Jesus and Jazz

Posted on April 29, 2009

The Origins Project remains faithful to Jesus Christ and to humans as made in God’s image (what I call “eikons of God”). To relate Jesus Christ to humans today summons us to be “innovative,” the third term in The Origins Project. So, we seek creative metaphors to describe what we are doing. I want to recommend one such creative metaphor… and it comes from an African American pastor in Denver.

Do you know about Robert Gelinas and his new book Finding the Groove: Composing a Jazz-Shaped Faith? There are very few books like this one — in fact, there is none. I really liked this book, and I will return to it over and over as the image shapes my own thinking.

I’ve got a question for us to discuss: How is bringing Jesus and humans together like jazz? How does jazz help us understand our task?

For Gelinas, Christianity itself is jazz and he is a jazz theologian. Though many may not use his terms, he is in the company of many other jazz theologians. I’ll admit it: I don’t know jazz, but when I read Gelinas I think – “He’s got it. This is what we need to be doing.” What is that?

This book explores our missional task and our missional vision through image of jazz — that is, through syncopation, improvisation, and call-and-response.

Robert Gelinas is known in Denver as the teaching pastor of solid church, Colorado Community Church. I met Robert a few years back, and I was hoping someday to sit down with him for a long spell and get to know his heartbeat. Jazz tells us his heartbeat for our task today.

Along the way we are introduced by Gelinas to the history of jazz and all kinds of jazz, including major jazz musicians – John Coltrane – and “jazz novelists” like Ralph Ellison and to a host of other African Americans who have shaped the soul of African American Christians. And along the way we are introduced to hermeneutics as jazz improvisation (came close to what in my Blue Parakeet I call “wiki” stories) and to jazz helping us to understand human paradox and tension. We learn what it is like to be in an “inter”denominational (not “non”denominational) church, and jazz explains it. To finding your voice — in the big musical picture and doing your own solo in the midst of the community’s music. The image of “jazz” is so suggestive and so fruitful.

Surely the most potent chapter in this fine, and well-written book, was the chapter on singing the blues – and he moves from Billy Holiday to the cross of Christ. Jazz theologians alone see the blues in the cross of Christ and the call to follow him.

Scot McKnight is the Karl A. Olson Professor in Religious Studies at North Park University on the Creative Team and will be a regular contributor here. You can read more from him on his Jesus Creed blog.

The Forgotten Burbs

Posted on April 26, 2009

In the last few years many leaders emphasized the need to be in the city to launch churches and strategic initiatives. There have been creative constructs established and urban initiatives to focus on cities which bustle with artists, business persons, and community development initiatives. And why not? The density of people and the convergence of many domains ethnically, culturally and socio-economically buzz with energy. How can you argue the convergence of so many types of people in a city the scale of Los Angeles, Mumbai, Chicago, Singapore, London or Beijing.

I’ve lived in rural and suburban places in America and overseas in places such as Seoul and in the jewel of southeast Asia., Bangkok, 13 million people strong. They say 1-2 million are ex-pats. We’ve launched multi-sites in London, Mexico City, Bangkok, India, California, Dallas, and soon China and New York City. I love the big cities and enjoyed living in them. Certainly, we need to have robust initiatives in every major city. It’s even in our original strategic plan. However in light of the emphasis on cities have we forgotten the importance of the burbs and the rural communities. Sure we give respect and homage to the small towns, villages and even large suburbs but the truth is the honest perception of these places to many of us is often secondary in importance to the big city lights and sounds. Because we are caught up in the consumerism of bigger and better (again big isn’t bad just overrated), we can negate the importance of the suburbs and rural places around our cities. In reflecting upon how we prioritize initiatives with our denominations and church movements perhaps we need to capture again the equal importance of creatively launching similar grassroot movements in our burbs and beyond. Rather than pining after those who minister in the city, take some courage in the place God has placed you in the burbs or in the places way outside our cities.

Why you may ask?

There are several considerations that may help us to have a both/and approach to cities, burbs and rural places.

1. Urban Blurring

Geographical lines are being blurred. There is the sprawl that is happening in many of the major cities in North America and the East. Los Angeles is more a region than a city connected by highway arteries. People may work in the city but the dream of immigrants from the Middle East and Asia is to go to the burbs to live and to seek usually better education.

