Worship by iPhone

[Izdaari]

The nature of corporate worship is steeped in the notion of community.  Listening to services remotely may do in a pinch, but should not replace real organic corporate worship.

The theater church is not organic or even communal.  It is listening to services passively and remotely.  You're just sitting closer to the pulpit.

I'm wondering about the meaning of theater church. I can see that it applies to the standard Protestant model, in which the attendees are primarily just an audience for the show the pastor and other staff put on. But in my church (TEC & ELCA, emergent, liturgical), I don''t feel like an audience member, but a participant. It's a small church, but much larger than a house church, and the people are involved in the service, at least enough so that they don't feel like an audience but part of the production. 

 

[The Rogue Tomato]

I'm wondering about the meaning of theater church. I can see that it applies to the standard Protestant model, in which the attendees are primarily just an audience for the show the pastor and other staff put on. But in my church (TEC & ELCA, emergent, liturgical), I don''t feel like an audience member, but a participant. It's a small church, but much larger than a house church, and the people are involved in the service, at least enough so that they don't feel like an audience but part of the production.

Yes, I'm talking about the standard Protestant church model.  I have no idea what your church is like, but if you don't feel like an audience member, they must be doing something right. 

 

[rsc2a]

In other words, it wouldn't nearly as much to a church that was more liturgical.

 

[Izdaari]

I'm wondering about the meaning of theater church. I can see that it applies to the standard Protestant model, in which the attendees are primarily just an audience for the show the pastor and other staff put on. But in my church (TEC & ELCA, emergent, liturgical), I don''t feel like an audience member, but a participant. It's a small church, but much larger than a house church, and the people are involved in the service, at least enough so that they don't feel like an audience but part of the production.

Yes, I'm talking about the standard Protestant church model.  I have no idea what your church is like, but if you don't feel like an audience member, they must be doing something right.

Well, to make it as simple as possible... I suppose to an outsider we'd look like hippie Catholics.  8)

Have you been to any liturgical services? Most Lutheran, Episcopalian, Catholic or Eastern Orthodox would qualify.

 

[rsc2a]

I'm wondering about the meaning of theater church. I can see that it applies to the standard Protestant model, in which the attendees are primarily just an audience for the show the pastor and other staff put on. But in my church (TEC & ELCA, emergent, liturgical), I don''t feel like an audience member, but a participant. It's a small church, but much larger than a house church, and the people are involved in the service, at least enough so that they don't feel like an audience but part of the production.

Yes, I'm talking about the standard Protestant church model.  I have no idea what your church is like, but if you don't feel like an audience member, they must be doing something right.

Well, to make it as simple as possible... I suppose to an outsider we'd look like hippie Catholics.  8)

Have you been to any liturgical services? Most Lutheran, Episcopalian, Catholic or Eastern Orthodox would qualify.

Presbyterian to some extent.

 

[Izdaari]

Right, Presbyterian can be somewhat liturgical, or so I hear. I lack hands-on experience with that denomination and with Eastern Orthodoxy, never having attended a service of either.

 

[The Rogue Tomato]

Well, to make it as simple as possible... I suppose to an outsider we'd look like hippie Catholics.  8)

Have you been to any liturgical services? Most Lutheran, Episcopalian, Catholic or Eastern Orthodox would qualify.

I grew up Greek Orthodox.  I didn't feel like an audience member.  I felt like I was in a torture chamber. 

I've attended Catholic services, too.  There's interaction, but not the kind I'm talking about.  The Catholic "interaction" consists of "and also with you", and maybe other canned responses.  Technically, there's "interaction" in Protestant churches, in that you get to sing along.  But that's not even as interactive as interactive theater, where they bring some audience members into the act. 

Here's more what I'm talking about (sorry for those who hate this book, but he's saying it better than I can) [emphasis mine]:

The early church met for the purpose of displaying Jesus Christ through the every-member functioning of Christ’s body. The goal was to make Christ visible and to edify the whole church in the process. Mutual edification through mutual sharing, mutual ministry, and mutual exhortation was the aim.

To our thinking, what would make all the difference is if God’s people were equipped and then encouraged to have meetings where every member shared the Christ they had encountered that week, freely and openly, as 1 Corinthians 14:26, 31 and Hebrews 10:25 exhort. The result: God would be seen and thus glorified.

Consider your physical body. When every member of your body functions, your personality is expressed. It is the same way with Christ. When each member of His body shares his or her portion of Christ, then Christ is assembled (see 1 Corinthians 12–14).

Viola, Frank; Barna, George (2008-01-17). Pagan Christianity?: Exploring the Roots of Our Church Practices . BarnaBooks. Kindle Edition.

 

[Izdaari]

We have a lot of the canned responses you're talking about, but the liturgies are homemade, the music is homemade (composed in house), even the refreshments are homemade and a lot of the regular folks go up and do the Scripture readings. Usually the services are structured and don't have free discussion, but an awful of that happens afterward and in between. But I guess it's still not quite what you're looking for.

 

[ALAYMAN]

We have a lot of the canned responses you're talking about, but the liturgies are homemade, the music is homemade (composed in house), even the refreshments are homemade and a lot of the regular folks go up and do the Scripture readings. Usually the services are structured and don't have free discussion, but an awful of that happens afterward and in between. But I guess it's still not quite what you're looking for.

Nope, you've pretty much self-identified with all of us other pagan worshippers.

 

[The Rogue Tomato]

You know what's funny?  I didn't really want to quote from "Pagan Christianity".  I wanted to quote from the Milpitas Bible Fellowship site.  They used to have a very well-written justification for adopting the home-church style.

But it's gone now.  I suspect it's because the fellowship grew to about 50-70 members.  Instead, they encourage people to attend the mid-week home fellowship and they have "church" on Sundays (they still emphasize intimacy, but there's no explanation of what that means anymore). 

I'm afraid that, next thing you know, they'll grow to a point where they build a church building, hire a pastor, and start asking for tithes so they can pay for his salary, rent, utilities... 

 

[The Rogue Tomato]

We have a lot of the canned responses you're talking about, but the liturgies are homemade, the music is homemade (composed in house), even the refreshments are homemade and a lot of the regular folks go up and do the Scripture readings. Usually the services are structured and don't have free discussion, but an awful of that happens afterward and in between. But I guess it's still not quite what you're looking for.

Actually, that sounds very nice. 

 

[ALAYMAN]

You know what's funny?  I didn't really want to quote from "Pagan Christianity".  I wanted to quote from the Milpitas Bible Fellowship site.  They used to have a very well-written justification for adopting the home-church style.

But it's gone now.  I suspect it's because the fellowship grew to about 50-70 members.  Instead, they encourage people to attend the mid-week home fellowship and they have "church" on Sundays (they still emphasize intimacy, but there's no explanation of what that means anymore). 

I'm afraid that, next thing you know, they'll grow to a point where they build a church building, hire a pastor, and start asking for tithes so they can pay for his salary, rent, utilities...

Quit fretting and go do it the Bible way, or at least the way you think is the Bible way.  Until then, your concerns ring quite hollow.

 

[Undertaker]

Because of the nature of my "Day Job", there are times that I just can not make my church's worship services.  In say that, that is why I listen or watch services on my phone when I get a chance.

Fortunatly, I am also the media man at my church, so I have been able to streamline my church's website, so I can listen to the my church's services anytime.  But I would never make my phone my church, when i could be physically there.