|
benjy
oliver
(the pastor of paradox)
1.
how would you define the postmodern/emerging conversation?
Personally, I see a new paradigm shift happening in both the
world at large and in the body of Christ. Call it
postmodern, emerging, second reformation, alt. worship or
whatever. Labels are not as important as what is actually
happening. Its a shift away from a purely rational, linear,
logical, scientific approach to life and spirituality.
There's a new focus on experience, emotion, art and mystery.
I think its probably God's way
of letting the current way we know of church existing to
die, so that something much better can be resurrected. Its
implications are philosophical, theological and social.
There's a much more holistic approach to living our lives
and trying to really live out, grasp and wrestle with what
it means to be a follower of Christ, wherever we are.
2.
What do
you see as the most productive way of reaching an emerging
generation?
To be honest, I don't like the
word reach. I think connecting is a much better way of
describing evangelism. When we speak of reaching, we think
of ourselves in one place, and the goal is to bring others
to where we are at. And that's why so many people are turned
off by churches in America
The gospel that Christ came with
is that people can connect with God, no matter who they are
or where they are at. So we aren't trying to be successful
or productive. We are simply trying to connect with people
we come in contact with. Its an incarnational, relational
and interactive approach to ministry
3.
Why
"paradox?" (not the name, but the concept.
The concept of tensions, of
seeming contradictions, really appeals to us (and to
postmodern people). There are so many aspects of our faith
that don't make sense from a purely rational view. So
instead of trying to explain away or avoid tensions, we
embrace them by faith. Besides, we are living in a world
where reality seems to be both/and, instead of just
either/or. We have come to discover that questions are often
just as important as answers.
4.
What makes
paradox different from a modern church?
The better question would
probably be in which ways are we the same! There are many
differences. We have 2 founders and co pastors, instead of
one. There is no pulpit or sermon during our times of
worship. We use lunchboxes to collect offerings. Instead of
a sermon or lecture, we have an interactive learning
environment, where people ask questions, comment, and even
disagree with us. We place as much importance on the
atmosphere and environment as we do on the topic being
presented. Each week looks and feels different
We try to invoke all 5 senses
through multisensory, experimental worship stations. The
schedule is not the same each week. There is always
something happening on the big screen and around the room,
whether powerpoint, video or art. Our worship gatherings
also take different forms. We may have a night of all music,
or make sandwiches to go hand out to the poor. We may all
get together for a meal
5. how do you
build community at paradox?
I think this is one area many
postmodern communities of faith are struggling with. People
in our society today crave authentic relationships yet
aren't willing to do what it takes to have them. And many
churches don't know what to do either.
What has worked best for us is
spending time together. Whenever we have a group of guys or
girls hanging out for a guys day or girls day, when we spend
time with each other before and after our weekly worship
gatherings and during the week, that's when it happens. Its
a process and takes time.
Our small groups have also
helped tremendously. Also serving and volunteering together
6. how does
paradox put to action "the great commission?
Our vision statement is summed
up in 3 words: explore, engage and emerge. We have
intentionally created an environment where people are loved
and accepted, unconditionally. We have Mormons and others
who are a part of our community of faith. The guy that has
the most piercings in our town is a regular part of
everything we do. Its in our spiritual DNA. We just try and
connect with people where they are at. paradox is about
people having time, space and freedom to test out
Christianity.
We also get out in our
community. We work with the poor and homeless and give to
those in need. Each year, our community has a Mardi Gras
parade. We entered a float this past year, our first ever.
Our theme was monks and punks. We had people dressed like
punks and monks and they were carrying a cross. We also had
cool lights, decorations and a live DJ spinning records. 3
or 4 floats after us, was a church that was screaming and
telling everyone they were going to hell. 2 very distinct
methods of evangelism were in effect that night.
7.
what does the future hold for paradox?
Only God knows, right? We just
celebrated our first birthday (Jan. 2004). We will most
likely become a church plant in the next year. If we outgrow
our current building, we will have to offer more than one
worship gathering per week, until we find another facility
to meet in.
Our website has recently been
redesigned and we look forward to inspiring others online
like we were inspired. We live in a community of about
60,000. And Barstow does not have the best reputation in
California. But if we can do this here, God can use people
anywhere! When we first started, our vision was our
community. God is now starting to pull our hearts to connect
with those on their way to and from Las Vegas each weekend
|
chris monroe
(the senior
pastor)
1.
how would you define the postmodern/emerging
conversation?
