Sabbatical visits:Three Nails, Pittsburgh, PA

What was your first impression as you entered?

Three Nails is not organized around a central gathering and location, like nearly all other congregations. Rather Three Nails is a collection of many small groups with a common leadership group and common values. So even though they do gather together for worship, the worship gathering was not my first impression. My first impression was of their small groups. Since the small groups are not “one of the programs of the church,” but are the church, this report will include both the small group and the worship experience.

How long was the service?

1) Small group: 2 hours
2) Worship: about an hour and a half

How was the service structured?

1) The small group had two parts: the community building and the study, each lasting about an hour. The particular group I visited happens to gather on Sunday morning at one of the group member’s homes, but the groups vary. At this particular gathering, group members brought Bibles and ingredients for omelets. The Bibles were set aside for later use, while the group gathered in the kitchen to make breakfast and engage in lively conversation. It was clear that this was a group of friends who enjoyed one another. After an hour it turned to a fascinating discussion launched from a chapter of Lewis’ Screwtape Letters (which they are reading together). They integrated the readings with related Scripture and their daily life experience.

2) The worship service was Holy Eucharist, Rite II.

What did you like best?

The tangible experience of an intimate community of people who are very intentionally and consciously focused on following Jesus together. This was evident in the small group discussion. I don't recall experiencing any other group of people who sounded more open, more honest, more caring, and more empathic toward one another’s serious wrestling about how to follow Jesus in their current lives. This was both refreshing, exciting and spiritually challenging to experience.

What did you dislike?

They are so focused on their community that there is an invisible barrier between their community and the world around them. It was enormously difficult just to find them, as gathering times and locations are known only to the membership -- and fluid. An outside cannot just drop in without an invitation. (It took me a number of emails and phone calls. Ask me to tell you the story about finding the address for worship!) Unless one has a prior relationship with one of the members, it is very unlikely that anyone would cross all the hurdles in seeking them out. Although individually they expressed interest in mission, as in “we’re happy to do something for you,” they appeared reluctant about opening their doors to the world.

What were its greatest strengths that you’d like to import?

Their small group leaders have both skill and commitment. I'd love to import their leaders!

If you were looking for a church, would this be it?

If one were a friend of one of the members, one might find the experience of intimate community and intentional discipleship to be very appealing. But if one were not already friends with one of the members, it is doubtful that one would ever find Three Nails. Honestly, I felt like I was crashing a private party. It was a great party among great friends, but it is hard to imagine that an outsider would return.

What did you learn from this visit?

This experience has challenged me to consider again whether there is an inverse relationship between intentional community and an inviting accessibility to the stranger. I am increasingly convinced that the appearance of such an inverse relationship is the result of our neglect and inattention. I am increasingly convinced that we impoverish ourselves by neglecting small groups and deep, Christian community (what Scripture calls “fellowship” although we use “fellowship” to describe polite chatter over finger food). Simultaneously, I am increasingly convinced that we impoverish ourselves and the world by neglecting intentional, inviting hospitality to the stranger. My experience at Three Nails taught me that I really must move both of these higher up the priority list.

Is there anything else you want to say?

1) Three Nails is a very new church start. They’re just getting off the ground, and haven’t even decided on direction, leadership, or affiliation. But if they become serious about reaching out to the wider world, and if they solve an unfortunate leadership challenge (they lost their key leader in an accident), they could become a role model for churches everywhere in building communities of intentional disciples.
2) Once I overcame their built-in, invisible barriers to outsiders, they were very warm and gracious to me.
3) Thanks for the book!!

This is my opinion; I could be wrong.

The Lord be with you.

Sabbatical visits: The Journey, New York City, NY

What was your first impression as you entered?

Walking up from the subway station to street level, my first sight of The Journey consisted of a half-dozen friendly, attractive young adults on the sidewalk outside the Manhattan Center-- not far from Penn Station. They were offering packs of Doublemint gum to pedestrians and inviting them to come in for a casual, contemporary Christian worship service. Although functionally equivalent to the old circus side show barkers, they were devoid of the seedy and obnoxious mannerisms associated with barkers. Instead, they were well-mannered, friendly, non-threatening, and happy to answer questions.

