, we need to hear their stories & see their pictures. And if they want to go on a mission trip, we need to make sure they can afford to go. They should have the opportunity to actually "run" the church, and be included. (of course, that means that not everything might be done "just right" but with a mentor, they would get the chance to become a real part of the church functions)
The third thing that I feel is really important and so VERY VERY under rated, is our church's impact on the world. Fortunately, my parents are, and have always been overly involved in the world church. They were missionaries, they have done evangelism, and they always keep their finger on the pulse of the church's involvement in other countries. Kids need to know how massive, far-reaching, and important our church really is. Sometimes SDA's are the first missionaries to come to a country and teach them about Jesus. SDA's also work with other Christian religions in a variety of ways that are very cooperative and world-changing. ADRA is an example that we hardly EVER hear about anymore. AFM is full of missionaries that aren't really "missionaries". They're everyday people who live and learn among a country and slowly and carefully teach them about Jesus. Many in dangerous places that are closed to proselyzation in any form. Our church really cares about PEOPLE. Not just making our church numbers bigger. We care about schools, communities, about hospitals and clinics, about rebuilding, about making life better for people who can't care for themselves. There are SO many things that our church (and in turn, our very own tithe & offering) does for the world. Every child in church would WANT to be involved and passionate about our faith if they really knew all the things our church is doing. Why do we not have some kind of feature every single week in church where we highlight something amazing that has happened in the world church that week?
The three things I mentioned are the three things I feel would connect people to the community of church. They all involve RELATIONSHIPS and they all involve people who care. Without that, there isn't a sense of community anyway. Duh! I was blessed to have caring parents who prayed for me ALOT!, especially when i really needed it, but I was also blessed to know how amazing our church is. It's not just politics, and debates about jewlery and steak. There is so much more to our church that it makes everything else pale in comparison. I was blessed to be able to see the forest for the trees and I think that's why I've stayed. I love my church (not every single thing about it) but I love how special and unique we are, and I love that we want so badly to share the incredible gift Jesus with everyone on earth!
That's my two (three) bits! Please blog me a river . . . I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas!
Labels: community, Jesus, passion, youth
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