When I sat down for lunch with Thomas Daniel, I was eager to hear all about Kairos, a four-month old emerging church he and his wife Beth were leading in Atlanta. And one question I had for Thomas was based on the fact that I couldn’t find the new church’s web site. If someone had heard about a new church called Kairos, shouldn’t they be able to check it out in advance on the internet?
Thomas answered my question before I could ask it. “Kairos intentionally has not developed a web site.” Why not? “It is not interactive; it is managed communication; and it is one-way.”
Instead their first communication tool is a group networking site. Anyone who identifies with Kairos is invited to register online. When they log on, they read news about people and events, they can ask a question to the group, and they can participate in planning upcoming activities.
This interactive form of communication is increasingly common. The term Web 2.0 was coined several years ago to describe the ability for the viewer of a web site to post a response. That has led to all sorts of shared communication tools: Wikipedia, where any number of people contribute to the topics; various social networking sites such as Myspace and Facebook, where “friends” can chat; and web logs, which invite dialog on various topics.
These multi-user forums have changed people’s expectations for how the individual connects with a group. We don’t want to hear; we want to converse. We don’t want information without the opportunity to respond. And this new expectation raises the question of the value of all the conventional tools churches have used to get the word out.
What do church bulletins, newsletters, mailings, and sermons have in common? They are one-way communication, and they are less and less effective. Among some subgroups these one-way messages are becoming counterproductive. To them a barrage of information doesn’t seem like communication at all, but rather the imposition of someone else’s message in a take-it-or-leave-it fashion.
That is why the folks at Faith Church have seen a shift in how I am trying to participate in ministry with them.
* They have seen me attempt to make our worship more interactive, including the sermon.
* They have heard my plea for artists to join in crafting each worship experience.
* They have been invited to participate in shaping the sermons and the worship services, and to respond and evaluate after the fact, at http://faithchurch.freeforums.org/
* I have welcomed them not only to view this web log, but to post their comments on what I am writing.
* I am enjoying keeping up with a growing number of people on Facebook, for lighthearted banter and sharing personal anecdotes.
Of course, email has become a standard tool with multiple uses, but that is one-on-one. I’m talking about group interaction.
Here’s the point: the Western church is in a time of uncertainty, as God leads us from one way of carrying out God’s mission to another. The conventional way of “doing church” is less effective than before. But what should we be doing instead?
Because no one has the answer, I believe God intends for us to discover the way forward together. God will show us – not me, but us – how we need to evolve. And so these new tools are precisely what we need to be able to contribute toward a shared discovery.
There is an expression describing change that goes somethng like “the pendulum swings from one extreme to the other.” I fully embrace the many uses of new technology for enhanced communication. At the same time I also recognize that much of this technology is still “cutting edge” to the vast majority. All to often there is a race to use new technology for technology sake without considering that it is just a tool to serve a larger purpose. Two way communication with each other is not new, its called fellowship, we just have new ways to do that, but lets be careful not to leave others behind that don’t embrace technology. Two way communication with God is also not new, its called prayer. Lastly I would argue that the Bible is God’s form of one way communicaton
By: Dave on September 20, 2008
at 4:29 pm
You’re right about the recent multiple user forums as being unfamiliar to many adults. As with so many things, the church today has to straddle the divide between those who are comfortable with new technology and those who aren’t.
But the issue is larger than technology, and that is where your comment about fellowship is apt. Many of the emerging churches are operating on the assumption that God’s wisdom will be more readily discerned through the interaction of many believers, each offering their insights. And this is often done in a low-technology manner.
At Circle of Hope (northeast Philadelphia), for instance, after the sermon, the preacher invites the worshipers to offer their own perspectives. For the next ten minutes or so, the worshipers engage with the text and with each other. The preacher primed the pump, but the sermon isn’t complete until others have contributed.
That’s what I’m talking about. It isn’t the digital technology, but rather the decision to employ various means to find our way forward using the collective wisdom of the whole church.
By: rickcarter on September 20, 2008
at 11:22 pm