beauty’s compassAs you come in, grab 2-3 other people As you come in, grab 2-3 other people and take time answering the following and take time answering the following question:question:

Share a time in your life that beauty Share a time in your life that beauty filled you with awe, wonder, or filled you with awe, wonder, or inspiration? ‘A favorite movie or book, a inspiration? ‘A favorite movie or book, a building or stretch of natural landscape, building or stretch of natural landscape, a certain concert, a song, a piece of art... a certain concert, a song, a piece of art... Share what it was and what it felt like for Share what it was and what it felt like for you.you.

curating worship as collective art of

faith•intro: why does beauty draw us in?

•mission and ecclesiology

•worship theology

•past precedent-based goals/evals

•organizing for a future distinct from the past

‘Eastering’ our park

from dust you have come

•speaking

•writing: Getting Drawn In, Fall 2012 Paraclete

•music: songstoprayby.kickstarter.com

•consulting/ design thinking team needed

curating worship as collective art of

faith

•intro: why does beauty draw us in?

•mission and ecclesiology

church: noun or verb?

As Church goes... so goes worship.

(Church could be a verb)

•Many act as if the work of the church leadership is getting people to join some invisible community (noun) and that worship is a program in service of that goal.

•I suggest that to “church” (verb) is instead the practice of sharing stories, practices and intentions such that people are put into play within the dreams of God for the healing of the world.

loose

“The new world is at the center of everything

Christianity is about...The hope for the future is not just for us… it is the hope for the whole world… God

is going to do for the entire cosmos in the end what God did for Jesus at

Easter.” -N.T. Wright

the new world

precedence?

?

PrecedenceGod’s art...

Church’s art...

one instrumentalismGod’ art is finished

Church’s art is dynamic

PrecedenceGod’s art is finishedChurch’s art is fixed

One InstrumentalismGod’ art is finished

Church’s art is dynamic

PrecedenceGod’s art is finishedChurch’s art is fixed

another instrumentalism

God’s art is dynamicChurch’s art is fixed

RelevanceGod’ art is finished

Church’s art is dynamic

Missional InnovationGod’s art continues

Church’s art continues

PrecedenceGod’s art is finishedChurch’s art is fixed

FormGod’s art is dynamicChurch’s art is fixed

RelevanceGod’ art is finished

Church’s art is dynamic

Missional InnovationGod’s art continues

Church’s art continues

PrecedenceGod’s art is finishedChurch’s art is fixed

FormGod’s art is dynamicChurch’s art is fixed

church as a nounchurch as a noun

church as a verbchurch as a verb

If church is a verb...

then what are the nouns?

(what is being innovated?)

Nouns don’t move things... they just keep everything in neat categories.

(Duncker’s Candle Problem)

“Functional fixedness” occurs to life and worship when church is just a noun.

• time: when, and how long you gather.

• space: where you meet, how your space functions

• material: bibles, power point, chairs, robes, wine, juice, notebooks

But if church is a verb,

then what are the nouns?

• time: other days of the week, times of day.

• space: what are safe spaces in your neighborhood, what spaces do you discount or reject, what part of your church are underutilized.

• material: what other CDs, art, or fashion do you have at your disposal?

If church is a verb,

then what are the other nouns?

∑ †√

Æ Ù

www.churchasart.com

∑ÆÙ†√

Memes:

{ ∑ÆÙ†√ }

DOMAIN

CREATIVE

www.churchasart.com

{ ∑ÆÙ†√ }

DOMAIN (ADHERENTS, PROPONENTS)

CREATIVE

FIELD OF EXPERTS (GUARDIANS, EXPLORERS)

www.churchasart.com

{ ∑ÆÙ†√ }

DOMAIN (ADHERENTS, PROPONENTS)

CREATIVE

FIELD OF EXPERTS (GUARDIANS, EXPLORERS)

www.churchasart.com

www.churchasart.com

What if the memes weren’t :

{ sacraments, pews, bibles, Polity }

www.churchasart.com

What if the memes were :

{ all time, space, matter/ sacred & profane }

{ ∑ÆÙ†√ }

DOMAIN (Protestant “true” church)

CREATIVE (pastor theologian)

FIELD OF EXPERTS(magistrate, clergy, elders)

www.churchasart.com

{ sacraments, pews, bibles, Polity }

DOMAIN (PROTESTANT “TRUE” CHURCH)

CREATIVE (PASTOR/THEOLOGIAN)

FIELD OF EXPERTS(MAGISTRATE, CLERGY, ELDERS)

www.churchasart.com

DOMAIN (GOD’S WORLD)

CREATIVE (ECCLESSIA)

FIELD OF EXPERTS(ALL ON WHOM GOD’S GOOD WILL

RESTS)

www.churchasart.com

DOMAIN (GOD’S WORLD)

CREATIVE (ECCLESSIA)

{ ∑ÆÙ†√ }

FIELD OF EXPERTS(ALL ON WHOM GOD’S GOOD WILL

RESTS)

DOMAIN (GOD’S WORLD)

CREATIVE (ECCLESSIA)

FIELD OF EXPERTS(ALL ON WHOM GOD’S GOOD WILL

RESTS)

www.churchasart.com

DOMAIN (GOD’S WORLD)

CREATIVE (ECCLESSIA)

{ all time, space, matter/ sacred & profane }

FIELD OF EXPERTS(ALL ON WHOM GOD’S GOOD WILL

RESTS)

curating worship as collective art of

faith

•intro: why does beauty draw us in?

•mission and ecclesiology

•worship theology

•narrative•ritual agency•open prayer

WORSHIPelements

•narrative•ritual agency•open prayer

WORSHIPelements

•narrative•ritual agency•open prayer

WORSHIPelements

•narrative•ritual agency•open prayer

WORSHIPelements

worship does change people into

something

The ReformingThe Reforming Word Word

in the beginning is the word thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path the word became flesh and dwelt among us

Gather Proclaim Respond Seal Bear Gather Proclaim Respond Seal Bear FollowFollow

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slo

gos

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Church as...“Congregation is the hermeneutic of the

gospel” -Leslie Newbigin

Worship is an art

We are artist, artwork, and curators of God’s art

Worship isdesigning

risk

“A person is in his/her own very being a

gift... however... we do not experience

ourselves as gifts until we are engaged in the

act of creativity”-Elizabeth O’Connor

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What are we creating?

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What are we creating?

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What are we creating?

logoslogos{ }

What are we creating?

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logos

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logoslogos{ }

What is God Creating through

our Art of Worship?

today, people are growing aware of their agency in

change

Do It YourselfD.I.Y.

our agency in change implies

relationallity•time

•space

•matter

•others

curating worship as collective art of

faith•intro: why does beauty draw us in?

•mission and ecclesiology

•worship theology

•past precedent-based goals/evals

worship moves beyond false

choice of ‘precedents’

•“Freedom is the ether where possibility lives.” -John O’Donohue

•“The willingness to continually revise one’s location in order to place oneself in the path of beauty is the basic impulse of education.” Elaine Scarry

Moses’ free discovery

•tradition of fathers

•this time, space, matter now

Peter’s free discovery

•colors and splendor

•the voices of the past

•the ability to leave it, to occur again (tomb, pentecost, vision on the roof...)

worship opens doors

•“The poetic breaks fixed conclusions and presses us always toward new, dangerous, imaginative possibilities… This speech entrusted to and practiced by the church, is an act of relentless hope an argument against the ideological closing of life we unwittingly embrace.” -Brueggemann

loose

•intro: why does beauty draw us in?

•mission and ecclesiology

•worship theology

•past precedent-based goals/evals

•organizing for a future distinct from the past