Tag: church

Quotes – Emerging Worship – Dan Kimball

“The buildings in which various churches gathered changed to reflect new cultural influences. Cathedrals, stained glass windows, and hymnals were all forms of emerging worship at one time….We shouldn’t be threatened by it [different expressions of worship], nor should we condemn forms of worship that don’t feel comfortable to us. It doesn’t mean previous forms of worship are invalid; just that new expressions are emerging – and will continue to emerge.” p9

“The emerging church desires new wineskins for worship. These new wineskins are needed in response to our new postmodern culture. It is a terrible mistake to ignore this, and a somewhat arrogant one if we still believe that how we currently worship is the one and only way to worship God.” p9

Quote from Bill Hybels:
“What I keep coming back to is that the alternative [of not starting a new worship service and minsitry] is unthinkable. For anybody to sit idly by and watch one-third or 40 percent of the congregation disappear, it is unconscionable… You can’t do nothing. Whatever it is that you try, at least you will be able to stand before Christ one day and say we gave it our best shot…We never quite figured it out, but we certainly did try!” p17

“As we experiment with creating worship gatherings, we need to always remember it isn’t about us and our dreams – it is about Jesus and his Church. It isn’t about being creative – it is about Jesus and his Church. It isn’t about rethinking our churches – it is about Jesus and his Church. With that in mind, our hearts and attitudes should reflect this truth whether things get rough or things go well!” p21

List – Resources for New Expressions of Church

Books:
– They Like Jesus but Not the Church: Insights from Emerging Generations Amazon

– Microchurches – A Smaller Way Amazon

– Covocational Church Planting Free eBook

Blog Posts:
– New kinds of churches really are the hope of the future – Here Mike talks about two different Anglican dioceses, one shrinking, one growing.

– Tall Skinny Kiwi – A collection of articles on the ’emerging church’ (which the term has stopped being used so widespread these days, as it once was. It has just folded back into ‘church’)

People doing things:
– Unbounded Church – Based in NSW, Australia

I feel more at ease in a room full of pole dancers, than a church.

As we stood in the pew, the comment muttered to me was”I feel more at ease in a room full of pole dancers at practice, than I do here”. What does she mean by that? 

“Why’s that?”
“These people [the other pew dewellers] are judgemental.”
“and pole girls aren’t?”
“the more of your body you revile, the less you can hide.”

Should we therefore drop the Sunday best attire, and replace it with more of an Adam & Eve inspired dress code? I don’t think so, but the idea was interesting.

Last year I attended not one, but two pole dancing competitions. Just like any scored sport, a dancer is given X amount of time to show their skills and to be graded by a panel of judges in numerous categories that someone, once felt they were good guidelines for grading said sport. As part of this process, the dancers submitted a bio of sorts for the MC to read random facts about the upcoming performer as the change over occurred. There was a constant theme to a vast majority of these bios, across both competitions. The essence of what these girls had written was “I found a home and a community that I felt I could belong in” (that wasn’t how any actually worded it, but like I said, the essence). 

Isn’t this what people who attend church should be saying? Is it possible that with all the music, worship, pretend smiley faces and “church stuff”, that we miss the point. And instead the pole dancing class down the road, that barely anyone from the church would step foot in is actually better at building community? 

Does this mean we should erect pole dancing poles in a church auditorium? If it builds communities, then sure, why not. Although I think that only helps a small group of people. I’m sure similar communities are built in other sports & interest groups. 

Once again I don’t have any answerss, just more questions.

However if your in the pole dancing / pole fitness / areal performaning community, I’m interested in hearing your story & collating these into a video project.