2. Systemic Solutions

Because of our fascination with cities our initiatives often reflect emergency services and quick results but lack systemic solutions. Sustainable transformation that has long term impact usually takes 10-15 years. The complex web of governance, education, housing, health, clean water, economic sustainability, spiritual life is not easily resolved. These are not only issues of the city. Mostly, anyone who is involved in the global economy understands that what actually fuels the cities are the rural villages. The poor send their children to live and work in the city. In Thailand, many of the young prostitutes are from a region that is considered the armpit of Thailand, the Northeast. It is where hardworking, beautiful people group known as the Issan live and mostly farm. They are the outcasts in Bangkok, the major city, but are much of the labor force when it comes to the infrastructure and vices of the city. They work in sweat shops, construction sites, behind closed doors doing things that destroy their dignity and life. To really deal with the issues of the city, one has to consider what economic drivers can be created in their own villages.

3. The Bored and the Blessed

When dealing with first and second generation immigrant families. The transition is a good model of what happens in the influx of cultures into our neighborhoods. The new immigrants are often in survival mode. Trying to make it. Preserving their culture. Whereas, their children tend to take more and different risks and pioneer beyond where their parents have. They have wealth, education and resources galore but have a major difficulty. Eventually, as stated earlier these families hope to venture to new communities outside the city proper.

Many of these children are like the rest of suburban America. They take delight in movies like JackAss that tap into the warp sense of humor that can come with youth. They are the primary customers of drugs, driving into the city to pick up their fix. Just as those who deal drugs. They are the primary buyers of rap music that often has a disdain for authority, disrespect of women and an obsession with sex.

And suburban teens are bored. . . this boredom’s outlet is doing something crazy often with activities that would impact their relationship with God and others. The spirit of adventure intrinsic in many youth is wasted in the lifestyle of the burbs, the American dream.

My sense is that the greatest opportunity during this time of global chaos and upheaval is to invest in these young people who are bored. Ignite them to do crazy things for God! Let them know unless they have a calling to stay, they should GO to the fringes of our culture, cities and culture.

4. Can anything good come from Nazareth?

Often when considering strategy, think contrarian. Want to get something done, usually we think of bright lights of power in our society: universities, governance, and even churches rather than thinking of a place that is unknown, unpopular, and away from the hipness of a happening city. It can be a Mother Teresa who doesn’t have power but she has authority. It can be a Jim Gustafson, who has worked in Southeast Asia for thirty years, not known by many in the Western Church, yet a pioneer of holistic, sustainable community and ministry. Peter Wagner has said, “he’s the most significant missionary in Asia.” Who knows Jim or the single woman with two sons named Nujon who is the CEO and visionary of multiple community development projects ranging from large schools, to fresh and saltwater hatcheries, to HIV/Aids initiatives in Thailand? Beautifully her organization has married the synergy of both the village and the city. The initiatives she does in the city, fuel the rural movement so that young girls and boys can stay home in their villages.

So what does it mean to be a church of the 21st century. Hopefully, it’s another both/and. We need creative exploration and strategic investments in cities, burbs and the villages. They all work together. The lines of separation are blurred in the new world order.

Dave Gibbons is the founding pastor of Newsong and on the core team. He will be a regular contributor here and you can read more from him on his blog.

Thoughts from the Origins Event

Posted on April 23, 2009

Origins was a great event! Below are some helpful thoughts from the day:

“The best way to keep money from being an idol in our lives is to give much of it away, often” – Deb Hirsch

“Beauty is rarely more pure as when it passes from one culture to another.” – Alex McManus

“Do you want to BE important or DO something important?” Mark Batterson

“Who we are in crisis is who we really are” – David Arcos on chaotic leadership

Erwin is often asked, “How do engage the world?” The better question: “What have you done to disengage the world?”

“Church world = 1st space. Marketplace = 2nd space. We can only enter the 3rd space by invitation because of quality of your work.” – Erwin McManus

Eric Bryant shared in a breakout about allowing people to belong before they believe.

Some thoughts included:

Cause creates community. Jesus invited us to follow Him for what we can give not what we can get (Mt. 4:19).

The early church “praised God AND enjoyed the favor of all the people” because they were known as people who met the needs of others (Acts 2:47).

