My kids - who are on the cusp of independent adulthood - all prefer traditional worship. I took TBC to The Theatre Church a couple years ago and it wasn't her thing. Seemed as fake to her as traditional worship feels to those who only experience God and community in alt worship settings.But here's the thing: emerging community is what postmodern generations basically want.
Relationships that are not fake or based on duty ("Hi, I'm your Stephen Minister. Just call me if you have a problem.") Relationships that don't require perkiness 24/7. Relationships in which you can not only be yourself; you can express spiritual doubts if that's where you are.
Actually this is what I want too. It's not merely about age. There are twenty-somethings that prefer traditional worship and others who are moved by ancient practices or U2charist or whatever. But almost all of them really want real connections to other real people.
Rote prayers don't do it.
Lifeless worship leadership doesn't do it.
Packaged liturgies don't do it.
Most of all, we just want a community/spiritual connections to be real.
Painting is Naomi, Ruth, and Orpah by Chagall (1960)
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9 comments:
Me too.
I think you have just made the most trenchant statement about what the heck is going on in church today and what we need to be striving for. Thanks!
Jan
What strikes me about your post is it is less about packaging than it is about presence. My guess it there are traditional churches and emergent churches on both sides of the divide.
Peace
Milton
Jan, that is the perfect statement for where I am in the discerning process at FPC and with the group. I prefer traditional worship - something comforting about its age (even if it is only like 50 years) and the "mystical" nature of some of the old school liturgy - and yet there is something more that I crave. Its not modern per say but relational. And that is where I have tried to focus.
This also hits it right on the head for me.
Over the last couple of decades, as mainline church has become passe and contemporary culture has passed us by, many many millions of us continue to come regularly.
Sure, some do it just because they always have - it's just a habit. But many of us still come because we are being fed, not only by the traditional service, but by the relationships we have. For many of us the presence is indeed there. In fact, I feel the community more at FPC than I did when I tried a nontraditional approach.
Tim - you are actually the one who taught me this. You said something recently that made those scales fall from my eyes. It's definitely true that there's enough fakeness all around - regardless of worship style.
I can live without traditional hymns but I can't live without spiritual community. And I'm thinking this is true for most of us - even if we've never entered a church building.
Worship in community with treasured, authentic, meaningful relationships. Amen.
Jan,
As always insightful and thoughtful.
I'm curious if others have had situations like mine. I try to model and practice where authenticity and development of personal relationships, and I think for some folks it actually feels a little threatening or at least offputting. Do you think that some styles of ritual and particularly preaching protect people who are afraid or unused to engaging deeply, and that they actually prefer it FOR THAT VERY REASON?
Juniper -
Probably.
I've noticed that with small groups/book studies/even Bible studies, it's safer for some to stick to academic discussions rather than delve into "What does this mean to me personally?" The problem is that if we fail to connect such thing to our own lives, we go home smarter but not spiritually moved.
I do know from friends that they prefer huge churches because they want to be somewhat anonymous and that's tougher if you are part of a small congregation where people notice if you are absent, etc.
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