Help support the vision of Woodland Hills Community Church!

Help support the vision of Woodland Hills Community Church!
For those of you who would like to support the vision & ministry of Woodland Hills Community Church (the faith community I serve that continues to encourage me to minister outside the box), please click on the link just above.

Same Concepts, Different Approach

I found the time to finish Diana Butler Bass' book "The Practicing Congregation: Imaging a New Old Church". I was amazed to see how similar Butler Bass' conclusions were to Brian McLaren's. I found it fascinating, however, that Diana wasn't quite ready yet to let go of many of the modern concepts with which she was raised. For instance, she created a grid that separated Christian movements into four quadrants. The grid representated continuums between liberalism/conservatism and established practices/intentional practices (I'll explain this in just a moment). Using this grid she located four primary movements: (1) old-style mainline movements, (2) traditional/evangelical movements, (3) practicing congregations, and (4) emergent churches. While her grid was an interesting intellectual exercise, it didn't resonante with my post-modern sensibilities/spirituality. I found my thinking and experience to be closer in line with McLaren's perspective. The exciting thing, however, is that there is an acknowledgment of the emerging principles from communities of all theological/liturgical shapes and sizes! The most important thing I took from Butler Bass' book was her framing of the existing tension between communities that use established worship practices and communities that use intentional worship practices. "The essence of established churchgoing," Butler Bass wrote, "was that one assumed denominational loyalty, received certain beliefs and practices from earlier generations with few quesions, and expected these patterns to continue indefinitely. Indeed, to break the pattern revealed a certain kind of fmailial disloyalty, and religious conversation was socially fatal." Intentional worship communities, however, are markedly different. "Intentional congregations are marked by mobility, choice, risk, refexivity, and reflection. They think about what they do and ask why they do it in relation to their own history, their cultural context, the larger Christian story found in scripture and liturgy, and in line with the longer traditions of Christian faith." My goal in moving toward the new worship gathering this fall is to help create an "intentionial" worship gathering - one that defies the grid that Butler Bass created, however, and instead gives glimpses of both the immiment and transcendent God who is larger than the confines any grid. Til next time ...

2 comments:

Diana Butler Bass said...

Hi Craig.

Thank you for your close reading of my work. I appreciate it!

I thought I'd jump in an clarify something related to your post. I actually use the grid as a pedagogical device to bring modernist folks into a conversation about post-modernity. So, when writing it, I was well-aware of the irony of using modernist dualism to introduce post-modernity! It was done with more than a little playfulness!

One of the problems with post-modern conversation is its inability to seriously engage modernist people. Part of my vocation is to create "breathing space" so people from the older world can experience the newer world in ways that relate to their categories. The grid works amazingly well with people over 45 to help them bridge into a different conversation and outlook.

Anyway, you might check out my podcast over at Emergent Village. There is a more developed discussion on the grid--with a more fully fleshed third axis (making the grid three-dimensional). And, ultimately, as you will hear, I deconstruct the whole thing in order to make room for a whole different vision of church--that of a pilgrim people on journey to the undiscovered country of God's emerging world.

Many, many blessings on your sabbatical. And thank you for so thoughtfully and enthusiastically engaging my words!

Thanks, Diana Butler Bass

emergentcraig said...

As someone new to the world of blogs, I was assuming that no one was reading my blog. To have the first comment on my blog come from one of the individual's whose work I most respect is an awesome experience. Diana, I thank you for the graciousness of your response. My lived experience has shown your words to be true: it is helpful to have a conceptual framework to use to invite folks over the age of 45 into the conversation. I look forward to checking out the podcast your referred me to. Continued blessings on your work and ministry! You are a blessing and encouragement to all of us serving the local church.