Formal Does Not Suck

People tend not to like anything formal nowadays. They prefer “authentic things,” by which they mean spontaneous and unplanned things. Describing a meeting as “rather formal” is usually a mild insult, and implies that the meeting was boring, pompous, cold, lifeless, and so on.

The word formal is particularly bad when used to describe a religion event. After all, region is a word already twice damned. So adding the word formal to this repulsive word makes a belief or practice sound at least useless; perhaps even demonic.

Both words -- formal and religion – suffer from post traumatic stress due to the repeated rape of our language somewhere around the middle of the twentieth century. Since then, English has staggered and drooled, trying its best to keep carrying meaning from one person (and from one part of the culture) to another. But unfortunately, some of its old words and phrases have not survived the ravage.

Religion is one of those.

Religion implies a binding of oneself to a set of beliefs and practices. Since the thugs beat up our language, all binding must be resisted; otherwise one cannot be spontaneous or authentically spiritual. One cannot, evidently, be both spiritual and religious in this new era. So mention the old word “religion” now and even religious people will shutter at your indecency.

The word formal is not as provocative as the word religion. People will be surprised that you have said it but will just smile or sneer. Formal is to our language like a senile uncle is to a family reunion; no one wishes him any ill but what are  do we to do with him when it comes time to talk?

The problem is, the entire structure of Western Civilization is tied to the notion of formality. Even the New Testament is barely recognizable without understanding the doctrine of forms.

Take, for example, St. Paul’s words in Romans, chapter twelve.

Don’t be conformed to this world. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

The underlying root of both words is “form.”

Form was a loaded word in the ancient world and deeply connected to the way people viewed reality. They thought everything in the visible world was a manifestation of eternal things in an invisible world.They called those invisible things forms. Forms were what made things down here on earth what they are. Dogs are manifestations of dogginess. Chairs are manifestations of chairness. You get the idea (which is funny because idea is the word the Greeks used to refer to forms. I’m sorry. That pun brought out my inner nerd.)

Anyway, ancient Greco-Romans described material things that had lost their form as “deformed.” They thought such things might be reformed with some work but they were definitely not themselves. To remain what something was supposed to be required someone to work on retaining its form.

But that brings us to the heart of today’s rant: to rediscover the form of something requires a person or group to occasionally become formal, as in a ritual or ceremony. These occasions make it possible for a society to remember and recover its form, that is to say the ideas and beliefs that structure its unique nature.

That is why the Passover, for example, is done a certain way.

Or why the flag is folded in a certain way.

Or why weddings, not so long ago, were done in a certain way.

The reasons a group performs – that is to say ‘sets into motion a particular form’ a ceremony, is to teach its children and newcomers the underlying structure that makes it what it is. If a society fails to perform these lessons from time to time, its essential form will soon be lost. It will become deformed.

This language is found throughout the New Testament, as in the phrase a “form of godliness.” In that case, Paul warns Christians that one can adhere to the “form of godliness” without partaking of its power. He is not insulting people for having acquired the “form of godliness.” He is merely warning them that there is much more to our faith than its form. He would be aghast that we have understood him to mean that our faith was formless. Nonetheless, the warning about the limits of formality is terribly important.

I mean, what wife would want her husband to keep repeating the vows he uttered during the wedding? If every time he wanted to make love to her he would begin with “I, Sam, do take thee Julia, to be my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold ….”

That husband would have the form of marriage down pat but would seriously misunderstand what makes a marriage live.

But does that mean that bridegrooms should wear ball caps to their wedding? Should we just not plan weddings at all? Should we just let everyone offer whatever words come to mind at the moment? So we need ceremony for anything?

Now think about St. Paul’s reminder in Romans chapter twelve about the differences between conform and transform.

In Latin-based languages, the three letters “c-o-n” means “with.” To be conformed to something means to bring one form into unity with something else. In this case, we are to resist any automatic participation in the form that structures the world around us.

“Don’t form yourself according to the values of your culture,” Paul is saying. Instead, be transformed by intentionally renewing your mind.

The suffix trans means, “across.” Flying transatlantic means moving across the Atlantic Ocean to an entirely different continent.

How are we going to move our human form from where it is today into an entirely different place? How can we be transformed? Well, Paul claims, it involves resisting the pull of the world around us. We are not to be conformed to the world. We cannot become transformed if we allow ourselves to be conformed to this world.

Form is structure, a skeleton. As in the case of a human skeleton, we don’t usually want to see it. That is why too much formality makes us uncomfortable.

But without a skeleton, a body is a blob.

If some alien force were to suddenly suck all of our skeletons out of our bodies, we would be gelatinous gobs of undifferentiated matter. We would have no form.

Not having a form would be even worse than religion! It would be like, gosh, sucky like.

If those horrible aliens kept sucking out all skeletons, they would eventually remove the grammar from our language.

Word the order matter wouldn’t.

Punctuation? What; ! # ... (:)

“Meaninglessness sucketh,” we would shout.

“Understanding you I cannot,” we would whine.

