creating culture
I'm back from my whirlwind tour to Minnesota. I totally forgot how distinctive Minnesotans are. We are a unique breed :) Even the way we say "yaaah" with a long "a" sound :)
I took Parker with me and we did some recon at Solomon's Porch. It was cool to see the way they do their service. They have sofas in a circle. It's very communal. All their music is homegrown which gives it an authentic edge. I don't know if I'd call it "worship" music because it didn't seem like people really sang along very much on most of the songs. But the lyrics were very contemplative. The best way I can describe the gathering was that it was "spiritually relaxing." I also love the "swiveling stool" in the middle!
My goal in going was to get some ideas for our coffeehouse service @ Ebenezers. I definitely like the Q & A element, the conversational and communal tone of the gathering, and the authentic edge of the music. They aren't concerned about "doing church the way it's been done before." I think the key to Solomon's Porch's culture is Doug Paggitt. The entire "tone" of the church is a reflection of his personality and gifting.
I did have one thought on the Q & A time following messages. I've wanted to do that for a long time, but the theater just isn't conducive. So I'm excited about the rabbit trails we'll run on after messages at the coffeehouse. I'm hoping it gives it a talk show feel where people have a sense of ownership. Their voice can be heard. I realize there are potential dangers. You always have people who want to hijack a meeting or get off topic. I think the key is establishing some simple ground rules that are explained before the Q & A part of the gathering. One of them is the sixty second rule. I think that keeps people from monopolizing a gathering. I don't think it's bad to have people question or contradict what's been said, but I think there has to be a "respect rule." If you can't say something in a respectful way then you can't say it. In other words, you can't use offensive language or go into "attack mode." I think the goal is to keep things "honest" and "positive" even if there is an element of negativity. And there has to be a "counseling rule." The Q & A time isn't a personal, one-on-one counseling session! If someone doens't pass this test then we deal with it after the gathering. That is up to the discretion of whoever was speaking. I'm sure we'll need a few more ground rules, but I think this has huge potential. I'm excited about experimenting with Q & A.
I think some churches make the mistake of trying to imitate the "mechanics" of what other churches are doing. I'm absolutely convinced that the key to every we do is creating the right culture. The problem isn't that there aren't enough people serving in the nursery or volunteering for production or plugging into a small group. The solution to those issues is creating the culture where people value the right things. It's about shaping convictions. It's about shaping values. Solomon's Porch is authentic because everything they do is an expression of who they are.
I'm excited to see what our gathering @ Ebenezers feels like. It's fun to think outside the box and begin to imagine possibilities. Part of the processing is seeing what other people are doing. That's why were big believers in recon. We don't come home and implement what people are doing wholesale. We try to discern why people are doing what they're doing and learn from their successes and failures.
I took Parker with me and we did some recon at Solomon's Porch. It was cool to see the way they do their service. They have sofas in a circle. It's very communal. All their music is homegrown which gives it an authentic edge. I don't know if I'd call it "worship" music because it didn't seem like people really sang along very much on most of the songs. But the lyrics were very contemplative. The best way I can describe the gathering was that it was "spiritually relaxing." I also love the "swiveling stool" in the middle!
My goal in going was to get some ideas for our coffeehouse service @ Ebenezers. I definitely like the Q & A element, the conversational and communal tone of the gathering, and the authentic edge of the music. They aren't concerned about "doing church the way it's been done before." I think the key to Solomon's Porch's culture is Doug Paggitt. The entire "tone" of the church is a reflection of his personality and gifting.
I did have one thought on the Q & A time following messages. I've wanted to do that for a long time, but the theater just isn't conducive. So I'm excited about the rabbit trails we'll run on after messages at the coffeehouse. I'm hoping it gives it a talk show feel where people have a sense of ownership. Their voice can be heard. I realize there are potential dangers. You always have people who want to hijack a meeting or get off topic. I think the key is establishing some simple ground rules that are explained before the Q & A part of the gathering. One of them is the sixty second rule. I think that keeps people from monopolizing a gathering. I don't think it's bad to have people question or contradict what's been said, but I think there has to be a "respect rule." If you can't say something in a respectful way then you can't say it. In other words, you can't use offensive language or go into "attack mode." I think the goal is to keep things "honest" and "positive" even if there is an element of negativity. And there has to be a "counseling rule." The Q & A time isn't a personal, one-on-one counseling session! If someone doens't pass this test then we deal with it after the gathering. That is up to the discretion of whoever was speaking. I'm sure we'll need a few more ground rules, but I think this has huge potential. I'm excited about experimenting with Q & A.
I think some churches make the mistake of trying to imitate the "mechanics" of what other churches are doing. I'm absolutely convinced that the key to every we do is creating the right culture. The problem isn't that there aren't enough people serving in the nursery or volunteering for production or plugging into a small group. The solution to those issues is creating the culture where people value the right things. It's about shaping convictions. It's about shaping values. Solomon's Porch is authentic because everything they do is an expression of who they are.
I'm excited to see what our gathering @ Ebenezers feels like. It's fun to think outside the box and begin to imagine possibilities. Part of the processing is seeing what other people are doing. That's why were big believers in recon. We don't come home and implement what people are doing wholesale. We try to discern why people are doing what they're doing and learn from their successes and failures.
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