The following story was shared by Dr. Diana Butler-Bass on Facebook today.  It is worth a deep reflection.  First, the story as she told it. 

So this happened at Foundry UMC in DC today:

The pastor called the little ones forward for the children’s sermon, about a dozen preschoolers gathered on the chancel steps. The pastor asked, “Where is the candle? Do you see the candle?” The children looked around. One sharp-eyed boy said, “There it is.” And the pastor replied, “Would you get it?” The boy retrieved the candle and handed it to her.

“Where is the white bowl?” she then asked. And the same happened. “Where are the silver and gold beads?” Repeat. “Where is something that reminds you of Christmas?” Again.

Finally she asked, “Where is God?”

The children looked about. Up, down, all around. A few bewildered stares, some shrugged shoulders. Then, a small blonde boy in a plaid shirt, about three years old, said, “I know!” The pastor said, “You do?” The little boy looked excited insisting, “Yes, yes!” Then the pastor said, “Where?” And the little boy replied, “I’ll go get God!”

He jumped up from the chancel stairs and ran down the center aisle. His father, obviously a bit worried about the open doors at the back of the sanctuary, leaped out of his pew to fetch his son.

Before he got very far, however, the little boy had returned. He was holding the hand of a kind-looking woman in her seventies, literally pulling her down the aisle. “Here!” he cried, “Here’s God! She’s here!” The pastor looked puzzled: “Miss Jean?” And the boy pointed, “There she is! God! God!”

She was his Sunday school teacher.

* * * * *
Best sermon ever.

Thank you Dr. Bass for sharing this true life story from Foundry United Methodist church is Washington, DC.  This story has touched me on many levels:

First, I know Foundry United Methodist Church since I was a part of the Baltimore-Washington Conference from 1968 to 2002.  My heritage and work with the United Methodist church still runs in my veins and stories like this one remind me that all faith traditions are reaching to find the holy in both expected and unexpected ways.  To me, a miracle is defined as when the holy comes to us unexpectedly. 

Second, as a religious educator, I sometimes watch those who touch souls though the avenue of religious education never receives the credit due.  Many do not strive for recognition and that is admirable.  But is it not possible that we recognize the whole and not just the individual?  How do we stand up appreciate all of those professional and lay religious education leaders who have brought a spark to all?  And then, how do we adjust the church just enough to value religious education as a priority for the total of its religious life?

Third, I reflect deeper on the many teaching of Dr. Bass and the changing, shifting 21-st century church.  I have spent much of this afternoon and evening reflecting on this story in light of the shift?  What will be the role of education in the shifting church?  I believe it will be a vital component and will only work if educational models are as diverse as the people attracted to the 21st century global church.  I am excited to think about what that could look like!  Religious education will not fit into a neat package.  Instead, it could explode with possibility and great "Aha!" moments.  Bring it on.

As I continue to reflect, I give a shout out to Miss Jean and all the Miss Jean's who have shown us the face of God.  Thank you Miss Jean for bringing God to this congregation in a way that no one else could. 

For more information on Dr. Diana Butler-Bass' work, check out her website:  http://dianabutlerbass.com/

Another Perspective on Worship for the 21st Century

Photo comes from a stole of the many hands who help us in our professional work:  https://www.pinterest.com/pin/24277285469414640/

     Sunday, June 26 2016’s Sunday Morning worship at the Unitarian Universalist Association’s General Assembly has had people talking!  Rev. Nancy McDonald-Ladd preached an inspiring sermon that had the attendee’s shouting her praises and shouting joy for an on pointe message.   As my colleague Pat Infante stated on Facebook:  “Rev.  Nancy McDonald Ladd knocks it out of the park at ‪#‎uuaga‬!.”

     I watched the service online (http://www.uua.org/ga/off-site/2016/worship/sunday).  It was a great message.  It was one of those messages that takes the nonverbalized feelings many of us carry deep within us and puts words to it in such a way that we say, “Yes, that is it!  You have articulated something that I have felt for a long time.”

I was moved by her message. 

     I was also moved by the spiritual leadership and poetry of Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout who served as music leader and co-worship leader for this Sunday morning experience (check out his poem god is no noun at http://www.questformeaning.org/quest-article/god-no-noun/)   Dr. Rideout had the presence to bring us all closer to the holy.  In every word he spoke and every movement he made, I watched a transcendence that I rarely see on Sunday mornings.

     One of the most poignant and yet spontaneous examples of this leadership occurred when there was an electrical feedback through the microphone.  He paused for a moment and said, “What a beautiful thing it is that we create worship together that even makes the microphone want to sing.”  Then he went on to ask all of those worshiping to note how quickly this loud moment of feedback was taken care of.  In this he thanks the many hands and we should honor all of those who were making this morning’s worship a holy worship.

