jim mefford

senior pastor at bay marin community church (bmcc)

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1. we ask this of everyone - how do you define the postmodern movement?

We’ve not really tried to craft a definition of the postmodern movement, but we have tried to identify the characteristic mindsets that mark the newly evolving culture around us.  Being a church established before “postmodernism” became a topic of much discussion, we have focused on being casual, relevant, genuine and friendly. These are the things that people tell us have attracted them to us, so these are evidently part of the mix.

2. building and maintaining community is central to a postmodern community of faith. what does BMCC do to help develop that community?

It’s fascinating to see the variety of ways that people approach community, with its balance of opportunity and risk. Sometimes those who are most satisfied with their community are those least eager to welcome others into it, lest the newcomers disrupt things. Our basic approach is to start with a variety of ways for people to “connect” during and following the Sunday worship experience, then motivate them to deeper involvement in small groups and ministries. Yet a survey we took at the first of the year showed that 1 in 5 people found it hard to connect with us. But of the others, 85% had done so through small groups and ministry teams. One thing that has worked for us recently is broadening ministry team time beyond the tasks at hand to include sharing and praying together. This has created more sense of community for those who tend to be task oriented.
 

3. barna says that 40% of evangelicals do not experience God in worship.  what elements do you feel are required for a positive worship experience?

Fortunately there are others at our church more gifted in worship leadership than I am. My experiences, though, suggest that a distraction-free environment, a focus on God himself, opportunities for a variety of individual expressions, and gifted, energetic leadership are the most significant factors.
 

4.  it has been said, "postmodern is a date book, not a checkbook way of life" (by me) meaning, we give of out time before we will give of our money - how does BMCC develop people for a life of service and servanthood?

This may be the hardest thing we try to accomplish in our affluent community where most families are two-income and highly recreational. We find many of our people more willing to give their money than their time. Those things that do motivate people to act tend to be ones that enable them to meet, see and “touch” those who benefit from the effort. Examples would include our Angel Tree ministry (from Prison Fellowship), and the Gilead House, a local home for single moms in transition which people from our church began two years ago.

5. we need to get out of the church and help people find God, what does MBCC do to introduce people to a lasting relationship with Jesus Christ?

Since we worship in a local auditorium, we actually begin “out of the church.” The
Sunday morning worship experience continues to be our main point of contact with pre-followers of Christ. Our newer attendees, who can sometimes be the most motivated, find it easier to invite their friends to a worship service that’s not

“Churchy” than to try to tell them about the life in Christ that they are just starting to experience themselves. It’s like Philip simply telling Nathaniel, “Come and see!”  We then try to provide an experience that is relevant to their lives, while giving them the time and space to process the message of Christ in their own time. It has become a priority for us to use personal testimonies in our service in order to help people see how the “theology of Christ” translates into a “relationship with Christ.”

 
6. given the current world tensions, how do we preach a message of forgiveness in an environment of revenge?

One of the key distinctions to make in the current world situation is between forgiveness and accountability. Forgiveness is an individual choice to be made by those personally wronged if the wrongdoer confesses and repents (1 John 1:8-10). Civil authorities, however, have a responsibility before God to hold individuals accountable for their actions (Romans 13:1-4). It is important for Christians to lead the way in communicating and demonstrating a desire for reconciliation and to resist attitudes that seek to “get even” with an entire nation or class of people. It’s an opportunity to reach out to people of other faiths, especially Islam, and demonstrate our lack of animosity and vindictiveness.

7. what do you see are the most important qualities of a postmodern community of faith?

I suppose that the *most* important qualities of any community of Christian faith, postmodern or otherwise, will be much the same. Some things, however, are getting a greater emphasis right now. We must stay open-minded about how following Jesus will look for different people. Jesus seldom responded to the people he encountered in the way they expected and we should anticipate that he would continue to surprise us. Striving for an “other-centeredness” that enables us to find joy and motivation in serving others is also a priority. The great challenge, of course, will be to develop these new community styles while avoiding a message that our style is the “right” style and other ones are “wrong.”  Arrogant postmodernism should be a self-contradictory term.