One directed me inside to the elevator, up to the seventh floor. There I entered the grand ballroom, set up with hundreds of chairs, huge stage, information tables, refreshment tables (coffee, tea, juice, water, donuts). Perhaps two dozen young adults manned the information tables and greeted the entering crowd, seeking out the newcomers to make them feel welcome. It felt like arriving at a huge, happy party. There were hundreds of young adults, and a handful of people my age.

How long was the service?

Exactly one hour and ten minutes.

How was the service structured?

There were 5 movements:

Music – Exactly 15 minutes

Welcome – orientation (“here’s how to get connected with us”) announcements

Sermon – Exactly 40 minutes

More announcements and more invitation to “get connected with us”

Offering with music.

What did you like best?

These people know exactly what they’re doing, are well-focused, well-practiced, well-organized, and are having a great time doing it. I thought their band was the best rock band I can remember hearing anywhere. Their opening piece (U2’s “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for”) was powerful, stirring the heart – and had me weeping in 30 seconds. (My impression was they did U2 better than U2 – but what do I know?) Their sound and projection system was absolutely perfect – excellent, clear sound for music, vocals and speaking, and a wonderfully creative mix of images, text and video. There were no glitches. There was a lot of humor. Their lead pastor, with an M.Div from Duke and a D.Min from Southern, seamlessly and thoughtfully mixed Scripture, theology and culture together in a winsome and engaging way. During the five different movements of the service, they managed to invite people to “get connected” with them probably 30 different times.

What did you dislike?

I had trouble finding the men’s room. (I know, that sounds petty, but it’s the only negative thing I could come up with.)

What were its greatest strengths that you’d like to import?

Their clarity of focus and mission, their resolve, their savvy, their sense of fun, their strong sense of community.

If you were looking for a church, would this be it?

Because this was clearly an evangelistic, invitational and instructional gathering, as are most non-liturgical services, the service lacked the liturgy that forms the central focus of worship as I understand it. So by itself, the service wouldn’t be enough for me. On the other hand, it would be a simple matter to gain liturgical worship in one way or another. But the church itself, the people, are so clear, focused, and winsome, that I could happily become part of this congregation.

What did you learn from this visit?

These people demonstrate clearly that we may use the things of culture to discover the Good News of Jesus and the presence of God – without selling out to the culture, dumbing down the Gospel or Christian theology, or confusing the various elements. They demonstrated that one may be unapologetically evangelistic without being in the least fundamentalist, legalistic, narrow, judgmental or offensive. I was most surprised to see first hand that projected text can overlay live video (of the band) and remain legible from the rear of the room.

Is there anything else you want to say?

These people give me real hope for the future of Christianity in the United States.

This is my opinion; I could be wrong.

The Lord be with you.

Sabbatical visits: Church of the Apostles, Seattle, WA

What was your first impression as you entered?

An internet cafe located in inner city area on Seattle’s funky Fremont Ave transforms into a coffee house atmosphere for the present gathering of Church of the Apostles. Although they are excited about their move to new digs later this summer, for the moment they warmly welcomed into the crowded room.

People sat where they could, on plastic folding chairs or sofas, with cups of coffee or bottled water, chatting amiably or petting the church’s greeter: a friendly pug. My initial thought about the inappropriateness of a dog in church evaporated when I realized I was unconsciously but quite happily petting him while talking with people. I tried imagining a little dog greeting newcomers in a more typical church, and couldn’t – and realized the dog was a more effective greeter than are the humans at many congregations I’ve visited. A music professor from a nearby university sought me out, engaging me in conversation, happy to answer my questions, thrilled about what God was doing here, and open about both strengths and weaknesses. I found myself liking the setting and the people very much, and looked forward to what would happen.

How long was the service?

It started ten minutes late, which seemed to bother nobody at all, seemed fitting for the setting and location, and we guessed was probably normal. Time passed quickly. I was a little sorry that it was over an hour and a half later.

How was the service structured?

Although there were many creative adaptations, the order and structure of the service was clearly the order for Holy Eucharist, recognizable to Lutherans and Episcopalians. The prayers of the people offered opportunities for liturgical responses, as well as opportunities for people to write poems or prayers, light candles, pray aloud or silently, or draw pictures.

