Emerging Spirit @ The United Church of Canada Emerging Spirit @ The United Church of Canada

In a couple of weeks I am to begin a series of presentations named "Stepping Further Out" (Ottawa - Oct 27; Calgary - Oct 30; Vancouver - Nov 6). As a way of summarizing the past I am flirting with these paragraphs. I wonder though whether it is too harsh, not tough enough or just true. I'd appreciate any comments. Thanks.

Three years ago, the situations of The United Church of Canada and General Motors had a lot in common.

Although we made gestures, in the form of motions and policy formation, and talked a lot about innovation we did not really appreciate the depth and speed of a rapidly changing context. We operated with varying degrees of a sense of entitlement, our dealers/paid accountable leaders had grown accustomed to a certain degree of “loyalty” from their customers/parishioners and were fundamentally confused by this new reality. Our engagement with the public realm had become sloganistic and we were locked into one “product line”/definition of what it means to be a “justice church.” The organizational structure born in the age of industrialism and refined in the time of institutionalization and incorporation not only proved in adequate to the challenge but, in many cases, inhibited innovation and creative response at the local level, despite being populated by good people with good intentions who worked hard at what they perceived to be the task. Research and development of alternate ways had some support and some exciting prototypes of innovation were pumped up at the yearly trade shows or conference meetings but generally business continued as usual. Some voices tried to point to a context/market that was changing in fundamental ways but there was little sense of urgency within the organization. The result was that people, many people, were hurt and, in the case of the United Church, God’s intentions neutered.

The good old days of The United Church of Canada (and General Motors) predated the arrival of The Beatles and the mythology surrounding “those days” was often as representative of the real church as The Cleavers were of a real family. Certainly the numbers, the prime criteria of ministerial success and proof of God’s celebrity endorsement, were highest a half century ago but the church then was far from ideal.

Originally published at KeithHoward.ca.

Last year Greg Prato published a book called A Devil on One Shoulder and an Angel on the Other: The Story of Shannon Hoon and Blind Melon. I don’t find this noteworthy because I’m a fan of Blind Melon (actually, I’m only a fan of the song “No Rain”). I don’t find this noteworthy because his book is ranked #7837 on Amazon.com (#95 in the category “Memoirs”). I find it noteworthy because Greg Prato wrote and published the book himself using Lulu.com. Greg Prato is a rebel.

At one time, book publishing was tightly controlled. You submitted a proposal or a first chapter and a few months later a publisher expressed interest. You were assigned an editor (someone with knowledge in your area) and together you completed the book. Sometime, often far in the future, the thing was published.  No more. I could sit down tonight, bang out 200 pages of blog (like the one you are now reading) and send it to Lulu. It would be published online immediately (after using their dandy wizard). Within 5 days you could order on Lulu, and some time in the very near future (if the demand was great enough) it might appear on Amazon. 

Publishing is suddenly post-modern. Greg Prato, countless musicians and millions of aspiring film-makers have decided the same thing: let the people decide what is worthy of attention (and sales). The era of tightly controlled access to bookshelves and CD racks is over, and the people can now bypass publishers and find talent on their own. The modern era of editors, publishers and established critics has come to an end.

What on earth does this have to do with the church? Let me tell you.

Although its worshipping communities are small and it's hardly a household name, few churches have been as influential in the past half-century as Church of the Saviour in Washington, D.C. Through the years, thousands of leaders from a wide variety of churches have come through Church of the Saviour's doors to be inspired, trained, and transformed for innovative ministry back in their own context, including visitors from The United Church of Canada.

With ministries based in some of the poorest neighbourhoods in Washington, Church of the Saviour was an early (if mostly unrecognized) leader in the "missional" church movement, focusing on local social justice initiatives as the living expression of their faith. Founders Gordon Cosby, Mary Cosby, the late Elizabeth O'Connor, among others, challenged church members to respond to God's call in ways that were both inward (prayer, Bible study, worship) and outward (hands-on participation in social justice ministry), transcending the liberal / conservative characterizations that too often polarize North American religious life.