     Amen.

     Collaboration and honor of all of those who do so much work behind the scenes is a valuable part of our church experience.  Church has always run on the success of many hard working hands but I believe that collaborative ministry is moving closer to the center of vital church community than ever before.  Why is this so?  Because in our search for something greater – in our search for the holy, we find it in relationship with other people and with our world. 

     Thank you Dr. Rideout for lifting up the collaborative effort of this worship experience.  I would dare say that part of the holy was there because the congregants – who had no official duty- were involved in the service with their singing, their clapping and their shouts of joy!  Rev. McDonald-Ladd’s sermon was even more powerful because the congregants participated in the sermon conversation.  If you watched the streamed version of this service, you will see what I mean. 

      To go deeper, I have another thought that has been a part of my reflection this week.  The accolades Rev. McDonald-Ladd received during the days following the worship service were too many to count.  Facebook was peppered with many postings praising her for her on pointe message.  Rightfully so -it was a great sermon and it was delivered with passion.  I have thought about the success of this message inline with an unspoken and misunderstood emptiness that a growing number of church folk feel.  People have been leaving the churches of the United States in vast numbers – Unitarian Universalists are no different.  I have heard many a parishioner say, “I come to church for a good Sunday morning message.  If it is not a good preacher, I would rather do something else.” 

     Those who attended the Sunday morning worship at GA on June 26^th got an excellent, inspiring message.  For many, it is exactly why they come.  But in the broader picture, is this not like craving sugar when what your body really needs is water?  We do not always get such a moving message.  And honestly, I believe that if we did, we would soon tire of it.  So, how are we going to re-hydrate our “holy” existence?  How are we going to be engaged in church so that we find true nurturing in engagement with people and world? 

     Just as mentioned by Dr. Rideout, worship takes many hands.  I believe that reaching holy places also takes many hands.  Church is changing and it time for us to work collaboratively to find new models.  I believe that worship is shifting from its central place in church to a vital sideline activity in church life.  I further believe that worship is a needed component of church but only an outpouring of praise and conviction that is powered by the collaborative work of its members.  Every congregation must identity their "work" and then identify the way they will act it out.  This may seem like a daunting task.  I believe it is exciting work!  Each of us has the opportunity to play a vital role in the Re-creation of ministry.  It will be exciting to see what creative models will emerge.

     My question for reflection:  How can the church of the 21-st century engage so that we are a part of a vibrant 21st-century church? 

     Important note:  Even though the worship service mentioned in this blog was for a Unitarian Universalist audience, it fits well with all Christian denominations and people of faith.  That is also true for this discussion on the present and future vitality of church.  Even if you are not UU, I hope you will reflect and engage with the question.  

Expressing Our Most Inner Self

Most of my blogs take a more global church perspective.  Every once in awhile, I will write a blog that is more personal in an effort to help you better know this blog's author.  This one is written very close to the heart and explores the sensitive theme of emotion. 

Thank you for your willing to read, listen and be in relationship.

Expressing our most Inner Self:

     Each of us have stories and particular life events that touch us in such a deep and holy place that we are unsure exactly where our body and this sacred deep place meet.  Sometimes, we are touched when we encounter a special event or memory of an event.  It may be a conversation, a reading, a movie, a song or some other form of communication that touches a core piece of who we are – and it is so deep that we react in our own personal way.

     For me, I react with tears. 

      All of us act out sacred moments differently.  For me, it comes in tears -sometimes sobs.  And whenever I cry, I know that I am in a precious place where I can touch (maybe only for a moment) the most sacred part of me as it meets the world. 

Sometimes I cry from sadness,

Sometimes anger,

Sometimes sheer joy.

     Tears have come to be a hallmark of my most authentic self.  And I treasure all my learnings and inspirations that are powerful enough to make me cry. 

     And yet, my tears make many people uncomfortable…

     Oftentimes, people will jump up and try to comfort me.  Their actions are caring and yet I know also know they only wish for the tears to stop. 

     Sometimes, I am even berated for my tears.  This is particularly true in my professional work as a religious educator in the Unitarian Universalist church.  Please know that I rarely cry in the midst of my professional work.  It has happened only a handful of times and in places where great compassion for the topic or community is at heart of the moment. 

     Once, my minister told me that my emotions were out of proportion for the conversation in which we were privately having. 

     Once, a minister told me that as a professional, my tears made the sole parishioner uncomfortable and that I was unfit to carry out my duties. 