But then an alien professor from Yale could reassure us.

“Meaning is a personal construct, “ he would remind us. “The issue is what does it all mean to you?”

"Whatever!" we might shout back, lacking by that time any more intelligent word or phrase which had not already been deconstructed. 

A post form-sucking world doesn’t sound like a very nice place to live.

On the other hand, we would be utterly authentic -- at long last!

God's Economy and Church Renewal : The Acton Institute Series

This is the final blog in the Acton series, which were based on my presentation to Acton University, 2012. Acton's website contains countless opportunities to educate oneself in economic life. 

( http://university.acton.org/ )

The Acton Institute asked me to speak today about some of the opportunities and challenges faced by America's mega churches. I have tried to do that.

I have also listed what I believe are crucial principles that orthodox Christianity offers to the art and science of economics. I hope I have made it clear that Christian spirituality is not a detachment from the world; it is rather a deep engagement with the world on behalf of Christ, the incarnate God, who came to save us both as individuals and as nations.

St. John called this Christ the Eternal Logos, by which he meant that Christ is that which holds all reality together. This implies that the Church, which is Christ's body, exists to offer to all humanity those things already tacitly known by the people of God through revelation. As the church goes about this work, the life of Christ within the church works to draw all creation Godward that it may be redeemed and transformed. This includes the economic structures of nations and households.

St. Paul calls this process the economia theu: that is to say, the economy of God. In other words, the deep structures that uphold creation are revealed through the Word made Flesh, through the principles of Holy Scripture, and through the living enactments of those structures by believers through sacrament, habits of piety and the vocations that God’s people live out within human culture. That is what God's economy looks like.

Because God's economy is based upon how reality really works -- designed as it is by the very One who created everything -- it causes individuals and nations to flourish. When we meet a people whose God is the Lord, we ought to see in that people an increase inscience, art, medicine and so forth. And, we ought to see in them the means by which these advances of human life are made possible -- healthy financial management and growth. 

The church is not directly responsible for all of this, of course. A church exists to lead the people of God in worship, provide community through which they may learn His ways , and care for the soul as we journey through life toward eternity. As a part of this soul care however, the church helps God's people discover their vocation. It teaches them to see themselves as stewards of the resources around them. The church does not regulate or control the vocation of its people. That is the responsibility of other divinely sanctioned spheres of human authority. However, it does offer guidance about how to discover the values, purpose and means through which individuals flourish in God.

This is what St. Paul means by his striking phrase, economia theu. He means that the church offers divine insight for a fallen world; wisdom from above that reveals the way life really works. It does not exist to entertain people nor even merely to comfort them. It exists to teach people "those things you have heard from me."

A mega church plays a critical part in this work of grace.  It deserves our concern and care for that reason. Because the mega church must maintain its spiritual health if it is to play the part it has been called to play in these challenging times, we must do what we can to maintain its health and focus.

In the end though, no church, however large, exists as an isolated unit. All churches, regardless of denomination or location, find their reason and means of existence in the communion of saints. Churches exists to be witnesses of that which has at all times and in all places been believed by the whole people of God. They make God’s presence known in the communities around them. They lead unbelievers to God. They train believers in God's ways. They prepare the next generations to perpetuate the eternal mysteries of God. They prepare the soul for eternity. They enrich the soil of the human heart to grow fruit that enriches human society.

Local churches, like individual Christians, manifest these unique gifts in different ways and to various degrees of capacity. However, some measure of the glory of God is always revealed through the symphony performed by these instruments when they are in harmony one with the other. The theme of this divine symphony is human redemption from the effects of sin and evil. We are called to manifest the first fruits of a universe that one day will, as a whole and in all its parts, reflect the manifest wisdom of God. We do this together; as individuals, as denominations, and as local churches of all different kinds and sizes.

So I thank you for this opportunity to give witness to the power of the economia theu -- the economy of God. I am grateful for the opportunity because I truly believe this to be the source of life, the origin and aim of human flourishing, and the central meaning of all economia everywhere, a word which means, after all, the ways of the household.

Mega churches are large households which, like all individuals and institutions claiming to represent Jesus Christ, are obligated to keep the economia theu as their actual, and not merely their professed core of existence. To the extend they do, they are partners in grace and reflections of God's charitable care for humankind.

Can Mega Churches Survive Their First Generation? : The Acton Series

This is the forth of a series of blogs based upon my prevention at Acton University, 2012. Visit the website to learn more about Acton and its role in American life. Their faculty works hard to teach economics in reasonable easy-to-understand language and interesting lectures they make available online. ( http://university.acton.org/ )


Mega churches have a number of positive features.

For starters, they allow seekers to enter and exit church anonymously. That allows people to decide for themselves if and when they are ready to take their spiritual quest to a new level.

Mega churches offer quality expressions of faith to the world through drama, music and media. Less well-funded institutions often find such expressions difficult to produce.

Mega churches make the Christian presence visible in their communities. Due to their large structures if nothing else, a mega church forces people to recognize the vibrant Christian community in their midst.

