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1.
What would you say are the keys to a successful
postmodern community of faith?
At Impact we strive towards exemplifying our
values in everything we do because we feel that our
values provide a picture of what it takes to be a “successful
postmodern community of faith.”
A postmodern faith community should be all about:
eternal
perspective – recognizing that the steps we
take in our lives now (in relationships, in personal and
communal spirituality) leave footprints that remain
forever
authenticity
– being real, because we have all had enough of middle
class “comfort zone” religion
community
– making true inter-connection with God and
with people
passion
for God – giving us a reason to wake up in the
morning and to engage with a spiritual but lost world
spiritual
growth – knowing God more and more in our life’s
journey through the power of Christ’s resurrection and
the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, all in the
dynamic work of the Holy Spirit
The
Harvest – being on God’s radical mission to spread
salvation to all peoples of the Earth NOW
2.
What key elements would you put in a "job
description" for a senior pastor, or pastor at
Impact Fellowship?
This is a particularly relevant question for us
now as we are searching for a new pastor.
Our next pastor will be:
ignited
with a passion for reaching postmodern people for Christ
deep
in his personal relationship with God
driven
by a solidly biblical worldview
able
to communicate eternal truth without Christian code-talk
or terminology from a bygone era
3.
What would you say were the major differences
between the "contemporary"
(modern) and the "contextual" (postmodern)
communities of faith? I
have an appreciation for the “modern” church because
this is the environment in which I came to know Christ.
However, I believe this style of Christian
community has some serious shortcomings.
Modern
church has tended to view truth as purely prepositional
and rational. This
view leaves little room for the mystery of relationship
or for trusting faith.
Postmodern church adds these dimensions.
Modern
church has been rather parochial in its outreach,
implicitly insisting upon the adoption of a Christian
subculture.
Removing people from direct contact with the
context of lost people isolates Christians and
encourages them not to engage in creative witness.
Postmodern church must critique the elements of
culture that are opposed to God, but it must also
communicate in sociologically genuine terms.
Perhaps the most egregious error of modern church
is its embrace of “Christianity Lite.”
This is my term for what I experience in much “contemporary
worship.” “Christianity Lite” has a formula: entertain the audience
with drama, hype them up with upbeat music, and serve up
a “three keys to success in life” message.
Yuck.
4.
What role do you feel "the arts" have
to offer a worship service?
Visual, tactile and musical arts foster
engagement between worship participants and God as the
receiver of worship.
They unlock emotions and connect with
non-Christians.
5.
What "models" do you see developing for
new communities of faith?
I see “niche” churches developing such as:
college church, techno-church, churches for children of
immigrants, ethnic church, upper middle class church,
etc. While
upholding the validity of tailoring the Gospel to its
receivers, I see niche churches becoming comfortable in
constructing their own Christian subcultures – a major
error of the modern church.
Being in the body of Christ should bring more
connection rather than less.
Postmodern church must “live dangerously” in
reaching across barriers of ethnicity, nationality and
social taboo with the life-changing message of Christ.
Postmodern church should be more a reflection of
heaven than a cheap copy of fragmented American society.
6.
We ask this question of everyone, but... how
would you define postmodern Christianity?
Postmodern Christianity is the liberation of
authentic, biblical faith from the thought and lifestyle
paradigms of a culture built upon the Enlightenment’s
elevation of human rationality to godhood.
7.
Most postmodern people tend to like reality -
reality TV is a good example of this - How do you bring
reality to those who attend worship at Impact
Fellowship?
We have no pretenses in our worship.
We invite everyone to join our worship experience
– no Christian I.D. card required.
We try to be creative in our use of multimedia,
but at no point do we see ourselves as attempting to
compete with the world of entertainment.
The staff and members of Impact are not spiritual
superstars; we are people on a spiritual journey with an
awesome God. This
touches upon the reason why “authenticity” is one of
Impact’s values.
Any
closing thoughts?
Thanks for letting me share some elements of our
adventure in faith with our fellow adventurers out
there. Here’s
a closing thought from our band, Eleven*:
Anyone
who wishes: feel free to contact me at
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