Inexperienced,
yet transformative. I see a both-and reality
here. In using the word, inexperienced, I'm
referring to a number of things. First of all,
it's difficult to find thought-leaders who are fully
trustworthy concerning things postmodern
since the paradigm is still unfolding. Secondly,
the emerging conversation is riddled with zealous
pioneers who lack experience and maturity. This
often leads to a kind of "throwing out the
baby with the bathwater" -- an untempered desire
to not only get rid of all things "modern
church-related," but to get rid of the modern
church itself. I am certainly not the first to
observe a subtle arrogance that's often part of the
postmodern perspective. Despite this, the
postmodern/emerging conversation has continued to
be refreshingly transformative. By transformative,
I mean to say that the conversation is forcing
believers and leaders to reject outdated, faulty, and
even injurious ways of "doing church" and
instead, reconnect in a fresh way with what it
means to truly be a follower of Christ. The
conversation is helping us to strip away the
"church stuff" we've created, so we can get down
to the "God stuff" we long for
2.
what do you see as the major differences between the
"modern and emerging churches?
Although
such a distinction is a bit of an over-generalization,
I certainly see some differences. "Modern"
churches -- those birthed and still
operating in ways consistent with modernity (e.g.
out-of-balanced focus on "the individual",
pursuit of truth as empirical and discernable) are just
beginning to acknowledge the realities of our
post-Christian, post-modern culture.
However, their responses to this vary
significantly. Some see the paradigm of
postmodernism as a new enemy of the faith, and have
taken up an aggressively defensive posture.
Other church leaders, while aware of the cultural
changes, have chosen to adopt a
"wait-and-see" approach, not wanting to
overreact to what might only be a short-lived
"fad." Still other groups and
denominations have not only accepted that
postmodernism is here to stay, but have been
encouraging their congregations to start
strategizing the birthing of new expressions of
"church," recognizing that unless this is
done, entire generations may end up being lost to
Christ. I consider myself blessed to be part of
this latter group of "modern" churches,
although it must be said that churches continuing to
operate under modernity will remain vitally
important in sharing Christ (some statisticians
insist that 70% of Boomers, 30% of Gen-X'rs, and
perhaps 20% of Millennials will remain
"modern" in their perceptions and worldview)
The
"Emerging" Church, on the other hand, is
free from many of the trappings that have prevented
much of the modern church from becoming truly missional
so as to effectively engage the present culture.
Truth is seen not only has propositional and knowable,
but as mysterious and experiential. Relevancy is
important, but the slick consumeristic methods of
their predecessors are definitely out. And
although emerging churches continue to struggle with
the curse of individualism (something that was
"supposed" to die under postmodernity), they
remain committed to rediscovering and practicing a community-focused
Christianity. In part, it is this commitment to
community that is changing the orientation of their
worship gatherings -- no longer following the Bibliocentric
model (e.g. sermon is central) that was common in
the modern church, but rather moving back to a
previous (and historically more prevalent) Christocentric
model, where the community of faith gathers around the
Eucharist and pursues an experience of Jesus together.
This is also a reflection of the ancient-future "feel"
of many emerging churches, where hi-tech multi-media
technology and art are frequently blended
with the use of ancient common prayers, creeds, and
icons.
3.
as a senior pastor, what do you see as the greatest
tension with a "church [with]
in
a church?
It's
the tension that revolves around the common use of the
facilities. Emerging church work is often
"messy" -- messy not only in terms of
reaching messy people (i.e. irreverent and
problem-laden), but literally being messy (e.g. wax
and soda stains, broken and damaged equipment and
furniture, facilities not restored to
"normal").
4.
over time, would you support a move to allow paradox to
"go it on it's own?
Absolutely.
But as its own community of faith, it would first need
to grow holistically to a place of health that
could facilitate such a move. This would
certainly include additional leadership development
and greater financial stability.
5.
why paradox? (not the name, but the concept
Because
postmodern thinking often resonates with a both-and
way of perceiving truth. This, combined with the
fact that the Christian faith consists of many tensions
and is by nature paradoxical, led us to quickly
consider the name, Paradox, a perfect fit for
who we wanted to be and what we wanted to be about.
6.
do you see tension between the "older" members
and those seeking God in new and different way?
and could you explain
Actually,
no -- and for a couple of reasons. First of all,
our older members are genuinely thrilled that Paradox
is able to lead people into a relationship with Christ
-- people who would otherwise nothing to do with
"church." And because secondly, although
at a slower pace, I have been introducing similar
components into the corporate worship times of
the sponsoring congregation -- components that have
been amazingly well received (e.g. use of ancient
common prayers, creeds, art, and multi-sensory
experiences).
7.
what do you see as the future for paradox?
I
see Paradox as a trailblazing congregation.
Although they will continue making mistakes, the
lessons learned from these mistakes (along with the
many successes) will increasingly become a
valuable resource for other emerging churches.
At the same time, more and more of residents
within our city who have stayed away from traditional
churches will come to trust Paradox and will be drawn
into its community. And finally, I believe that
in less than five years, Paradox will likely give
birth to a new emerging church itself
|
