Arts Blog : Arts Conference 07

Free Download: We Are Family

Pam Howell — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 20:55:00 GMT

A Multi-Generational Approach to Worship & the Arts Generation after generation stands in awe of your work; each one tells stories of your mighty acts. Psalm 145:4 If your desire is to have a multi-generational church…if you are trying to figure out how to bring 20-somethings into your church…or if you are fighting a consumer mentality, download this resource, We are Family, from the 2007 Arts Conference. Ross Parsley, Senior Pastor of New Life Church discusses how viewing the church as a family radically changes its DNA and dynamics. He talks about the blessings and the challenges facing a multi-generational church. Ross humbly gives thoughtful counsel and practical ideas, while sharing his church’s story. We hope after you have listened to this, you’ll join a discussion here and share your reaction to what you’ve heard. How will Ross’s teaching impact your ministry? Ross Parsley currently serves as Senior Pastor of New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he has served as Worship Pastor since 1991. He is the founder and president of the New Life School of Worship, committed to training and equipping young men and women to lead worship in local churches. Ross has been leading and teaching on worship for over 20 years and is the worship leader on several Integrity Music recordings including "My Savior Lives" and "I Am Free". Ross demonstrates his philosophy of the generations working and worshipping together by harnessing a team of leaders and songwriters at New Life whose songs have quickly become worship favorites in churches around the world.

Courage to Define Reality and Face Results

Nancy Beach — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 14:35:00 GMT

The most controversial and unnerving session of this past June’s Arts Conference at Willow was one in which author and pastor Dan Kimball first shared insights from his book, They Like Jesus, But Not the Church, and then a panel of church leaders wrestled with some of Dan’s findings and with the future of the church. Our main focus was the weekend gatherings, when the church comes together, and what needs to change going forward. We tried to cover too many subjects, and longed for more time to hear the perceptions of our excellent panelists and the interaction with the attenders. But through the wonders of blogging, our conversation can continue. During the panel discussion, Sally Morgenthaler challenged us to consider her point of view that worship evangelism, which she advocated and wrote a book about in the mid 90’s, is not effectively penetrating our culture. I admire Sally for her courage, especially her willingness to revisit some of her own assumptions which have defined what she was always known for. Sally’s words probably raised the blood pressure of a lot of arts leaders, because the thought of starting over, trying to define a new paradigm, and possibly abandoning a lot of our current practices is both daunting and disconcerting. Besides, aren’t most Christians fairly satisfied with the state of corporate worship? As I continue to reflect on these vital issues for the local church, including my own, I am reminded of the words of our pastor Bill Hybels, who says that part of a leader’s most important job is to define reality. Are we really willing to look objectively at our individual church communities and ask these kinds of questions: • Are truly non-churched people really showing up in any significant percentage at our church on Sunday mornings? • How many of our visitors or new attenders are actually Christians who have transplanted from another church? • For those who truly are not yet in the faith and who come on Sunday, what is their level of engagement with the church service, specifically the parts of the service outside the sermon/teaching time? • What is the reaction and response of non-churched people to the forms of communication we employ in our churches – to our music, our spoken words, our visual communication, our videos, our drama or our dance? Are we communicating with relevance, cultural sensitivity, authenticity, creativity, and excellence? • Sally asserted that much of Christian worship music all sounds the same, and is distinctly different from the direction of secular music. Do you agree? If it is true, what does this mean and should this change? • How much are most non-believers actually drawn into extended times of congregational singing (what we often call worship)? Are we limiting ourselves too much to music as an art form? I could go on, but these are just a few of the questions bouncing around in my head and heart these days. We would love to hear your thoughts and comments. All of us are trying to figure out how to build up believers AND extend ourselves to those not yet in God’s family. We won’t all land in the same place. But do we have the courage to ask the questions, challenge our own status quo, and face the truth about what is and is not really taking place on Sunday mornings? I for one don’t want to duck my head in the sand, pretend these issues are not real, and simply coast on what we’ve always done that seems fairly acceptable to most Christians already in the fold. The kingdom will not advance unless pastors and arts leaders boldly ask these kinds of questions. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and a spirit of discovery together as the wider community of faith, I believe we can make progress…I believe we must. In too many places, business as usual is not working. There, I said it. What do you think? Resources: Zondervan - Dan Kimball: They Like Jesus But Not the Church Christianity Today - Sally Morganthaler

Young in Ministry? Let's Hear From You!

