Mission & Worship

I'm only 24 pages from the end of Conder's book this morning, but I had to stop and do my entry because I had already processed so much and needed to engage the material before I could finish his last chapter. Conder modeled his theological commitments by reserving the chapter on worship until the second to last chapter in the book. He did this because, using the analogy of the Venn diagrams many of us used in high school chemistry and math, "Worship is the universal set; spiritual formation, community formation, and mission are all subsets of worship" (194). This approach was consistent with Conder's philosophy since earlier in the book he noted "Changes in a church's worship service seem like the obvious place to begin a transition into emerging culture ministry. But, in most cases, it's precisely the wrong starting point" (96). After reading his book, I get it. By the time you explore the issues involved in spiritual formation, community formation, and mission you see that if a community embraces the emerging values the worship life of a community will naturally begin to shift. Let me use a few words of Conder's regarding Mission as an example. He notes that first of all we need to drop the word "missions" (which reflects a largely professionalized and programmatic approach to service) and replace it with "mission" (which - according to George Hunsberger - reflects our commitments as "a body of people which embraces God's mission and lives in perpetual commitment to [God's mission]" (169). The result of this transition is that a community begins to connect "with the understanding of mission as a life rule [which] complements and reinforces the transition [ from missions to mission]" (181). The result of this transition is that it allows us to "see worship as our posture before God, rather than just a series of events" (181). What a wonderfully holistic (and systemic) way of seeing the worship life of the community attached and connected to various expressions of the life of the church. Conder's understand of the purpose or function of worship? "Our worship is to be perpetual, holistic, and communal" (191). In terms of his approach to the structure of worship itself, Conder takes an approach that is much different than Dan Kimball's. In the 5 pages of the book devoted specifically to worship (Chapter 10), Conder writes "The emphasis [in Scripture] is on the totality & perpetuity of worship expression, rather than its forms" (192). This observation is in line with my own heart-felt convictions that as we at Mountain View United begin our own experience of emergent worship gatherings, our goal is not to replicate other models but produce something that is a deeply authentic express of our own spiritual lives. In the next 2 days (as I wind down the first leg of my sabbatical in Washington State), I'll spend some time pulling together my thoughts on all of the readings, appointments, and worship experiences into a reflection piece. I thank you for helping me process some of the initial resources I've discovered on my journey. Til next time...