04.02.07
city church 3
After two serial posts on “city church” I want to pull together some threads. What prevents this dream from concrete expression in most communities?
Remember that Clapp has outlined the ethos of western culture, the dominant principalities, as manifest in mass “techno-liberal-capitalism.” This in turn means professionalization and specialization, mechanization (programs), rationalism and individualism.
The result is virtually the non-existence of the church, because if we don’t exist as an alternative culture, then we don’t exist as faithful communities. We have church that is not the church. We are not ekklesial, whatever good things we might be (Remember Keillor: give up your good Christian life and come, follow Jesus).
The barriers that prevent us from becoming what we are, then, are precisely those principalities and powers outlined above. Professionalism and specialization uphold a clerical class, disempowering the average believer from their priestly calling. Moreover, the professionalization of ministry contributes to passivity in the larger body. “Let the professionals do it.”
Mechanization and rationalism.. ubiquitous in technological society.. disempower many leaders from dependence on the direction of the Holy Spirit. These forces also push us to secular definitions of success, since what cannot be seen or adequately measured is not controllable, repeatable or useful.
Liberal capitalism, contributing to the ethos of a market culture, encourages us as passive consumers, both in ekklesia and in the wider society. At the same time, we learn to value the wrong things. What is not new is not valued, and what is likely to contribute to spirit (slow, simple, small, quiet) is almost inimical to modern gatherings. Communion implies community, while mostly we have congregations. Wealth and its pursuit contributes to satiation and burnout, as does the pursuit of success measured in numbers.
Did I mention competition? There is only so much money around to support all our buildings and the salaries of professionals. This means that professional church leaders have to compete for market share so they can continue to support their buildings and programs.. and jobs. And once professionals are on a salary, they are much less likely to challenge the status quo.. the essential doctrines of classical liberalism, technos, and capitalism. The same forces that limit our ability to flex and adapt on a range of issues prevent us from seriously examining the possibility that the church in any city is really one church, and asking what that means for us.
Finally, our buildings themselves push us into a protective, isolationist stance. When we invest millions of dollars in facilities, we become cautious about their use. They tend to focus our communities inwardly as we seek to justify the huge investment. We become people of the temple instead of people of the text, locked into meetings, priesthood, rituals.. and mortgages.
But all this is heavily weighted on the negative. Clapp admonishes us to “begin where we are.” That leads us nicely into part 4.
» city church 3 said,
April 2, 2007 at 2:24 pm
[...] Whitney Hopler wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptThe result is virtually the non-existence of the church, because if we don’t exist as an alternative culture, then we don’t exist as faithful communities. We have church that is not the church. We are not ekklesial, whatever good things … [...]
Jeff said,
April 2, 2007 at 2:56 pm
Can someone please tell me why there has been a trend of non-religious doctrine being taught in the emerging church? and how you can find truth when what is preached is mostly anti-traditional?
len said,
April 2, 2007 at 7:07 pm
Jeff, define “non religious doctrine” and we’ll try and help. Notice that I wrote, “At the same time, we learn to value the wrong things. What is not new is not valued, and what is likely to contribute to spirit (slow, simple, small, quiet) is almost inimical to modern gatherings.” It doesn’t sound like I am arguing against tradition, and in fact I am not. I am learning to value liturgical expression, and I believe the creeds are helpful. I agreeing with Clapp against modernity, however, and I am anti-clerical in principle, though I have many friends who are clergy. We live in transitional times, after all, and I am not against salaried ministry, but against the professionalization of it and the unbiblical distinctions that legitimate the system.
Rob Robinson said,
April 2, 2007 at 11:02 pm
Len,
I believe that there is a stream of the emerging church that can be construed as maybe in the developmental stages of the what some might consider “City Church.” But it certainly looks nothing like the more traditional or conventional western church structures. It falls within the categories you mentioned in your post; (slow, simple, small, quiet).
They are gaining momentum slowly, simply, quietly networking together in cities across North American landscape. And I might add it occurring organically, with a force that is capable of flexing and adapting to whatever the cultural and contemporary issues it faces.
At least I’m finding that to be true in our context, which is extremely refreshing and sometimes even frustrating.
len said,
April 3, 2007 at 8:41 am
Rob
“refreshing and frustrating”
I know what you mean. No longer in our control, so we have to learn patience and faith as we watch it unfold.. and don’t get to take credit. Heh..
casey said,
April 3, 2007 at 5:17 pm
My small bit of experience is that it is very difficult for leaders of communities to “change hats”, from a community leader to a city leader.
A good friend of mine was the city wide ministerial leader of a city on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. He served the church leaders there for four years, ministering faithfully ot the city through city wide prayer gatherings, a city-wide Easter and Christmas event and meeting with the pastors and civic leaders as often as needed.
In dialouging with him, he shared that his experience showed that it cannot be done by one or two people, nor can it be program oriented.
I have often been invloved with city wide intercession, with trained intercessors and prayer people. This type of ‘needs centered prayer ministry’ and servant ministry, is bested applied when there is a specific measurable city wide need, such as drug houses and prostitution.
One of the testimonies that we have is that the “Pickton Pig Farm”, in Post Coquitlam BC was addressed in prayer long before the Police were involved.
We, my family, started Ressurection House and Glory House, a Ministry of Ressurection Recovery Resource Society, 8 Recovery Homes in Port Coquitlam.
Through prophetic and intercessory prayer, the city wide intercessors and our ministry teams to the addicted in the community, gained favor with God and the Civic and Church elders. We were then able to hear Gods voice specifically as to his purposes.
After forty nights of paryer, led by one of the City intercessors and one of our Ministry Pastors, the Lord used the police to raid Picktons Pig Farm, this only after we called forth Gods light upon Port Coquitlam and the surrounding Tri-Cities region.
Gods word to us specifically, through a well respected prophetic person, was that a trumpet was being called over the tri-cities, and that God was about to expose darkness, his light would shine upon the Tri-Cities and the enemy would be exposed and brought to justice.
Because we worked so closely with addicts and recovering prostitutes, we had the authenticated authority and invested commission from god to expose darkness within that sub-culture. Also, the prostitutes we worked with continually talked about other women going missing adn being “lost out there”. It was a burden given to us by those we ministered to, and thereofre it was a earned authority issue.
This type of City-Wide ministry is one of the most effective ways that I have seen the city church operate. there may be others and I want to see the church take hold of them and operate more effectively in a methodology that is contextually appropriate and specifically measurable.
DeliriousMan said,
May 8, 2007 at 3:11 pm
hey, I am sure some of you are familiar with the works of John MacArthur….. He’s pretty black & white about church politics & this time around he’s letting people know how he feels about the emerging church. I saw a preview here: http://buzzplant.com/truthwar/ecard1/ . I have yet to read it but am kind of interested in hearing what he has to say about it.