A while back I made a case for doing “indie theology.”

Now Christian Century has posted (temporarily?) a feature article on the “emergent church” movement, a loose-knit conversation of GenXers and Millennials trying to get beyond both liberalism and evangelicalism. (Thanks to Philocrites for the link.) Here’s an excerpt on worship from the article:

Though no two gatherings are exactly the same, a typical evening might begin with corporate worship and then break up for participants to work their way through a series of interactive stations flanking the worship space. At each station the participant would encounter a passage of scripture to be read, a prayer to be said, a question for reflection, an image to be viewed, an activity to be engaged in, or all of the above. The community would then join together to share the Eucharist, after which they would break into small groups for prayer.

If “contemporary worship” and “seeker services” looked like Christian versions of rock concerts, emerging worship looks more like a Christian version of Starbucks. Small spaces, comfortable seating (preferably couches) and interactivity are prized. But here, alongside the accouterments of café culture, are the very signs of Christian identity that had been purged by the iconoclasm of Willow Creek and its descendants. Candles and crosses, bread and wine, incense and altars create an eclectic, ancient-future blend with the video projection screens, electric guitars, and televisions rolling looped images like postmodern icons. The ambiance evokes more the art gallery than the arena, and the technological elements are intentionally subdued, made subservient to personal connection and spiritual reflection.

Here’s what stands out to me from the excerpt:

1) Art gallery ambience. This is a decided shift away from the arena ambience of congregationalist worship that most UUs are familiar with. It would mean (gasp!) little or no sermonizing. Frankly, I’d probably like “art gallery” worship. Walk around at my own pace, grab a cup of coffee, chat with a friend about a particular piece of artwork, look through the church bookstore.

2) Christian Starbucks. No thanks. If this meant more “youth room” than “pews,” though, I’d be more inclined. Or better yet, furniture that communicates “community” rather than “performance.” But no UU lattes, please.

3) Together-Apart-Together. This rhythm (or its reverse) could potentially do a nice job of playing off the creative tension between UU affirmations of the inherent worth and dignity of the individual and the interdependent web of all existence. It could both affirm and critique individualism (and the same for community-ism).

4) Old rituals. I love old rituals. I’m just not any good at doing them regularly. What if we were to gather together our growing list of UU rituals (chalice lighting, water communion, love feasts, etc.) and combine them with a list of rituals from other traditions, rituals which would be in dialogue with UU principles and whose use wouldn’t be patronizing to their originating religious traditions? (Say, the labyrinth, walking meditation, lectio divina, prayer beads, etc.) Then circulate them regularly as a part of worship—even as the central part (instead of the sermon)?

5) Subdued technology. If I want a laser light show, I won’t be coming to church to get it. But what evangelicals would consider subdued UUs would probably consider pronounced.

I’d be interested to know how similar/different this is from the Soulful Sundown model of alternative UU worship. My hunch is that Soulful Sundown rather “band-centric,” so it probably wouldn’t quality as “emergent church.”

Further reflections:

1) A lot of work for a lot of workers. You’d need a lot of hands to pull in this harvest. This means a community that plans and carries this out on a regular basis. I’ve tried something vaguely like this before with just two of us, and that didn’t work. You’d have to have widespread church support and probably a good dozen folks committed each week.

2) Liturgical readings. Where else but church will you get to hear something read out loud to you? Where else but church will you get to read things out loud to a community as a community? When it’s done well, people really enjoy communal reading and enjoy being read to. David Sedaris on NPR is a good example.

3) Strange encounters. I remember one of the first UU worship services I attended. The minister had brought in a duo who played traditional Chinese music. Its being “alien” to me made that service worshipful to me—I had encountered the Other in a new way. Shouldn’t worship regularly challenge us with the new and unfamiliar? If not abused, the worshipping community would grow to trust and expect the unfamiliar and associate it with doing worship. Seems UU to me.

4) Need for resources. There would need to be a big effort at gathering together (and cataloguing) useful, diverse, and challenging worship resources: music, readings, art, rituals, drama. And musicians, readers, artists, ritualists and actors. The worship design team shouldn’t be expected to start from scratch each week, and without a catalog of resources its planning will devolve into the familiar and predictable, especially when stress hits.

5) Familiar and predictable. Of course, the goal shouldn’t be to alienate folks. It would be interesting to see what familiar rhythms would evolve as the project progressed. You wouldn’t want to do worship as shock therapy. It would be interesting to see if something like a UU lectionary arose over time.

6) The band. The cost of hiring a band each time seems the most prohibitive part of Soulful Sundown as I understand it. If you go with solos, duos, and quartets, then your costs should drop. And if you don’t have a professional musician each time, it’s cheaper still.

Any takers? Or anybody know of living examples of “emergent UUism?”