The Future of the (Episcopal) Church
So Justin Chapman has been hanging around for the summer as the first Summer Intern under my tenure, which has been fun and exciting and cool. His primary tasks are 2-fold, one is to help develop the 4:30 service that we are trying to get off the ground and the other is to help form a plan for growth for the next year.
Anyway, as we were looking at our plan, we started talking about how cool it will be to do some real shaking up of our liturgy for the 4:30 service. Pretty soon the plan, which, of course has at its center the development of the service, went on the back burner and we started talking about how some of the things we were planning to accomplish would turn everything upside down in some interesting and fun ways. I imagine the Liturgical Police out there might get a little upset about what I am planning to do, but hey, sometimes you just have to take some risks right.
Anyway this all happened after a phenomenal conversation with Rachel at the OC, Old Chicago, I can only wish I was hot enough to be AT THE OC, on FOX, on Wednesdays, anyways, I digress. The piece of my conversation that was most poignant with Rachel was that we live in a culture that lacks friendships, lacks community, lacks a basic component of LIFE! Meaningful Human Relationships. A basic building block for living. Anyway, when I got back I had a conversation with a Spiritual Director and reminded myself of an article I read recently in Wired Magazine.
The article talked about the DEATH of the BIG BLOCKBUSTER HIT. When NSync, I never thought I would talk about N'Sync on my blog, when they released their 2000 album it smashed every single record that had every been held in the music industry, and it was the last record to do so since 2000. Anyway, the article is interesting and can found here, read it. The gist of it is that the Blockbuster 90's was an anomaly, before then, local culture created the niche market according the geographical interests of places across the country, and I imagine the world. Then the internet hit, the music and movie industry exploited the 90's and we now live in an age that was same as before the Age of the Blockbuster but instead of people's interests being based geographically, our niches and cultures are formed and shaped by our SHARED INTERESTS...
So, all that to say, I wonder how deep are relationships able to go in this age of niche culture shaped by Shared interests. Our interests change practically daily, except maybe for a select few, we lose interest, our interests lose interest in us, there is no rootedness as in geographical rootedness to the land. How does the internet culture allow for a sense of rootedness that can be lasting, enduring? How do we as the Church absorb this light speed change and reshape and reform it as it reshapes and reforms us. The future of the Church is at stake in a major way, and it is time for a revolution I think. Let the Revolution begin!
Be well,
A+
Anyway, as we were looking at our plan, we started talking about how cool it will be to do some real shaking up of our liturgy for the 4:30 service. Pretty soon the plan, which, of course has at its center the development of the service, went on the back burner and we started talking about how some of the things we were planning to accomplish would turn everything upside down in some interesting and fun ways. I imagine the Liturgical Police out there might get a little upset about what I am planning to do, but hey, sometimes you just have to take some risks right.
Anyway this all happened after a phenomenal conversation with Rachel at the OC, Old Chicago, I can only wish I was hot enough to be AT THE OC, on FOX, on Wednesdays, anyways, I digress. The piece of my conversation that was most poignant with Rachel was that we live in a culture that lacks friendships, lacks community, lacks a basic component of LIFE! Meaningful Human Relationships. A basic building block for living. Anyway, when I got back I had a conversation with a Spiritual Director and reminded myself of an article I read recently in Wired Magazine.
The article talked about the DEATH of the BIG BLOCKBUSTER HIT. When NSync, I never thought I would talk about N'Sync on my blog, when they released their 2000 album it smashed every single record that had every been held in the music industry, and it was the last record to do so since 2000. Anyway, the article is interesting and can found here, read it. The gist of it is that the Blockbuster 90's was an anomaly, before then, local culture created the niche market according the geographical interests of places across the country, and I imagine the world. Then the internet hit, the music and movie industry exploited the 90's and we now live in an age that was same as before the Age of the Blockbuster but instead of people's interests being based geographically, our niches and cultures are formed and shaped by our SHARED INTERESTS...
So, all that to say, I wonder how deep are relationships able to go in this age of niche culture shaped by Shared interests. Our interests change practically daily, except maybe for a select few, we lose interest, our interests lose interest in us, there is no rootedness as in geographical rootedness to the land. How does the internet culture allow for a sense of rootedness that can be lasting, enduring? How do we as the Church absorb this light speed change and reshape and reform it as it reshapes and reforms us. The future of the Church is at stake in a major way, and it is time for a revolution I think. Let the Revolution begin!
Be well,
A+
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