     Was this true? 

     In the first instance, we were talking about an injustice and the pain of suffering led me to tears. 

     In the second instance, I was in the midst of leaving my professional position.  Without warning, I was asked to join a meeting and explain my reasons to the one person who I respected most in the church.  This was the person who would take on most of the religious education duties and the one person that I felt I was abandoning.  It was right to go.  But that does not mean that there are no causalities and it pains me when those who are most committed are the ones most hurt.  I cried in the telling. 

     Maybe it is wrong to cry in a professional place.  But I have no idea how to stop crying in these powerful places even if I wanted to.  And I am not sure I want to since crying leads me to one of the most authentic and compassionate places in myself. 

     Lately, I have remembered fondly the time at General Assembly when Rev. Bill Sinkford honored the men and women who serve as Unitarian Universalist military chaplains.  With tears in his eyes, he told the story of his son entering the military and feeling alone because there were no chaplains from his own beloved denomination. 

     I also remember the great honor Rev. Mark Hicks bestowed on the LREDA fall conference worshipers the great honor of telling a story of his journey into Africa with colleagues.  At one point in the story, he was moved to tears and stepped back from the lectern to regain his composure.  He did not leave.  He shared his tears with us.  I remember feeling totally attentive and honored by the fact that he was willing to share his total heart with us. 

     And I remember a powerful moment where Rev. Manish Mishra-Marzetti shed tears as he gave apology in the midst of a heartfelt forum concerning congregation healing over racial issues. 

      So why such a range in response to tears?  Why do tears make us uncomfortable one moment and moved in another?  It is a question that is a part of my daily prayers and reflection.

     If tears are a hindrance to religious professionalism, then I guess I am not equipped to be a religious professional.   After all, tears are at the essence of my being.  They come only when my body, mind and the sacred touch each other.  And I find it sad that we cannot find a way to allow our authentic selves to be a part of our ministry.

      Until a way is found, I will own my tears as a valuable part of who I am.  And I welcome anyone who wishes to share them with me.  If you are with me and you cry, please know that I trust I that something amazing is happening and I am honored that you are willing to share this with me.  And if I cry in your presence, please accept the gift knowing that I am sharing a moment when my soul and the earth meet with your presence.  

Photo credit:  Tears of Joy in Rain by Dinara Omarova 2015   https://www.artfinder.com/product/tears-of-joy-in-rain/

A Great Emergence?

 In the previous blog, I spoke of the concept of a Great Awakening.  Maybe we are in the midst of such a shift.  Dr. Diana Bulter-Bass discusses this in length in her book, Christianity After Religion:  The End of Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Awakening (HarperCollins 2012).  I believe she makes a great case.  This book definitely urged me to think more broadly about church.  Hence my new blog title:  A View of the Church from the Moon.

But I am inclined to go a bit broader than an awakening.  

Just like geographic time periods (eras) have sub time periods (periods), maybe the Great Awakening is a period of a larger era.[1] As I determine the validity of the Fourth Great Awakening, I have researched other theories.  These theories have helped me form a broader picture of what is happening.[2]

A Great Emergence

Phyllis Tickle in her book The Great Emergence:  How Christianity is Changing and Why outlines a religious transition as it happens every 500 years.  Tickle has outlined a great semi-millennial change in religious and spiritual direction since the time of Jesus.  She refers to these eras as great rummage sales where the culture does a thorough cleaning and gets rid of ideas and practices that are no longer needed. [3]  Here we are at the turn of the 21^st century and ready for another semi-millennial change.  Our world is ready for another rummage sale and Tickle calls this the Great Emergence. 

Tickle describes the last semi-millennial religious shift as the Protestant Reformation and spends a great deal of time outlining its development in an effort to better understand the patterns we observe in the twenty-first century.  She notes that one important aspect of the Protestant Reformation is that the leaders of this movement set themselves directly against Roman Catholicism.  She says, “We cannot look, however, at the huge gifts to Western civilization of either Protestant or Roman Catholicism without looking as well at how our forebears on both sides of the divide chose competition over cooperation.”[4] And by doing so, created a church culture which is always set up and against others.  This is known as hegemony. 

Today, humanity lives more closely with a diverse religious world.[5] technology advances give us quick access to information from around the world and global communication present us with many religious and spiritual possibilities.  Humanity now sees many correct religious choices even as each identifies or differs from one’s own.   The normal competitive and hierarchical model of church is being put in Tickle’s symbolic rummage sale so that room can be made for to more pluralistic and collaborative models.   This is a powerful aspect of today’s change in religion, church and spirituality.  In a world where we are all connected, there is a drive for collaboration.  A global religious community with many diverse beliefs and faiths may be a major part of its new identity.  