What did you like best?

The music, the scripture readings, the sermon, the liturgy, the creative expressions, the people, the intentional community. Oh, ok, may I like the dog best.

What did you dislike?

Congregants were asked to break into small groups to discuss four questions. This may work well for some people, but it almost never works well for me. It always feels silly, inauthentic and a waste of time. I can’t wait for them to get over. The other people in my group of visitors felt the same.

What were its greatest strengths that you’d like to import?

It was enormously evident that this growing congregation was an open community, inviting and welcoming to newcomers, yet intentionally a community. It felt palpably obvious that those gathered were not a constituency, an audience, nor consumers seeking a product or service.

If you were looking for a church, would this be it?

I was told there are only two churches in this particular area of Seattle,: a declining Baptist church and this growing new church start. If I lived in that community, Church of the Apostles would definitely be the church I were looking for. If I lived outside of that community, I would definitely consider coming to the inner city in order to be part of this. If I were a priest of a traditional church in Seattle rather than in Maryland, I would consider adding Saturday evenings at Church of the Apostles to the set of spiritual disciplines that I practice.

What did you learn from this visit?

You can have dogs in church. (just kidding.) Seriously: It was clear that this shape of this mission has much to do with the shape of the community in which it found itself as much as from anything else. As much as enjoyed the gathering, it belongs to the funky Fremont inner city of Seattle. It would take a different shape and tone if started elsewhere.

Is there anything else you want to say?

The vision and direction of this new start rightly reflects the leadership of the founding pastor, yet it is obvious that this is a team effort, and a community of collaborators is being developed.

This is my opinion; I could be wrong.

The Lord be with you.

Sabbatical visits: Kairos, Falls Church, VA

What was your first impression as you entered?

Kairos is an extension of the Falls Church, a large, historic “George Washington served here” Episcopal church in an affluent DC suburb. The architecture and grounds were beautiful, creative and impressive. It struck me that the church is energetic and visionary, with a wide variety of things happening, and Kairos was one among many attempts to reach out to the surrounding community.

How long was the service?

About an hour and a half

How was the service structured?

Sermon sandwich: about 20 minutes of music at the beginning and again the end, with a long sermon in the middle and a layer of announcements and prayers on top of the sermon layer.

What did you like best?

The worship band: composed of grand piano, guitar, violin and 3 vocalists, were wonderfully talented, perhaps even classically trained. Their music was beautiful rather than loud or energetic. The sound system was wonderful – clear rather than overpowering. They worked hard to keep the sound and projection systems invisible rather than visually distracting.

What did you dislike?

The sermon was dull and vague. After the service the four of us who went to dinner together tried to sort out what was actually said, and none of us could. Yet the congregation seemed intent and respectful rather than restless or tuned out. We had the impression that there was a long and deep relationship at work here, and that the congregation listened on that basis rather than on the quality of the sermon. Perhaps he was having an “off day.” We were also disappointed in the lack of liturgy.

What were its greatest strengths that you’d like to import?

The strong sense of community and mission.

If you were looking for a church, would this be it?

Because it actually seemed more like a church program than a congregation, we might have been more inclined to add it to the things we do, but it wouldn’t fulfill our requirements for a congregation..

What did you learn from this visit?

The state of the art sound / projection systems and their professional, polished production values may have worked against them. It may have subtly increased our expectations for more from the preaching and liturgy.

Is there anything else you want to say?

Because the gathering really focused on the sermon, and the preacher seemed off (we thought it was an exception to the probable rule), we felt we should give them another shot just to be fair.)

This is my opinion; I could be wrong.

the Lord be with you.

Jesus and Leadership

Some old friends are preparing a Bible study on leadership, and asked me for some starter ideas about how faith informs leadership decisions. Here's a start. I'd be happy for your contribuitions to this discussion!