The leaders of mega churches have a large platform. It is difficult for a community to ignore their words when they address its ethical and spiritual issues.

These mega church strengths can support the witness of the smaller Christian groups near them. If the mega church is even moderately healthy it's existence is thus a blessing to the Christian community among which which it operates.

Mega churches do not tend to perform well in every category of spiritual life however.

They often find it difficult to maintain an authentic sense of community among their attendees, for example. Without authentic community, it is challenging to provide the type of spiritual direction that develops a deeply rooted Christian faith. Nor do mega churches always provide quality theological instruction or personal discipleship. They may not offer transcendent and biblically faithful worship either. The lack of these important ingredients of Christian life results in a weak and uninformed Christian commitment over time.

Unfortunately, these challenges are not merely the result of the size of the mega church but of its culture. The attitudes, drives and techniques that create a large congregation tend to push spiritual matters to the back-burner. Mega church leaders usually focus on immediately pressing and practical issues. It is easy in such a climate for spiritual concerns to disappear altogether, except as window dressing to hide the hustle and bustle of the true enterprise. Like all great companies, the mega church succeeds by understanding and adapting to the realities of a consumer market. However, that reality is the source of many of its spiritual vulnerabilities.

Because of such challenges, many predict the demise of the mega church. The reasons for this pessimistic forecast can be persuasive. For example, many young people seem drawn to smaller and more intimate communities now. Many of them grew up without a stable family. They hunger for life-long friends. This often leads them to choose a small church or even a house church. Mega churches face a host of other serious challenges, not the least of which is simply surviving their first pastoral succession.

Despite these challenges, mega churches will not disappear any time soon. What is more likely is that some will successfully face these and other challenges e and rebound, though perhaps with a somewhat different purpose than before.

Mega churches will survive in part because, like all institutions, they desire to survive. They are filled with creative and trained people who diligently search to help them survive. However, like any large business, mega churches often grow myopic over time, which makes it difficult for them to renew themselves.

And, renewing a mega church requires a different approach than building one.

When building a mega church, visionaries attract the gifted people and finances that gradually create organizational and physical structures to serve the founder’s vision. The vision gets implemented piece by piece. Each level of accomplishment reveals a new horizon toward which the growing community can reach.

When renewing a mega church, leaders begin with an existing culture and existing structures. Whether or not those structures are helpful by the time they are inherited, they must be used, modified for new uses, or dismantled. This is often a challenge because organizations become sentimentally attached to all such things and will usually protect them whether or not they remain useful. The maintenance of structure can thus become the end rather than the means, which of course destroys vision.

All this to say that there are real challenges involved in transitioning a mega church. On the other hand, every significant work involves challenges. The question is whether one believes the potential of transitioning a mega church makes it worthwhile to face the challenges. That question in turn requires a leader to determine whether he has a calling to accept the responsibilities that come with the task.

In the long history of our faith, every generation has faced challenges to our continued witness as the Body of Christ. In each generation some have shrugged their shoulders when confronted with difficult problems. They have refused to risk their lives or livelihood to defend the faith. Others, often feeling utterly inadequate, have stepped forward and remained at their post. We owe our faith to such people.

The Holy Scriptures tells us that God calls his servants to different posts and equips them with different gifts. Not all prophesy. Not all do miracles. Not all sell everything to move to Borneo in order to reach lost people. Not all are called to lead large churches. Its not a matter of saintliness or even human ability. Being a missionary in Borneo may require a much higher level of intelligence than leading a mega church, for example. The question is one of vocation: what is one called to do?

I have been called to transition a mega church. I am called to lead it in such a way that it remains a  faithful witness of Christ and a blessing to our city.  This calling requires an appreciation for the economic reality that we face, which is sometimes daunting. That is why I need the help of those who are gifted and called by God to understand and manage money -- people like you. It is not your money I most need moreover, but your knowledge and wisdom.

My Pentecostal upbringing taught me to appreciate the way our Lord has chosen to manifest His presence through the various gifts of the Holy Spirit. According to Romans 12, administration is one of those gifts. Economics is a manifestation of that particular gift. It is unfortunately a gift I do not have, at least at the measure required to do what God called me to do. However, he has given me the responsibility for recognizing and acknowledging the gifts He has placed in the body.

All this to say that I must remain focused on pastoring, on helping midwife the spiritual gifts of the people of our congregation and teaching them the faith 'once and for all delivered to the saints.' If I try to be a CEO, marketer, or even an economist, I will not only fail personally, I will alter the nature of God's church by abdicating my guardianship of the church's core purpose.

I believe that is what has occurred in some mega churches. It must be avoided. Renewal of a mega church in the end requires a spiritual revival, which must be the pastor's central concern. Finding solutions for the structural, financial and pragmatic issues requires his humble and cooperative efforts with others the sovereign Lord has placed as leaders within the body.

It is difficult work on many levels, beginning with the pastor's need to  keep growing spiritually, intellectually and socially. However, as with all important kinds of enterprise, this one grows people in ways that releases the purpose for which God gave them life.