New Ways of Doing Church

For several years now we have heard the nay-sayers deplore the state of main line churches across America.  The buildings are crumbling; the pews are empty; the coffers need replenishing; the cupboards are bare, and the sky is falling...not necessarily in that order.  Not that there are not problems and issues that need to be addressed: aging structures and congregations present challenges to tightly stretched budgets; neighborhoods and demographics change, especially in urban settings where populations are in constant flux due to changing economic opportunities.





But all is not lost, and perhaps those of us for whom organized religion holds value need to think of new ways of doing church.  I know this is not a thought I alone came up with. I understand folks of many faith traditions have been thinking and talking about this for several years.  But it may be time to seriously consider looking at other models of how church can be done in different ways.




A large city Episcopal Church had been offering a Sunday type service on a weekday for people whose schedules might not be conducive to traditional Sunday worship. In addition, a Sunday evening Eucharist was offered in a more relaxed atmosphere. Closer to home, a rather traditional Episcopal parish began and continues to offer, a low key Sunday evening Eucharist that at first appealed to the LGBT community, but also makes sense for the Sunday morning athletes among us. A local Lutheran church offered a Taize-style Saturday evening worship that had a good following for a while, but disappeared when the pastor retired.

Theology on Tap

Several churches, both in the city and the 'burbs are offering what is referred to as "Theology on Tap" where smaller groups of Christians join together to talk about their faith in local taverns while consuming some adult beverages and pub grub.  These were originally designed to attract younger folks, but each one is different, and some seem to attract a loyal cadre of parishioners who just like to hang together and eat good pizza....by the way...nothing wrong with good pizza under any circumstances.



Hip Hop Mass at St Paul's Chapel

Several years ago, a deacon friend was involved in ministering to large numbers of gang members in the South Bronx.  He and the rector baptized children, officiated at weddings, and began to integrate the local "hip-hop" culture into a well attended Thursday evening service.  It was successful in attracting a cadre of traditionally unchurched people to the church, but unfortunately for them, it was held up by others as a model to be replicated across the city.  Well, it quickly became a piece that was taken "on-the-road" and brought into neighborhoods for an "event" that quickly turned it into a cultural sideshow and it soon died on the vine.  The deacon and priest moved on to other ministries, and the young men and women of that community drifted apart.

So, it was with much trepidation that I began following a "Dinner Church" in Brooklyn on the internet about two years ago.  St. Lydia's is a mission of the Evangelical Lutheran Church/New York Synod and the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island.  Emily Scott, an ordained Lutheran Minister is the pastor, if you can use that term , of this interesting group of people in Christian community.

Emily Scott

Last Sunday I attended their Open House as they gathered to celebrate the opening of their new store front space on Bond Street in Brooklyn on the edge of Gowanas, Carroll Gardens and Park Slope. I have never felt so welcomed in another congregation in a very long time.  Everyone was happy to talk about their experiences there and how they got to that place. Most of the folks there were in their early thirties to mid forties, with a healthy sprinkling of greying boomers. Their worship on Sunday or Monday evening...which ever you can make, consists of preparing a shared meal; setting the tables gathering together in silence, offering intercessions, doing a Eucharist ritual, breaking the bread and sharing a meal.  Once the meal is done, the worship leader, usually the minister/pastor delivers a sermon/homily/reflection and the gathered community reacts and prayers and petitions are offered.  The table is cleared, dishes are cleaned, the floor is swept, and folks go on their way.



Co Share space at St Lydia's B'klyn

During the week, the well-lit and airy storefront offers its table space, wi-fi, printer and leftovers (which are squirreled away in the refrigerator) to folks who would be doing their work at a coffee shop or at home.  A suggested offering for the space is used to off-set some of the costs of running the church.  They "crowd sourced" the money they needed to do the renovations, and set up a "wish list" on Amazon to stock the place with all the kitchen items they needed, and with books and craft items for the youngsters who come with parents.  They have a ten year lease and a bold plan to expand and move forward with their worshiping community. 

The gathered group at St Lydia's has a vision and a plan.  They have used new ways of raising money, outfitting the space and reaching possible new members.  They have shown real stewardship of their property by using it in a smart way to generate income for them when they are NOT using it as worship space. Perhaps those of us who are struggling to work within our personally created parameters of church can learn from them, not by imitating them, but by rethinking what it means to be church. 
Want to learn more about St Lydia's?  Look here: http://stlydias.org/about.php