Written from downtown Nashville, Saturday night, after a Grand Ole Opry show...
In the last two days, I have been participating in workshops at this year’s “School of Congregational Development”, a conference about all topics related to church starting and church vitalization, hosted by the United Methodist Church. I have learned so much. See http://www.path1.org/ and http://www.gbod.org/ for starters…
I’m enthralled by the conversations with peers and experts, worship, classes and compilations of resources. Kevin Kloster lead a great seminar entitled “Discerning if you are a new church missionary”. I’ve been inspired by narratives of ministries attempted, disciples made, and lives and communities made again, anew. Yeah, he’ll tell you with passion filled voice and shining eyes, it’s hard and risky work. But, it’s central to faithful Christian living—sharing the word that God cares for us, God suffers with and for us; AND, God doesn’t intend for the suffering to be the last word! It’s the Gospel—the Good News—that audacious proclamation of God’s Kingdom happening on your doorstep!
Over two days, I had an opportunity to explore whether I might have the aptitudes and that compelling desire (call) to be a new church planter. As a DCM, I need to know what characteristics are common and advantageous for new church pastors. I need to know what the process of starting a new church looks like and how to foster success. Finding, equipping, assessing and deploying leaders—clergy and lay—for the future churches and faith communities is part of a DCMs portfolio. But, as a follower of Jesus , I have long been intrigued by the idea of starting a new church. I participated in the first phases of starting Living Waters UMC as a member of parent church, then launch team in 2005-2006. And, I’ve been thinking seriously about what it would be like to start a church or new faith community myself, since Jurisdictional Conference in 2008. How would I go about it? Where? And, what kinds of faith communities offer relevant witness to God’s vision of kingdom in today’s context? What holy places will create spaces for today’s people?
Almost literally on the doorsteps of our School of Congregational, is another place of holy presence—the Ryman Auditorium, the home of the Grand Ole’ Opry. Empty, with rows of wooden curved pews laddering up two levels from the scuffed, wooden floors of the lighted stage, with gothic windows filled with colored panes of glass, the Opry feels like a church…there is a sense of holy community within its old, red bricked walls. Filled with clapping, toe-tapping audience, it’s a revival meeting! (It turns out the Ryman actually had its start in revival. See www.ryman.com and Carousel of Time: Thomas Ryman on YouTube.com) In the strains of Del McCoury Band bluegrass gospel and Vince Gill’s haunting lyrics in “Red Words”, I heard Jesus "preached" into the daily commons of life, work and love.
Meandering through the main floor and balcony open spaces, I peered through glass-fronted cases at photos and read about founders of bluegrass, rock-a-billy, country, and country-n-western. And, reading these words by Bill Monroe, father of bluegrass, I saw my intuition about the Spirit of the place is a shared experience…[Bluegrass has] “a hard drive to it. It’s Scotch bagpipes and ole’time fiddlin’. It’s Methodist and Holiness and Baptist. It’s blues and jazz, and it has a high lonesome sound. It’s plain music that tells a good story. It’s played from my heart to your heart, and it will touch you. Bluegrass is music that matters.”
Music—all kinds—was, and is still, part of our Methodist roots. In the classes with Kevin Kloster, we heard it is one of the most critical pieces to get right in outreach to the unchurched, or "dechurched" folks, who are turned off by what is commonly seen as church culture? To be authentic and relevant, church music needs to be of the people, rooted in their place and their times. Its gotta tell their ordinary stories and God’s extraordinary story. And, how awesome that we get to be a part of singing this Song!
Well, in honor of our musical roots and Nashvilles heros of faith, including Miss Minnie Pearl, that faithful Methodist gal….How-dy until tomorrow!
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