I am an active learner - I learn from both concepts and practical application. But the key question for me is one of integration. Does what I am learning connect with what I already know; and if so in what ways? On this level this intensive has provided the grounds to integrate key aspects of learning that are relevant to me, because I already had a framework to understand some of what was imparted; which in turn provided the means to connect the new ideas into my web of understanding.
I was a little surprised at first to find how broad Steve’s approach to Biblical interpretation was (for a “southern” Baptist). His approach was much more “post-modern” than I have been operating in, at least in the last 5 years in Nowra. I found this very refreshing, but also challenging and stimulating. Challenging because although I have had some of these types of inputs in the past, I have been reshaped by the stressed and controls of the church which I pastor and their expectations regarding how we approach the biblical text, run a church and what constitutes a “real worship” experience.
A key insight for me this week has been the understanding of how modernity and post-modernity frame a person’s thinking. It has become painstakingly clear that many older people are locked into a pattern that says there is only one way to do or experience certain things, and struggle to see other perspectives let alone compromise or change. It is also obvious that young people operate on a different plain, more questioning, fast paced and relational. However, communicating in our post-modern age needs not to lack in scholarship, and in many ways there needs to be better scholarship because the message has to be communicated more clearly in quicker bites to connect with the way in which our younger generations operate.
This challenges the classic “meta-narrative” approach, and the more overarching narratives we accommodate the less the overarching story has authority to communicate a defining truth. This is the problem of the my Uniting Church that in on one level embraces post-modernism, but whose regulations are based on conventions schooled in modernity. Add to this the large number of senior citizens who fill the pews and you have a church that struggles to deal with change and variety.
However, for my church to connect with young people today we need more than programs and patterns borrowed from “successful” churches, but principles that can be applied into any context regardless of the circumstances. To do this I need a model that is biblical, practical and flexible enough to convince my traditionalists that there are other ways of approaching the biblical text and the worship “experience” and will inspire new creativity from both me and those around me, and in many ways this is what I received.
Steve had many good ideas from his context(s) at Opawa and Grace Baptist. However, in passing on the ideas it is clear that each mission context is different and unique and although it is tempting to believe that all the good ideas are translatable, it is clear to me that they are not. In an endeavour to not be seen as sceptical, I note that rather than compare the resources of Opawa with Nowra, I need to find the place to start. When circumstances look unchangeable, then the start needs to happen inside of me; with my attitude, my expectations, and my priorities. This is harder than it seems, but the only way I know to break cycles that appear to be locked in.
It is so easy to be locked into a pattern of thinking; even one that you don’t necessarily believe or support; but which is driven by the context in which you are “the pastor”. At those times ministry is like a treadmill and it is hard to find the creative spaces to be refreshed and empowered. But there comes a time to think outside the box, to nudge people to move beyond the “provider-client” relationship, to become producers around the biblical text as an act of corporate worship no longer just a consumer of what I, “the expert” produce.
The role of the community has come more into focus for me as a result of this intensive, bringing their experiences into contact with the biblical text and each other in a way that is meaningful, multi-sensory and stimulates questions. Asking questions of the text engages people into the theological task of “faith seeking understanding” and the more I allow people to be disturbed by the Holy Spirit, to be pushed beyond their comfort zones, the more chance there is that they will engage their own experiences with the Bible.
How I do this is open to a variety of means. I really enjoyed receiving a biblical framework for communicating in a multi-sensory way that was not reliant on trends in educational fields, but stemmed from understanding the “word” communicated in relationship, images, the community and dialogue. This has given me a renewed confidence to push beyond the ‘box’ with narrative style, inductive and abductive sermons, pictures, stories, sculpture, questions, technology, role plays and dialogue; all valid ways of engaging the community with the text (but not all at once!).
Another key learning was the intentional use of “takeaways”, that creatively engage the audience with the text. I have used various types of take aways before, but never given as much thought and exegetical reflection to the question of what, why and how as I did in this course. I have already begun to dream of ways that I can raise the bar in this way for future events. Speaking of raising the bar, I have been dreaming of engaging some of my creative friends to help me make a “Nooma” style video based on Luke 1:39-45 that I intend to post on the web and use as a sound bite in various contexts over Christmas. However for this or any type of contextual tool to be effective it needs to flow from the practical theology model.
I really connected with the model of practical theology that examines the context, engages it with the biblical text that leads to a mission response, which in turn re-engages with the context....creating an upwards spiral that leads people into a closer relationship with God. This concept of practical theology is the rationale for doing mission in any context and is not linked to specific method, but can inspire a wide variety of creative approaches. I have already begun to use some Steve’s techniques from the intensive in my church. On Sunday I had people turn and share a something of their story with another and then engaged their story with the biblical narrative.
How do I view the biblical text now, in comparison to last week? I believe I have permission to do more than just listen to it. I want to empower others to be free to explore, to play, to taste, to see, to question, to discuss, to live; to wrestle with the text so that they will understanding the joy of discovering that the good news is God’s story that is not locked into time and space, but goes on and engages with all who accepts such a wonderful gift.
