Uncovering an Ethos
Lately I have been reflecting on the changes our faith community has gone through over the past year. As recently as last summer, I was seriously questioning whether or not the experiment had failed, or at least that we were destined to sign up for five more years of very few tangible evidences of God working among us. Now there are blossoming relationships with a wide range of people, all hungry for a richer experience of Christian community and deeper connection to Jesus. However, one of the challenges we face is talking about how we got here, the questions we've asked along the way, and why we do the things we do (and consequently, don't do other things).
Traditionally, this has boiled down to what churches like to call "values". Values are generally something that a pastor writes and then posts on the wall in the church lobby for the ushers to read between services. In other words, no one knows what they are, and no one cares. Instead of values, I would like to talk about the "ethos" of our community, which dictionary.com defines as:
"The fundamental character or spirit of a culture; the underlying sentiment that informs the beliefs, customs, or practices of a group or society."
Values are imposed from without, ethos is cultivated within. So in other words, I can neither take the credit or the blame for the ethos that our group has developed. It is simply the way things are, for good or ill, based on a long process that started many moons ago but has only recently accelerated.
Dallas Willard once asked a great (and terrifying) question:
"When do you suppose was the last time any group of believers or church of any kind or level had a meeting of its officials in which the topic for discussion and action was how they were going to teach their people actually to do the specific things Jesus said?"
When the gravity of that question sinks in, you realize that church as we've known it cannot possibly stay the same if disciples of Jesus are to survive. So the first aspect of this ethos is that we can no longer just sit around and learn about what Jesus said, or debate his words, or just put them into nice worship songs. The Way of Jesus must be attempted or it is not a Way at all. Conversations, such as we had on Sunday, on what Jesus really meant when he said, "Do not judge...", and how to go about living that out, are indicative of people that are trying to live in the Way.
Related to this, of course, is how "teaching" happens in our group. A three-point message on "not judging" with a handy fill-in-the-blanks bulletin insert is a wonderful Bible stuffer. But in the internet age, acquisition of knowledge is the easy part. You can probably download that insert somewhere without having to sit through a two hour service.
Six years ago, my brother was part of our original community. After decompressing from hearing two sermons a week for his entire Christian experience, he made this statement: "I am now aware that my knowledge of the Bible far outweighs my obedience to the Bible." This has become the stark truth for many of us with deep Christian roots. For those with less knowledge, experience has shown that much can be learned by simply being around people who are trying to live this stuff. As we sit on the couch together and you tell me of your struggles, the book you are reading, the Scripture you are meditating on, I learn. The best sermons are sometimes the ones when we don't even know anyone is preaching.
That flows into another fairly obvious aspect of this ethos: everybody gets to play. Whether it be in a gathering or going to help someone fix up a rental property, there is no professional ministry class. I have a five-year college degree, a two-year ministry degree, 15 years of experience leading small groups, leading worship teams, overseeing all sorts of ministries, counselling, preaching, organizing, doing ministry stuff. Yet it is my unmitigated joy when an eleven-year-old girl raises her hand during a meeting, asks a question theologians have been debating for centuries, and stops all of us so-called "ministers" in our tracks. Everyone gets to play, everyone has a voice, participation over performance.
Of course, there is much more to this ethos, but I will stop here for now. In the meantime, for a little of the back story to this post, go read this and this.
Traditionally, this has boiled down to what churches like to call "values". Values are generally something that a pastor writes and then posts on the wall in the church lobby for the ushers to read between services. In other words, no one knows what they are, and no one cares. Instead of values, I would like to talk about the "ethos" of our community, which dictionary.com defines as:
"The fundamental character or spirit of a culture; the underlying sentiment that informs the beliefs, customs, or practices of a group or society."
Values are imposed from without, ethos is cultivated within. So in other words, I can neither take the credit or the blame for the ethos that our group has developed. It is simply the way things are, for good or ill, based on a long process that started many moons ago but has only recently accelerated.
Dallas Willard once asked a great (and terrifying) question:
"When do you suppose was the last time any group of believers or church of any kind or level had a meeting of its officials in which the topic for discussion and action was how they were going to teach their people actually to do the specific things Jesus said?"
When the gravity of that question sinks in, you realize that church as we've known it cannot possibly stay the same if disciples of Jesus are to survive. So the first aspect of this ethos is that we can no longer just sit around and learn about what Jesus said, or debate his words, or just put them into nice worship songs. The Way of Jesus must be attempted or it is not a Way at all. Conversations, such as we had on Sunday, on what Jesus really meant when he said, "Do not judge...", and how to go about living that out, are indicative of people that are trying to live in the Way.
Related to this, of course, is how "teaching" happens in our group. A three-point message on "not judging" with a handy fill-in-the-blanks bulletin insert is a wonderful Bible stuffer. But in the internet age, acquisition of knowledge is the easy part. You can probably download that insert somewhere without having to sit through a two hour service.
Six years ago, my brother was part of our original community. After decompressing from hearing two sermons a week for his entire Christian experience, he made this statement: "I am now aware that my knowledge of the Bible far outweighs my obedience to the Bible." This has become the stark truth for many of us with deep Christian roots. For those with less knowledge, experience has shown that much can be learned by simply being around people who are trying to live this stuff. As we sit on the couch together and you tell me of your struggles, the book you are reading, the Scripture you are meditating on, I learn. The best sermons are sometimes the ones when we don't even know anyone is preaching.
That flows into another fairly obvious aspect of this ethos: everybody gets to play. Whether it be in a gathering or going to help someone fix up a rental property, there is no professional ministry class. I have a five-year college degree, a two-year ministry degree, 15 years of experience leading small groups, leading worship teams, overseeing all sorts of ministries, counselling, preaching, organizing, doing ministry stuff. Yet it is my unmitigated joy when an eleven-year-old girl raises her hand during a meeting, asks a question theologians have been debating for centuries, and stops all of us so-called "ministers" in our tracks. Everyone gets to play, everyone has a voice, participation over performance.
Of course, there is much more to this ethos, but I will stop here for now. In the meantime, for a little of the back story to this post, go read this and this.
posted by Mike Bishop at 7:09 PM
7 Comments:
So if your "Ethos" is like the "values" in a foyer, do I have to read these too? I love the fact that all of us ended up in this little community by different methods, different vehicles of cause, yet we all want the same basic simple thing, to be more like Jesus.
Oh and that question asked by an eleven year old girl was "is it free will or predestination?" So?
That's the thing...when the values get posted in the foyer, there usually is an ethos in the background that has nothing to do with those values. That's why most people ignore values statements...they just don't jive with what they see in real life.
Re: the question...I don't answer questions like that. That's for theologians like yourself to debate:)
I would have to say that is the first time in my life my name and the word theologian were used in the same sentence...even in jist.
Point is, Shawn, he's saying, "These is what we're actually like."
And YET -- and I sense this is coming in Mike's installments -- the fact is, we're NOT the same group when someone new becomes a part. We're different (in the best sense) because you, for example, are a part of us. Our ethos has changed.
We are now more likely to get kicked out of Crash-a-Rama, for instance.
But truly, no one owns this, so when someone new becomes a part of it, things are different. But they should know, "Here's what has happened with us..." over the past year, for instance, in this case.
Brant
Should say "this", not "these", but who cares? I do, apparently.
Brant
Good writing as usual Mike. Keep it up.
-JH
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