For the rest of the notes, send an email to eric@mosaic.org with “Belonging Before Believing Notes” as the subject.

Origins…beginning the network/communty

Posted on April 22, 2009

I am down in Orange County and was in an all day meeting about the new network/community. We had a meeting with those from the teams helping lead and shape the network who are here for the Origins/Catalyst conference. There’s so much to share about what is being birthed and we’ll be defining some of the terminology and purposes more clearly and in depth in the months ahead. This network is for those who are passionate about about Jesus and the inspired Scriptures, Humanity (evangelism and mission) and Innovation and wanting to be joining in with others as we are on this adventure.

But, from today’s meeting there are a couple of updates:

1) After all the wonderful ideas, input and suggestions about name ideas we decided to use “Origins” as the name of the network. More on the name later and why, but that is the scoop on the name and for those that contributed ideas, thank you!

2) Although this will be a community, any community does need leadership. The Creative Team is now formed and they are the leaders who will be voices to shape and help lead the network.

Erwin McManus and Eric Bryant from Mosaic – Dave Gibbons and John Park from Newsong Church – and myself and Josh Fox from Vintage Faith Church have been the Core developers and the Creative Team for this network will be:

Mark Batterson – Amena Brown – Adam Edgerly – Naeem Fazal – Margaret Feinberg – Skye Jethani – Bryan Loritts – Rick McKinley  - Scot McKnight  - Jeanne Stevens

You can go here and see the leadership page which has the Creative Team and links to each person’s blog or church or organization so you can read more about them.

We are still developing the Connecting Team so some of the names are on the web site and there will be others listed soon. What these roles are and what that means will also be defined more soon too. Although leadership and structure is needed for something like this, we are passionate that this is going to be a bottom-up type of community with as many people as possible helping shape, give voice and be as grass-roots as possible while making sure that the grass grows healthy and has roots. This really is going to be a collaborative community so we are setting up to hear from you as you want to contribute and be a voice in this.

3) You can become part of things now and help shape the future. John from Newsong Church has been so gracious in getting part of the web site to be a social network where people will be connecting, giving input, sharing ideas. We eventually will have regional gatherings and connections as well but for now you can:

- go to the “Sign Up” page for monthly email updates which will be email updates about vision, development, events and gatherings and podcasts.

- go to the “Community” page where a social network site is set up and you can sign up to be on that community.  I just saw that people already are posting photos and videos, so this will be a community site that will be developed to interact and contribute to.

We will be launching a blog on the site, more interview videos with posting updates all during the week, various articles and ministry highlights of people in missional ministry.

We will be announcing some events as well which we spent some really great time talking about how do we create events that are not just presentational events but ones which are community and ideas oriented. So many great things we talked about and as many great things that we talked about about 100 more questions came up. But that is part of the adventure of all this.

More soon, but that’s a quick update and for those interested in this, sign up for the emails and the community and you will learn how to be a part and be giving input and ideas and more. If you have any questions or input feel free to post them.

This isn’t just for pastors or church leaders  - it is for anyone who has a passion for Jesus, Humanity and Innovation as it moves us towards the mission of Jesus.

cross-posted from Dan’s blog

Welcome to our hang-out place

Posted on April 21, 2009

We’re glad you’re here. There’s a few things we want you to check out.

One. If you haven’t already, go to the Sign Up page and enter your information. We promise we won’t give your information to anyone. It’s a way for us to send you our regular newsletters and other updates.

Two. Head over to our About Us page to find out more information about us. Things like why we started this, who we are, and what we hope this becomes. It also has the key people who have been involved in getting this off the ground.

Three. Like getting together? Our Events page will list our gatherings that are coming up. We’ve just had our big gathering at the Origins day at Catalyst West Coast! There will be others coming, so check the page for more information.

Four. You’re here. We’ll have members of the Core, Creative and Connecting Team blogging here, so stay tuned.

Five. The key to our web presence is the Community site. Create an account there and join us. It’s set up to be a virtual gathering place, where we can share ideas, ask questions, or just to get to know one another. You can also announce your local events that others might want to join and share your favorite pictures and videos. It’s our place to get together throughout the year.

Again, welcome! This is my space… this is your space… this is our space.