Ray Pelletier — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 18:39:00 GMT

Nothing can replace the energy and insight gained from young leaders who come with fresh perspective and contagious enthusiasm. Willow itself began when a group of young 20-somethings dreamed of a new kind of church that did not yet exist and then made it happen. If you are young or new to ministry yourself, we’d love to hear about the dreams you are dreaming for the church or for Arts Ministry in the church. What are your wildest hopes for the future? How is your vision of church or the Arts in church different from what you see today?

Questions for Next Steps

Pam Howell — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 21:17:00 GMT

Okay…it’s been 21 days since we were gathered for the Art’s Conference and I am wondering, are you still thinking about what you heard? I am. It’s not just because it’s my job. My mind was stirred by what was said & what I experienced. I am working to keep the thoughts & questions that came to mind 21 days ago out front. I’m working to be transformed by what I heard. To me there would be nothing sadder than all of us listening for a few days and then diving back into life as we know it. Our team would love to hear how things are going for you all. We would welcome news about how God has been working in & through you & your team. (maybe put a link to my blog or some other place they could post what is happening.) We put together some questions regarding the plenary sessions for you & your team as you continue to process your experience. We hope these are useful. Blessings as you continue to follow Christ, Pam The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; the ears of the wise seek it out. Proverbs 18: 15 June 13, 2007 Session 1: Celebrating What is Right With the World – Dewitt Jones Dewitt talked about living from ‘a full cup.’ Are you living out of fullness? Identify how you got where you are. What has been going on in your life that has led you to this place? Are you satisfied with where you are? Are there changes you need to make in how you’re living? How is your pace of ministry? Do you need to ask for help? Who can you go to? Are you in love with what you are doing these days? Is anything holding you back from what you love to do? Is there something you need to change about what you are doing? Is there something you need to die to, so God can work through you? June 13, 2007 Session 2: The Audacity of Hope – Nancy Beach Nancy talked about being people of hope. She challenged us to create places of hope. Are you a person of hope? How prone are you to choosing trust and joy over cynicism, despair, and bitterness? Are you living in a place of contradiction? Believing in & embracing the hope of Christ with eyes wide open to the pain & despair of our world. Psalm 42: 4, 5 Are you honest about your life in your personal relationships, and on Sunday morning at your church? Are you & your church extending yourselves with intentionality into our broken world? What have you done lately? Spend some time with a friend or with your team talking about what you could do for those in your community looking for hope. Are you like Christ? A friend of sinners? Are you … is your church, better at judging & condemning people than welcoming them in & sharing the hope you have found? Have you become so consumed with building & sustaining ministry that you have no time for relationships? What are some steps you can take to change? To become more like Christ. What steps can you take as a church to be a place where people feel welcome, regardless of where they are on their journey? June 13, 2007 Session 3: They Like Jesus but not the Church – Dan Kimball & panel At the top of the session Dan talked about 6 perceptions people have about the Christian Church: (these can also be found in his book They Like Jesus but not the Church) 1. The Church is an organized religion with a political agenda. 2. The Church is judgmental and negative. 3. The Church is dominated by males and oppresses females. 4. The Church is homophobic. 5. The Church arrogantly claims all other religions are wrong. 6. The Church is full of fundamentalists that take the whole Bible literally. If we asked people in your community would they say these statements are true of your church? If we asked people who know you personally, would they say these statements reflect you? What do you do personally & as a church that brings a different picture of the church … of Christ to people around you? What do you need to change in yourself or your church so that the people in your community will see Christ and embrace the hope he has to offer? Do you look like Christ these days? Galatians 5:22-23 Would your family, friends & team agree? Toward the end of this session we touched on the question of reaching out to the 18-30 year olds in our communities. Is this a priority for your church? If it isn’t, is there a desire to reach out to this group? Thinking about this group … thinking about your services … is there something that needs to change? Can you identify steps to making that change? Do you have to open up your team to new members? June 15, 2007 Session 4: On Truth & Meaning – Donald Miller Donald talked about the challenge of balancing truth and meaning and how messy that can be. Quite often we approach the Bible, the church & our ministry from a left brain point of view. What challenged you in Donald’s message? What was your aha moment? Where does that lead you? Is there a new way for you to think? Will you approach Sunday morning differently? June 15, 2007 Session 5: Scribble – Erwin McManus & artists from Mosaic Erwin & the Mosaic team challenged us to be true to who God has created us to be. Do you have a clear picture of who God created you to be? What steps could you take to explore deeper who God has designed you to be & how you can use your gifts & abilities in the church? How will you help the people in your ministry teams … your church … embrace who they are? How prevalent in your thinking or in your team’s thinking, is the belief that things never change? How has that influenced how you live? How has that influenced how you create? Erwin challenged us to write the future … what do you want the future to look like? What does your church’s future look like? What role do you play in the future? Talk about that with members of your team. Ask each member of your team to share their most powerful insight or emotion from Scribble. What are you going to do with those thoughts or emotions? Where does that lead you to grow as a follower of Christ and as an artist? How has the Mosaic team’s creativity challenged you? Are there ideas it has inspired?

