When I began developing the arts ministry at LVC, there was nothing like it going on at all in that church… Worship music was the only artistic medium being employed in any of the existing programs…

Uniqueness was not a problem for me.

Raising up any new program in a church requires attention to the uniqueness of the program. If the new program overlaps an existing ministry, you will find difficulty recruiting leaders and participants.

Years ago, I was Education Pastor in a medium-sized denominational church. I was tasked with revamping the Discipleship Training program, which was plagued by two problems. First, some classes didn’t draw enough participation and second, other classes got bogged-down and stretched their 12-week study into almost 2 years (not exaggerating).

The first problem was easily explained: the chosen topics were indistinguishable from the Sunday School themes. The DT program was not unique in it’s content and participants were subsequently disinterested in making the time investment.

The second problem was also an issue in uniqueness, but not with the DT program… In our structure, we intended for Sunday School to be more a place of community. The leader of the “longest-running, floating DT class” had done such a great job of creating community in his group, that the participants were loathed to finish that course and move on. