While all the churches we visited in America were different and had things that I liked and disliked, there are some general reflections that I have made since getting back to the UK.
Firstly, there was a huge emphasis in these churches on the creative arts. All the Churches, apart from Mars Hill, were very visual in that they used excellent images on the screens, they used dance and drama effectively and, as I have already said in my descriptions, had very good music groups. Most of them used lighting to very good effect, for instance at Willow Creek the lighting colour on the stage would change depending on the type of worship at the time.This level of emphasis on the creative and visual is something that we do not see very often in the UK. When it is done as well as these churches did then it can be a real help in worship and learning.
Secondly, All the churches emphasised organised, instructional and relevant teaching. What I found particularly helpful in some churches was each member of the congregation was given a sheet outlining the sermon and containing all the relevant Bible verses. They may also have questions for personal reflection and questions for Cells on the sheets as well as ideas for further reading.
Thirdly, all the churches had clear, well organised and multipliable leadership structures. They were particularly good at identifying and making space for new and young leaders.
Fourthly, on a negative note, there was very little emphasis on encouraging people to encounter God in worship or through prayer ministry. The worship was well performed but there was little passion or space for God to move. By the end of three weeks we were desperate for worship that seemed to connect the heart as well as the mind.
Finally, there was a great openness and forthrightness about money. Not in a TV evangelist kind of way but in a positive, 'this is part of your worship' kind of way. A number of the churches had courses on how to deal with money in a Biblical way.
2 comments:
Hi Steve,
Reading your latest post reminded me about a question I had about Saddleback Church over in California. I've been impressed by Rick Warren's weekly podcast to church leaders (http://blog.pastors.com/) but sometimes it feels a little bit 'clean'! Picking up on your point about the excellence of the audio-visual elements of many of the services I notice that these mega-churches are slick and professional (that's what I mean by 'clean'). They are highly rational and they provide good models for us to aspire to. But does it in some way take away the 'encounter' with God element? Is encounter with God messy (therefore couldn't fit in a neat, slick service)? Or is it something that can't be planned (therefore doesn't fit into a well organised time of worship)??
Encounter also comes through ministry time - I'd be interested to know if these churches had an element of that in their services. Is it a case of both-and (I think New Wine have been trying to have the both-and focus for a long time haven't they?!).
It sounds like a great experience. I'm looking forward to hearing about Redding if you're going there too!!!! Hope you're having a good sabbatical.
Blessings to you all.
Mike
It's been interesting for me to be going to Churches in the UK after my experience in the States. I've been amazed at how badly they have done the audio and visual stuff. They were all experiencing the same kind of problems we have had in our service - microphones not working, powerpoint problems etc and it just hinders worship. I really believe that our services need to be more visual and the American churches showed that it can be done really well and in a way that aids worship. I don't see any reason why we can't have a 'professional' approach to the visual and creative while also giving God space to move. We just need to remember that the encounter with God has priority over other things.
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