You asked for it - Film Festival Results

Lori Finnegan — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 14:55:00 GMT

You asked for it—and here it is! We now have details for you on the inspirational videos created by church artists that were part of the Film Festival at the recent Arts Conference 2007. Two weeks ago, over 1,500 of us gathered to view some of the best videos created and submitted by a group of 15 churches from across North America. These videos were created by church artists to be shown as part of their church services. It was an inspiring night! Since then, many of you have been asking for a list of the videos and who created them. So here you go – Click here to download a PDF of what we all saw that evening, along with the “winners” in each category. If you were at the film festival, tell us about your experience. What were your personal favorites and why? Whether you were there or not, check out the videos on YouTube and let us know what you think. Here are some of the videos that are also available on YouTube: Reconsilosec - from Community Christian Connecting With God - from Sugar Creek Baptist This is the Truth - from Granger Church Beauty - from Mosaic

Perception of Intolerance

Nancy Beach — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 22:06:00 GMT

During our panel discussion at the Arts Conference, after we heard from Pastor Dan Kimball, we attempted to wrestle with some of the questions raised in his book, They Like Jesus But Not The Church. Time did not come close to allowing us to explore in any depth so many issues and questions that were raised. In light of that, we thought we could continue the dialog online, and attempt to dig deeper into one issue at a time. I’d like to start the conversation exploring the overall perception held by many outside the church that communities of Christian faith are essentially intolerant. Three of the big 6 impressions shared by Dan’s contacts outside the church all fit under this umbrella, including the perception that the church is homophobic and a boys club not embracing women leaders. As church leaders, whatever our theological and Scriptural positions may be on issues like homosexuality and women in leadership, and whatever our political leanings may be, the question is whether those who don’t necessarily share the same point of view are not only welcome, but also encouraged to dialog about their perspectives. Essentially, would we describe our weekly gatherings as places where people are invited into an interactive experience and conversation, or are we only presenting truth as we see it and offering solutions or answers? I am not suggesting we have to compromise on what we see as Biblical truth…I am only asking whether we make room for people to engage, explore their questions, challenge our thinking, and feel genuinely heard. Some church leaders might contend that the only way to change the perception that we are intolerant is to throw out our standards, our beliefs, our definitions of sin, etc. Do you think that is the only choice we have? Or can we invent ways to offer an experience that feels like more of a dialog than a monolog while still teaching Biblical truth lovingly as we see it? We would love to hear your thoughts and ideas on this. What have you done at your church to make room for this kind of exploration? Do you believe the reputation of churches as intolerant is deserved? Is there any hope for altering that reputation? Please send us your thoughts and maybe we can all help one another consider some constructive alternatives…

Backstage with Donald Miller

Pam Howell — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 21:43:00 GMT

Part One Part Two Looking back, I think Session 4 was spectacular. I think we all appreciated Helena & Jay sharing their story & the journey they have been on for the last few years. It was a gift to then worship & pray together. It was also great for me personally to put a face & a voice with the words I have read in Donald Miller's books. I appreciated what he had to say. If you & I am sure you were like me & would have liked more time to talk with him. We asked him to come down to the video suite & answer a few of the questions people asked in the comments. Hear what Donald had to say and then let us know what you think? What issues are you wrestling with as you try to make the art of the gospel real in your church.