Entering the Age of the Spirit

Harvey Cox in The Future of Faith takes it a step further and outlines a major religious transition occurring after fifteen-hundred years.  Cox believes that Christianity has had two defined eras with a third currently emerging.  The first era occurred during the first 300-400 years of Christianity he titles, the age of faith.  This era held the essence of newness and vitality which defines beginning Christianity.  The faithful followers of this time gathered believers, built the initial understanding of church and worked with the less privileged. 

Around the time of Emperor Constantine when Christianity moved from a persecuted faith to the faith of the empire, Christianity entered the age of belief.  This age emphasized the importance of apostolic authority and the need for common beliefs as defined in the Christian creeds.  This period of hierarchical church and creedal control has lasted 1500 years.  Now, Christianity is ready to evolve to a new place.

Cox is unsure what to call this new movement but currently favors the name, the age of the spirit. Ironically, many aspects of this age look a great deal like the initial movement: the age of faith.  Instead of an emphasis on authority, hierarchy and creedal adherence; faithful people are drawn to the collaborative and experiential elements of church and faith. 

Conclusion

Currently, Christianity is in the midst of a major global transition and unable to fully define what is happening.    It helps to have good thinkers and writers help us on this journey of understanding.  I have appreciated the unique perspectives of Harvey Cox, Phyllis Tickle and Diana Bulter-Bass as I reflect on what is happening in the church today.  Historians will be able to look back decades or centuries from now and better name this era of Christian transition.  Now, Christianity can celebrate the fact that they have a front row seat to the transition and a role in its current developments.  I am unable to research and name this era because I am too close to its occurrence but I am able to live it, reflect on it, talk with colleagues, and write about it from a first-person perspective. 

Are we in a great awakening?  Yes, I believe we are.  I also believe that we could possibly be experiencing something greater like a great emergence and the renaissance of the age of the spirit.  It is possible that each of these identifications are true.  Each of these provide a framework and with this framework comes an easier way to communicate observations with others.  No matter how we name it, this makes this a pivotal age for Christianity specifically and religion in general. 

Endnotes:

[1] For a discussion about geological time periods see http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibit/histgeoscale.php.  I use the language of era and period even though I could easily use eon, era, period, epoch or age.  For this paper, the term is not as important as understanding that it is possible that a period exists within a larger period. 

[2] Bulter-Bass, 31.  I am aware that Butler-Bass frame her discussion of Christianity’s transition in the Great Awakening because it was a more manageable time-frame.  I believe there is wisdom in this and gave me a look at transition in its 40-year window.  Now I wish to extend this conversation to a broader picture. 

[3] Tickle, Chapter One, Kindle Edition.

[4] Tickle, Kindle Edition. 

[5] Cox, Harvey, The Future of Faith, (New York:  HarperCollins, 2009) 127-130.  

 You may wish to read more on this subject.  The books cited in this article are a great place to begin.

Colleague note:  Thank you Greg Boyd for urging me to read Phyllis Tickle's book!  

Works Cited

Butler-Bass, Diana. Christianity After Religion:  The End of Church and the Birth of a

New Spiritual Awakening.  New York:  HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 2012. 

Cox, Harvey, The Future of Faith.  New York:  HarperCollins, 2009. 

Tickle, Phyllis, The Great Emergence:  How Christianity Is Changing and Why. Grand Rapids, MI: BakerBooks, 2008.  

Buckle Up Folks - The Concept of Church is Shifting!

There is little doubt that transition is occurring at the heart of Christianity.  Decreasing numbers of members and worshipers as well as a current discontent signal that some sort of Christian transformation is occurring.[1]  We can nearly all agree that something is happening.  Dr. Diana Butler-Bass says, “Indeed, the first decade of the twenty-first century could brightly be called the great Religious Recession.”[2]  In 1990, the number of people who claimed no religious affiliation was 8 percent.   In 2008, the number had grown to 15 percent and had spread from the northwest part of the United States to the Northeast,[3] and the number of people who now consider themselves only spiritual, non-religious or both religious and spiritual has grown.[4]

One great challenge in the midst of religious transitions is naming exactly what is occurring.  When something is not named, it is more difficult to understand.    Butler-Bass’ identification of re-traditioning[5] or William McLouglin’s identification of the Fourth Great Awakening[6] has provided my first glimpse of a naming to match my observations of church as a religious professional.  First and foremost, whatever change is occurring, it is big!  The current of change in religion, spirituality and church has many nuances and means different things to different people.  The change is more permanent than a renewal of some ideal of the past.  The shift our culture’s understanding and acceptance of religion and spirituality is new.  I believe we are in the midst of a great awakening.  Butler-Bass quotes William McLouglin when she observes that “Awakenings begin when old systems break down, in ‘periods of cultural distortion and grave personal stress, when we lost faith in the legitimacy of our norms, the viability of our institutions, and the authority of our leaders in church and state.”[7]  This definitely defines today’s Christian culture.  This is us and this is now!