I was a little surprised at first to find how broad Steve’s approach to Biblical interpretation was (for a “southern” Baptist). His approach was much more “post-modern” than I have been operating in, at least in the last 5 years in Nowra. I found this very refreshing, but also challenging and stimulating. Challenging because although I have had some of these types of inputs in the past, I have been reshaped by the stressed and controls of the church which I pastor and their expectations regarding how we approach the biblical text, run a church and what constitutes a “real worship” experience.
A key insight for me this week has been the understanding of how modernity and post-modernity frame a person’s thinking. It has become painstakingly clear that many older people are locked into a pattern that says there is only one way to do or experience certain things, and struggle to see other perspectives let alone compromise or change. It is also obvious that young people operate on a different plain, more questioning, fast paced and relational. However, communicating in our post-modern age needs not to lack in scholarship, and in many ways there needs to be better scholarship because the message has to be communicated more clearly in quicker bites to connect with the way in which our younger generations operate.
This challenges the classic “meta-narrative” approach, and the more overarching narratives we accommodate the less the overarching story has authority to communicate a defining truth. This is the problem of the my Uniting Church that in on one level embraces post-modernism, but whose regulations are based on conventions schooled in modernity. Add to this the large number of senior citizens who fill the pews and you have a church that struggles to deal with change and variety.
However, for my church to connect with young people today we need more than programs and patterns borrowed from “successful” churches, but principles that can be applied into any context regardless of the circumstances. To do this I need a model that is biblical, practical and flexible enough to convince my traditionalists that there are other ways of approaching the biblical text and the worship “experience” and will inspire new creativity from both me and those around me, and in many ways this is what I received.
Steve had many good ideas from his context(s) at Opawa and Grace Baptist. However, in passing on the ideas it is clear that each mission context is different and unique and although it is tempting to believe that all the good ideas are translatable, it is clear to me that they are not. In an endeavour to not be seen as sceptical, I note that rather than compare the resources of Opawa with Nowra, I need to find the place to start. When circumstances look unchangeable, then the start needs to happen inside of me; with my attitude, my expectations, and my priorities. This is harder than it seems, but the only way I know to break cycles that appear to be locked in.
It is so easy to be locked into a pattern of thinking; even one that you don’t necessarily believe or support; but which is driven by the context in which you are “the pastor”. At those times ministry is like a treadmill and it is hard to find the creative spaces to be refreshed and empowered. But there comes a time to think outside the box, to nudge people to move beyond the “provider-client” relationship, to become producers around the biblical text as an act of corporate worship no longer just a consumer of what I, “the expert” produce.
The role of the community has come more into focus for me as a result of this intensive, bringing their experiences into contact with the biblical text and each other in a way that is meaningful, multi-sensory and stimulates questions. Asking questions of the text engages people into the theological task of “faith seeking understanding” and the more I allow people to be disturbed by the Holy Spirit, to be pushed beyond their comfort zones, the more chance there is that they will engage their own experiences with the Bible.
How I do this is open to a variety of means. I really enjoyed receiving a biblical framework for communicating in a multi-sensory way that was not reliant on trends in educational fields, but stemmed from understanding the “word” communicated in relationship, images, the community and dialogue. This has given me a renewed confidence to push beyond the ‘box’ with narrative style, inductive and abductive sermons, pictures, stories, sculpture, questions, technology, role plays and dialogue; all valid ways of engaging the community with the text (but not all at once!).
Another key learning was the intentional use of “takeaways”, that creatively engage the audience with the text. I have used various types of take aways before, but never given as much thought and exegetical reflection to the question of what, why and how as I did in this course. I have already begun to dream of ways that I can raise the bar in this way for future events. Speaking of raising the bar, I have been dreaming of engaging some of my creative friends to help me make a “Nooma” style video based on Luke 1:39-45 that I intend to post on the web and use as a sound bite in various contexts over Christmas. However for this or any type of contextual tool to be effective it needs to flow from the practical theology model.
I really connected with the model of practical theology that examines the context, engages it with the biblical text that leads to a mission response, which in turn re-engages with the context....creating an upwards spiral that leads people into a closer relationship with God. This concept of practical theology is the rationale for doing mission in any context and is not linked to specific method, but can inspire a wide variety of creative approaches. I have already begun to use some Steve’s techniques from the intensive in my church. On Sunday I had people turn and share a something of their story with another and then engaged their story with the biblical narrative.
How do I view the biblical text now, in comparison to last week? I believe I have permission to do more than just listen to it. I want to empower others to be free to explore, to play, to taste, to see, to question, to discuss, to live; to wrestle with the text so that they will understanding the joy of discovering that the good news is God’s story that is not locked into time and space, but goes on and engages with all who accepts such a wonderful gift.