Jesus' views on leadership, as I understand them, revolve around the following ideas:

ready or not, the Kingdom is coming

Kingdom leadership is not like leadership as understood by the world at the time of Jesus (NB: Jesus' teaching has been leaking into the world for quite a while now. It shouldn't surprise us if Jesus' teaching shows up in secular writings from time to time today!)

leadership is an issue of stewardship (responsibility); that is, one leads because the Father has entrusted us with responsibility for the good of the world

leadership is not something to aspire to (it is not a status, position, or reward)

leadership is about serving others at the cost of your own interests

one leads by giving oneself to the call of God and by giving oneself to others

one leads by becoming vulnerable to risk (one might get killed or abandoned)

there is no protection promised to leaders (one might get stoned or killed)

there is no effectiveness promised to leaders (one might die alone, our organizations might dissove, our communities might disperse, our attempts might fail)

leadership is a spiritual discipline intended to transform the leader

leadership is not, and never will be, about authority or power

leadership looks more like a cross than a throne

leadership is more about character than skill

leadership is being like the Father

Jesus assumes that the Kingdom will come anyway

Faith informs leadershipship decisions by always asking whether one has these ideas in minds. Faith informs leadership by never permitting the end to justify the means, nor even the means to justify the end, but by centering decisions on the Kingdom-centered focus of Jesus.

Recommended reading for a non-Christian book on leadership that seems to reflect Jesus' views:
Leadership on the Line by Martin Linsky, Ronald A. Heifetz

This is my opinion. I could be wrong.

The Lord be with you,

Sabbatical visits: Choral Compline: St Marks Cathedral, Seattle, WA

What was your first impression as you entered?

We were astonished, almost awed by the space. It appears to be a cube, as wide and tall as it is long. The 95’ high ceilings are supported by four columns. It is the opposite of ornate, and could be described as sparse. The immense open space, stone, concrete, earth tones and absence of décor, gives one the sense of being outdoors. I found myself eager to worship there.

How long was the service?

30 minutes

How was the service structured?

Compline, from the Book of Common Prayer, sung by a trained male choir, using mostly Gregorian and Anglican chant settings.

What did you like best?

1) The visceral sense of prayer: quiet, reverent, meditative, relaxed pace, dimmed lighting, the spaciousness, the sparseness of décor – all made it feel like sacred space.
2) 600 people praying together, many with closed eyes and bowed heads, some sitting on the floor, some lying prone, the sense of being in God’s presence. 80% of the diverse crowd appeared to be in their 20’s. A woman sitting behind me said to her friends, “everytime I come here, it makes me feel like I want to start going back to church.”
3) The chanted compline – worshipful, reverential, prayerful.
4) The acoustical qualities of the hard surfaces and the immense distances made the sound of the chanting hauntingly beautiful to hear.

What did you dislike?

Although the acoustical qualities of the hard surfaces and the immense distances made the sound of the chanting hauntingly beautiful to hear, it also made the words unintelligible. I would have liked to have known what they were chanting. Without altering the acoustic qualities, a projection of the texts (the wonderful dimmed lighting made a printed text impractical). I thought the nearly perfect cube cried out for the altar to have been placed in the exact center of the space with the seating surrounding it rather than the typical “processional” orientation.

What were its greatest strengths that you'd like to import?

The sense of sacred space, the meditative experience, the choral compline, the huge diverse crowd of 20-somethings.

If you were looking for a church, would this be it?

This isn't a church -- it was a coming together for prayer. Afterward, everyone dispersed -- and presumably will never see one another again, unless they gather together, same time / same place. Since this gathering is not a community, it is not a church. It was wonderful worship gathering, but it was not intended to be a church.

What did you learn from this visit?

A crowd of 600 people can remain completely hushed, reverent, and prayerful for nearly an hour, and follow a Compline service without any verbal prompting, written or aurel.

Is there anything else you want to say?

This was one of the most remarkable gatherings I've ever experienced. It was worth the trip to Seattle just for this.

Disciples are personally responsible for their own study, learning and understanding, which can be done alone or in groups -- and to become part of a Christian community. It is not essential for study, learning and understanding to take place at the gathering for worship. If disciples will take responsibility for their own study, learning and understanding, and if they will intentionally form community with other disciples, then could find that this gathering would be enough for them. If forced to chose between a public gathering for singing and teaching or a public gather for prayer, I would choose the latter. For I know that it is own responsibility for my own study, learning and understanding, and to create community with others. Then that community needs to gather together for prayer.

This is my opinion; I could be wrong.

The Lord be with you,