Backstage with Erwin & Dave from Scribble

Pam Howell — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 12:48:00 GMT

Part One Part Two

Looking back at the Arts Conference, there is much to celebrate. It was a great week and this last session seemed like the best way to conclude our journey together. It was exhilarating. As usual, I didn’t want our time to end. We invited Erwin & David to spend a few more minutes with us … you don’t want to miss what they had to say.

We'd love to hear your thoughts? What are your hopes for your arts community this year? Mosaic and the Urban Poets are who they are because of their deep passion and sense of mission. How do you fan the flames of spiritual passion on your team? What works? What doesn't?

Backstage with Dan, Sally, & Shauna

Pam Howell — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 13:40:00 GMT

There has been some great discussion around Session 3 on some of the blog posts during and since the conference. Thanks to all of you who are asking questions. Thanks to everyone for the authenticity in your words. Thanks for the graciousness in your responses. I hope that we can continue to work this out together. We recorded each of the panelists immediately after the session taking the conversation further and reacting to your comments & quetions. Here are video clips from Dan Kimball with Sally Morgenthaler and from Shauna Niequist. We'll follow up in the days ahead with a second clip from Shauna & others from Efrem Smith, David Loveless, and Brian McLaren. It is tempting to move from this discussion & not deal with the truths we have been confronted with ... let's not do that ... let's keep encouraging, pushing, and inspiring one another to reach out beyond ourselves & the walls of our church. My heart grew heavy as Dan discussed what people think about all of us and the church. When I have received criticism about the church or a service I have been a part of, people have told me to not take it personally but I think the key to growing is for us to take Dan's findings & our 'negative' experiences personally. We need to ruthlessly examine how we are living - what we say, what we don't say, what nonverbal signals we are sending, how we spend our time & how we don't spend our time. It breaks my heart to think that I, in any way, keep people from seeing Jesus as He truly is. We asked the panel to share anything they wanted to add to the Session 3 discussion or to address 3 specific issues that were sent by conference attenders by email or in the blog comemnts. First, how do we reach out to homosexuals in our community? How can we let them know that they are welcome in our church? Second, what can we do so that 18 - 30 year olds want to come? How do we need to change so that they want to stay? And lastly, how do I change my church? Listen to what they have to say & tell me what you think about what they said? What do you think was most helpful and what do you think still needs to be explored Pam

Return to Real Life!

Nancy Beach — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 13:34:00 GMT

Friday after the conference and our team’s celebration over lunch, I headed home…where I vacuumed, watered my flowers, did some laundry, and sat out on my deck. Yes, what mundane tasks after such a glorious experience! But it felt so good to return to normal everyday life, and reflect on the astounding ways God worked throughout the conference. I’m sure I’ll be smiling for a very long time at the memories… Friday morning was so very powerful and exceeded my prayers and anything I even imagined. How grateful I am to Jay and Helena for their vulnerable ministry to all of us… to Donald Miller for stretching us and giving such an inspiring talk to all the right brained artists… to the Scribble team and Erwin for delighting us and reminding us of our extraordinary potential as creative people… I really was sad to see it come to an end, because I love being among fellow artists and pastors, exploring together our callings and our challenges. Every personal encounter I had was so rich… But now it’s time for what John Ortberg calls the ministry of the mundane… back to being a wife, a mom, a daughter, a friend, and all that real stuff. So I wish every Dad a very happy Father’s Day… and I look forward to continuing the conversation through the arts community all year long. I’m abundantly grateful to our magnificent God for all that He has done…and I definitely am celebrating what’s right with the world! With love in Jesus, Nancy What is on your mind as your life and schedule return to normal? What is resonating with your heart and soul? What are you taking with you from the conference into this new day and what do you feel like you still need?

The Conference is Over, but the Community Lives On!

