Worshp, theology and culture -Alt.worship

title: Worship Theology and Culture

sessions: day 4 morning Interactive presentation

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The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with youAnd also with you.

God, help us to listen;and in our listening to hear You.

God, be in our thinking:and renew our minds.

God, we will speak together:let our conversations be words in the Word.

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What we're looking at today ... ✔Alternative Worship as a case study✔Learning from AltW about enculturation, community liturgy, leadership etc.

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How we're learning ... • Listening• discussing• video• Considering together•Working on exercises together

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Why we're learning this stuff

Alt.Worship has been influential in terms of renewal of liturgy and worship and in Christian formation. It can help us also into consideration of community and contextual liturgy –creation.

Photomontage video

Note in watching:What is ‘traditional’?What is influenced by secular culture?What is re-worked tradition?Anything else?

Photomontage video

In pairs /3’s discuss:What is ‘traditional’?What is influenced by secular culture?What is re-worked tradition?Anything else?

Then be ready to share in plenary

Some notes towards a history of Alt.Worship

Nine O'clock Service,1986-95, first deliberately postmodern 'club culture' church

groups inspired by NOS … late 80s - early 90s –

“alternative” label references ‘alt.’ groups of early internet

facilitated by simultaneous rise of the internet


movement established in Australia and New Zealand by mid 90s Other technologies relating to visual display and sound reproduction enabled creative 'rave' or 'chill-out' style worship collapse of NOS in 1995 due to abusive leadership caused period of suspicion and difficulty for other groups in Britain


'emerging church' general use from c.2000. Label used in USA/Canada/Europe. Emergent Village as focus for movement in USA during 00s CofE 'Mission Shaped Church' report (2002) and then 'Fresh Expressions' initiative. emergence of denominationally based groups and mainstreaming of some ideas for the conduct of worship. (video, participatory rituals …) …)


'neo-monastic' groups emerge: emphasis community built around a rhythm of shared spiritual practices, rather than creative worship events


Questions, comments, extrapolations, wild musings and general bonhomie …

Something to watch for a bit

Questions: from what Jonny says, what are the cultural dimensions? What effects would you expect the AltW approach to have on the liturgical/ worship experience?

Values, ethos and emphases in Alt.WorshipValues, ethos and emphases in Alt.WorshipV

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Partly reactive to the then-developing consensus in Evangelical-Charismatic worship and ecclesial practice. So … participatory: involvement encouraged, passive consumption planned out. Participatory and inclusive ethos as a counter to hierarchy and the cult of the leader and /or the worship band.

Participatory ethos pushes towards consensus - not one person or team imposing their direction.


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authenticity -honest and real expression of the participants' (spiritual) journey rather than 'plastic smiles' and 'church (sub)culture'.

Faith seen through the metaphor of journey, to be facilitated rather than controlled so value given to space for individual encounter with God


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Whole-life faith: not divided into sacred and secular; any part of our lives could be material for divine encounter and corporate worship So, the entire life of the faith community singly and severally is seen as 'church' not just worship and meetings.


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Everybody is creative because we are made in the image of God; worship together should be creative and even playful at times.

Increasing awareness of environment and critique of consumerism (including 'worship as product').


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In what way do these values and ethos things reflect and/or critique wider culture? What kinds of practices and material effects would you expect these values etc to have on worship? Perhaps use churches you know to illustrate or to imagine potential changes?

An example of Alt worship from the mid-late 1990’s

Start . 2 mins in

Note in watching:What did you see or hear that illustrated the Values and Ethos shared?

An example of Alt worship from the mid-late 1990’s

5 +5 mins

In pairs /3’s discuss:What did you see or hear that illustrated the Values and Ethos shared?

Then be ready to share in plenary

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aracteristicsnot intended to transition people into existing forms of church - these were felt to

be failing to disciple 'people like us'. not an attempt to reach particular social or cultural groups (however cool or fashionable) -rather to enable culturally helpful expressions of Christian faith to emerge. not a 'facelift' or rebrand of existing forms and structures: shift from centralised into networked and empowering forms of church

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aracteristicsBelief: God is active in the material and cultural world … so … the visible Church is not the only potential place of encounter; life is a chief instrument of mission not church services the Church as servant of the Kingdom rather than its container Mission as growing the Kingdom - everything that is of God - not just growing the visible Church

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a more radical conclusion: the church service is not the public interface with Christianity but a resource for Christians - a point of renewal where the church service facilitates discerning the Kingdom in the world.

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gical, ecclesio

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aracteristics

a more radical conclusion: the church service is not the public interface with Christianity but a resource for Christians - a point of renewal where the church service facilitates discerning the Kingdom in the world.

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eolo

gical, ecclesio

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aracteristicsQuestions arising ….Pairs/3s discussion > plenary

What effects would you see likely from these theological, ecclesiological and missional points on worship, on church life and the relationship between them? Could they transfer into churches you know? How so? -or why not?

Service shaping -environmentsService shaping -environments

Service shaping -environments



Avoidance or subversion of hierarchical layouts, e.g. stages, pulpits …

non-directional space - no front to face, things happen all around

centralised space, symbolising community



cafe spaces and communal tables - eating and drinking together

informal seating arrangements - comfortable and domestic in style, or sit or lie on floor



•atmospheric lighting for intimacy, warmth, a sense of mystery - spotlights, candles, projections

•installations and artworks

•ambient music - often as background to everything including speech and prayer •ambient video - relevant to event content but not attention-grabbing



creative use of available technology and media, including from home or work

technology and media used for environment or art as well as presentation tools




Service shaping: content-making

curation model organisers bring group together, help form contributions into coherent event, but is not sole or dominant voice



• shape of event worked out in group

• events often planned around a chosen theme which determines all of the content

• Individuals or smaller groups take parts of the event to work on and lead. Note plural distributed leadership.



•congregation are active not passive participants

•learning by exploration and interaction, not located in a single 'teaching' slot

•periods when people can do different things at the same time



• rituals and liturgies often newly created for specific events or communities

• pre-existing rituals and liturgies usually adapted and mixed with new elements

•Return to the culture tricircle: Choose one of the ideas, values, material things or … and fill out the various dimensions of the tricircle.

•Drawing up a set of principles for how you would go about creating a service/ worship-event in the spirit of Alt W. … How would you explain it to would-be co-planners?

•How far would these transfer or be useful in other local church worship planning?

•What legacy and effects do you think Alt W may have passed onto the wider church?

•How would these principles and characteristic work with or challenge Common Worship? Is compromise possible? How might it look?

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culture

Education

Worshp, theology and culture -Alt.worship