An Old Model for the Post-Emerging Church part 1

I am just hoping that I'm the first to coin the phrase "post-emerging church."

The model that many churches employ is a lecturer/class format. This is the format often seen in the Gospels and Acts by Jesus, Sermon on the Mount, and Peter, post-Holy Spirit fall, and Paul, when that poor boy fell asleep and fell out the window. However there were other formats that they employed. Jesus and Paul were recognized as teachers, we don't know how, and were invited by the synogogue rulers to give a reading and share with the congregation. Always they received immediate and sometimes violent feedback from those locations. Dialogue seems to have been normal rather than monologue. No doubt conversation between teacher and students occurs in Pedagogical churches today but I'm sure is inversely proportional to the teacher/student ratio. All of us have been in classrooms with more than 30 students and less than 10 and have appreciated the difference. Sometimes we want the anonymity in a big class and sometimes we need the intimacy.

I've been reflecting on Nehemiah 8.

1By the time the seventh month arrived, the People of Israel were settled in their towns. Then all the people gathered as one person in the town square in front of the Water Gate and asked the scholar Ezra to bring the Book of The Revelation of Moses that GOD had commanded for Israel.

2So Ezra the priest brought The Revelation to the congregation, which was made up of both men and women--everyone capable of understanding. It was the first day of the seventh month. 3He read it facing the town square at the Water Gate from early dawn until noon in the hearing of the men and women, all who could understand it. And all the people listened--they were all ears--to the Book of The Revelation.

4The scholar Ezra stood on a wooden platform constructed for the occasion. He was flanked on the right by Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, and on the left by Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam.

5Ezra opened the book. Every eye was on him (he was standing on the raised platform) and as he opened the book everyone stood. 6Then Ezra praised GOD, the great God, and all the people responded, "Oh Yes! Yes!" with hands raised high. And then they fell to their knees in worship of GOD, their faces to the ground.

7Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah, all Levites, explained The Revelation while people stood, listening respectfully. 8They translated the Book of The Revelation of God so the people could understand it and then explained the reading.

9Nehemiah the governor, along with Ezra the priest and scholar and the Levites who were teaching the people, said to all the people, "This day is holy to GOD, your God. Don't weep and carry on." They said this because all the people were weeping as they heard the words of The Revelation.

10He continued, "Go home and prepare a feast, holiday food and drink; and share it with those who don't have anything: This day is holy to God. Don't feel bad. The joy of GOD is your strength!"

11The Levites calmed the people, "Quiet now. This is a holy day. Don't be upset."

12So the people went off to feast, eating and drinking and including the poor in a great celebration. Now they got it; they understood the reading that had been given to them.

The Message

It’s a meeting for all who are able to understand (v.2). The Word is read aloud (v.3). They worship God together (v.6). A bunch of teachers were among the people explaining the Word to the people (v.8). The people responded to the Word of God emotionally (v.9) and practically (v.12).

I’ve experienced this in church retreats and Intervarsity retreats and small group home Bible studies. But I don’t know if any church does this on a Sunday morning. I’m envisioning a Sunday morning in a school cafeteria with benches or a dozen chairs around tables. Every table has a trained facilitator welcoming any and all who come to sit with them, preferably not all of the same people sit at the same table every week. The tables have songsheets for those songs for the day. Instruments are simple and not necessarily amplified. Perhaps people are encouraged to bring their instruments so they can play along from their tables. Worship in song lasts about 40 minutes. Then an inductive Bible study ensues at every table prompted by the Lead Facilitator. The Lead Facilitator is equivalent to a Sr. Pastor, Chief Elder, Presbyter in responsibility except for the responsibility to monologue for the next 40 minutes. Instead this person develops a study that progresses through the Bible, teaching the whole Counsel of God, that was tried out earlier in the week on the Table Facilitators. Table Facilitators are equivalent to elders and deacons and small group Bible study leaders. They know how to keep a group on task without quenching the Holy Spirit without dominating the conversation or letting anyone else dominate.

It can be done with questions already developed such as found in Zondervan’s Serendipity Study Bible, which comes from Serendipity House, or a little more in depth like a Kay Arthur Precept study, but not as simplistic as a spoon fed fill in the blanks for the next 45 minutes. Not that fill in the blanks should be excluded since you need to keep the 6 year olds participating. They can understand. They should sit with their parents. They probably should have worksheets to help them. I don’t think toddlers should be excluded either. Perhaps there could be a table in the room for the ones whose parents can’t handle them, but they wouldn’t be out of sight or sound. Maybe a craft table. I expect this to be a noisy church service with all tables engaged in discussion of the day’s passage. Multiple Bible versions should be available at the tables. All would benefit from tea and coffee and orange juice at their tables and maybe some fruit and pastry. In effect, the room becomes a large gathering of small groups. This works in retreats and I wonder if anyone does this now for their Sunday service.

I think this offers little culture shock for the curious Western Hemisphere unchurched person. Many people are familiar with a seminar format. The Head Pastor keeps the study moving along and provides extra information that enables a better study such as maps or graphs or definitions. Every study opens with introductory questions that enable strangers to learn about each other. Every person can make observations of the text. And all can make a personal application. Sometimes the Pastor might teach the entire time by way of introduction to a new book or to read an entire Epistle....

OK, enough for today.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I enjoyed reading your post...we do something very similar in our Fellowship. Rather than a traditional Sunday morning service, we try to focus on the importance of everyone participating in discussion/teaching/worship. The goal is that every believer present will contribute to the service and will be encouraged. The kids stay with us all morning. We open with announcements and birthdays (and we sing Happy Birthday together), then we have singing. Our "sermons" last about 45 minutes and are very interactive. Although the teacher does come prepared and we are very orderly in how we manage questions and comments, each person is encouraged to participate. We celebrate the Lord's Supper every week and combine that with a sharing time, where everyone is invited and encouraged to share what they're reading in Scripture, what they've been learning, or what they're struggling with. We've found this type of service fosters an intimacy among believers that just can't be found in a traditional setting. It also keeps the focus on why we are at church on Sunday...to encourage each other and glorify the Lord.
John Umland said…
that's awesome. where is your church? does it have a website? thanks for telling me about it. that's very encouraging.
andy said…
i think most Vinyard churches have a similar style with "Cafe Church"... i know there are a lot of churches here in australia doing similar stuff..

I liked your thoughts on this ...

another positive of this model is the ability to mix the "big group" and "small group" feel within the same space..

unfortunatly alot of "emerging church" groups have a limitation of size... becouse of the intense group interation...

anyway just thought i would enter into the convo
Geoff Gordon said…
I really like the idea, John. When and where are you going to start it? It does feel very "retreatish" and a familiar context for me but not on Sunday mornings. The only challenge I think would be the space issue. It's much more effiecient - though not necessarily more effective - to fill a room up with rows of chairs. Other than that, I think it's a great model. I like the intergenerational piece. I like the interactive element. It would be cool if each table could agree together on a specific application that they were going to "try out" for that week. A challenge. They could then come back and share how it went. That would put a little traction to the message.

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