Lori Finnegan — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 16:47:00 GMT

It's Saturday morning and I had my first good sleep in about two weeks, so I'm feeling great! Not just about the sleep, but mostly about the experience of the last two and a half days! When we started this journey together on Wednesday, I had only imagined what it was going to be like to be in one room, all worshiping, learning and growing together. It was better than I ever dreamed! I watched the video highlights from each session this morning and smiled through every one. My friend Dave, did a great job capturing the moments and editting them together. I'm marvelling at our good God's blessing on every aspect. I sat through the confernce reflecting on the planning meetings and Nancy's leadership during the development and brainstorming, the ideas that came from our producer Sherri and the members of the planning team and I am in awe of how God used each and everyone. Just another reminder of what Erwin said to all of us...that God has created us to write stories...it may look like scribble at first, but the artistry and poetry is His gift to us. I'm humbled by the commitment and dedication of the "Online Team" that came together to do what had not been done before at a Willow conference. This whole event was a HUGE team effort...Ops, Marketing, IS, Customer Service and the hundreds of volunteers...I'm so grateful for each one and would love you to meet them all. One of my favorite things has been reading all the comments. Thank you so much for your openness and honesty. We're taking seriously all that you say and we'll learn and grow from it. Thanks for sharing, so personally, some of your challenges, that authenticy helps all who read to identify our own challenges. It was even fun to see that some of you went beyond what happened online and met up with each other. This is a great start to a community that will keep going beyond this event. We appreciate you! Now that you're home and have had some time to process, what impacted you the most at this year's Arts Conference? What do you want to make sure we keep doing or stop doing? What are some of your favorite memories that are lingering on? Let's keep the conversation going!

Your Response to Session 5?

Chuck Spong — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 14:04:00 GMT

What is your response to the unforgetable experience that was Scribble with Erwin "Raphael" McManus?

Your Response to Session 4?

Chuck Spong — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 17:08:00 GMT

What Jay and Helena shared with us this morning was so rich, deep and personal….it completely inspires me they way they have grappled with faith in the toughest of circumstances… and to have the courage to share some of that journey with us. Having worked alongside them the past few years, I continue to be deeply impacted their honesty and real-ness in whether on stage or off stage. I feel completely inadequate to even comment on their extraordinary expression this morning. And then, Donald….that was one of the most challenging (in the best of ways!) and mind-stretching (brain-stretching??!!) talk that I’ve heard in some time. While much of my day (maybe like yours) gets consumed with the work of “executing” my art….figuring out what works and why it works….evaluating and systematizing and structuring and doing….To step back and think about the mystery of art was so life giving and reminded me why I’m an artist at heart. Donald completely challenged me on so many levels: to embrace the mystery on my own personal journey, to allow enough time in my life to experience art to its fullest, to release some of my quests to “understand it all,” to have all my questions answered. How ‘bout you? What impact did Donald or Jay and Helena have on you? What are taking with you from this time? Here are some links we thought might be helpful: The Geometry of Love book Rembrandt Self-Portraits The Brain: Amygdala The Age of Enlightenment G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy

Live Comment here on Erwin "Raphael" McManus & Scribble!

Ray Pelletier — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 16:18:00 GMT

So... what do you think? Could you "so go there"? What is stirring as you hear Erwin's words? What is stirring in you as you see this piece? It's our last session folks, so comment it up! Much love, Ray

Additional Resources on Homosexuality

Ray Pelletier — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 13:26:00 GMT

Last night I got home from Willow about 10:30 pm. I was really late getting home. Anyone have some Reconcilosec? (Film Festival inside joke) But my wife wasn't worried because she was deeply engaged in a documentary on PBS about a gay men's chorus. It followed their life experiences as a group and individually. Julie's heart was broken by one moment in the film. Almost every man recounted how his church abandoned him. One man told the story of how as an 18 year-old he was unexpectedly brought before the congregation, accused of being a homosexual with evidence from a secret council, and then excommunicated before all. I don't know how to love gay people the way Jesus would and does. As a pastor and leader, I don't know exactly how the Church should engage people who are gay and their families. In the blog comments Wednesday, someone mentioned a *** couple in their church that was fully accepted until they had a child and it came time for Baby Dedication before the church. What do you do? There are no easy answers. We wanted to provide you with some additional resources to help you as you prayerfully seek answers for you and your own ministry context. Nothing we could offer would be able to do all of the work for us,, but our hope is that these materials would be helpful to you as you seek scripture and the Spirit for guidance. “Is God … Homophobic?”

MP3 of a recent Message from Gene Appel, Senior Pastor of Willow Creek Peppermint Filled Piñatas

Book by Eric Bryant

"Life's Toughest Questions: What About Sex?"

Podcast of a recent message from Erwin McManus, Lead Pastor and Cultural Architect of Mosaic