Even though I believe we are in the fourth (or possibly fifth) great awakening, I cannot quite put my finger on where we are in the process.  It seems as if this awakening is taking a really long time.  The past Great Awakenings in the United States last about 30 years.[8]  If this Great Awakening has its roots in the early 1970’s then we are well into the fourth decade.  One might ask why this particular Great Awakening is taking so long.

Eras of transition such as a Great Awakenings are best labeled in hindsight.  Maybe our culture is so ingrained in the transition that we do not have enough distance to identify it properly.  We know what the beginning looks like and can name many examples to demonstrate this beginning.   People are restless and sure of only the fact that the usual ways of doing church are not working for them.  But it is hard to surmise if we are in the middle or the end.  Is the Great Awakening almost complete or does our society have a long way to go?

Over the next few blogs, I will explore this look at larger religious and spiritual shifts in today's global church.  I will argue that it is possible that the shift we are encountering is greater than an Awakening.  Even though this particular blog names Christianity, I believe these shifts can be seen in many (if not most) religions of the world.  

What do you see?  What larger religious and spiritual shifts are apparent to you?
Please feel free to comment!  The conversation makes this a collaboration and therefore, a richer conversation.

Works Cited

Butler-Bass, Diana. Christianity After Religion:  The End of Church and the Birth of a

New Spiritual Awakening.  New York:  HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 2012. 

McLoughlin, William G. Revivals, Awakenings, and Reform: An Essay on Religion and Social Change in America, 1607-1977. Chicago: U of Chicago, 1978.  

---

[1] See Butler-Bass, Diana. Christianity After Religion:  The End of Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Awakening.  (New York:  HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 2012).  Chapter one outlines research in decreasing membership and discontent.  To see 2015 Pew Research on the subject, go to http://www.pewforum.org/2015/05/12/americas-changing-religious-landscape/.  To see the rollercoaster of membership numbers in the author’s own Unitarian Universalist tradition, go to membership http://www.uua.org/directory/data/demographics/uua-statistics. 

[2] Butler-Bass, 20.

[3] Butler-Bass, 11.

[4] Butler-Bass, 65.

[5] Tickle, Phyllis, The Great Emergence:  How Christianity Is Changing and Why.  (Grand Rapids, MI:  BakerBooks, 2008), Kindle Edition.  Tickle refers to Butler-Bass’s work drawn from Alban Institute Articles. 

[6] Butler-Bass, 32.

[7] Butler-Bass, 28.

[8] Butler-Bass, 29.

Introduction:  Systems Thinking to Global Thinking - It is time to take a Moon View

This is my tenth year serving the Unitarian Universalists as an interim religious educator.  I have learned a great deal during this decade and believe that the work I do is not just for a religious education program.  During this decade, my work with congregations aims to guide its members and friends to a system-wide understanding of their religious education ministry.  Interim work is designed to be a guide for congregations as they understand the total picture of their ministry.

One of the goals for Unitarian Universalist religious educators is to help congregations view religious education as a vital part of the entire church.  We have sequestered religious education to the symbolic church basement and this process has demoralized religious education, children, youth and religious education professionals.  Great strides have been made to bring religious education out of the basement and view it as a central part of the overall mission and vision of the congregation.  This should be celebrated!  We also should note that there is a great deal of work to do.

And as we look at the system in the church and the changing role of religious education, I am inclined to take a more broader perspective.  Just as we have siloed our religious education programs, have we also siloed our churches?  Are we so focused on each churches internal workings taht we are missing some of the large religious global shifts occurring at the turn of the 21st century?

I believe this is true.

It is my hope that this blog will unfold some conversations on the church from a larger perspective. The challenges of each church are common in other churches and this is a hint:  we should be working together.   It is a time of change and this is scary and exciting.

Please join in the conversation.  I believe that this blog will be rich only if others engage in the conversation with questions, ideas and challenges.  I look forward to hearing from you.

Photo credit:  A picture taken by the Hubble telescope.  http://www.davidreneke.com/pics-of-the-week/clouds-4/