People should go to church because they want to - not out of any sense of obligation. Church should be a place where we are refreshed - it should provide an invaluable service to the community - emphasize invaluable. People should love it so much that they are disappointed if they miss a week.
The current church format aims high but misses the mark every time. I have divided the current provisions of the Church into the following categories:
I will go more in depth on this later, but the Church of the future is not going to be a community of people who believe the same thing. This is the primary failure of the current Church. Beliefs are too personal and too varied to bind a community based on beliefs alone.
The secondary failure of the present church lies in its insistance on subjecting the Flock to mass oration every week. A speech (or sermon or lecture if you will) is good every once in a while, but to do this kind of thing every week is simply unoriginal and boring. It's too consistant - too static - and we've been at it for hundreds of years. This needs a good shakeup.
The Christian Church will speak of being "fed" spiritually. I would like to speak of "soul sharpening." Church should help us stay sharp. Teaching need not be ethereal or spiritual on a regular basis, but it must always be RELAVENT. I envision a Church where teaching ALMOST ALWAYS occurs in small groups with a big church-wide assembly coming only once every few months or so.
Well what the hell is "worship" anyway? From my experience, "worship" in the Christian church means "singing hymns" or "doing responsive readings." And I have never felt more plastic and artificial as when I have participated in Christian "worship."
I equate true "worship" with letting go of one's surroundings and becoming absorbed in something so entrancing that the mind is completely given over. The big Gospel rave-ups in the African American church do this - one is generally not given to shout "Amen!" in many other settings. Buddhist chant is an excellent example of this. A rock concert. Watching the ocean. Watching a fire burn. Saying fifty "Hail Mary's." Singing your heart out in the shower. These all acheive a similar effect - some stronger than others.
We are, of course, talking about "art" in one form or another. Granted, it would be hard to categorize "watching to ocean" as art, but when one uses the ocean as an experiential medium, yes (in a true John Cage fashion), it becomes art. Art has an astonishing effect on people. It agitates, it provokes, it refreshes. Art MUST be an integral part of the New Church. In fact, I would venture that the New Church is in many ways a community art center that thinks it's a church.
Organized religion has historically done a lot of damage. From the Crusades to the Spanish Inquisition to the Salem Witch Trials to the nutball on the street telling everyone they're going to hell. But they have done a few things right - notably motivating people to social action. The abolitionist movement in America (for example) began among church congregations and become stronger with the support of church communities. That isn't to say that non-church goers aren't socially active, only that the average person is more likely than otherwise to become active in social issues (or charities or social change) if they are part of a community devoted to these things.
There comes an inevitable argument about the Church's role in politics. With the mainstream Church's alignment with the political right, I feel (perhaps retributively) that there's nothing wrong with The New Church being aligned with the political left. But this doesn't sit too well with me. I'll have to revisit that later.
My god are we in need of a visionary in this regard! The need here is so urgent and I haven't a clue where to begin, frankly.
Probably the most important element of the New Church. There are many people who go to church ONLY for this aspect - to be in community with other like-minded people. To have a support mechanism. To know other people in the community and to be there for them when they are grieving and help them when they are sick or in trouble.
Here is where the role of a "pastor" comes in. A pastor is there, not necessarily to be a teacher, but to be the "glue" of the community. Making sure that the elderly are looked after. Making sure the sick are attended to. Plugging the teenager who needs guidence in with a good mentor. Helping motivate people who don't realize their strengths to be of service to others in the community. The pastor in this case is a networking mastermind who knows EVERYBODY in the congregation. Ideally it'd be good if there were a TEAM of pastors who have these duties as their sole purpose.
Mark
08.22.03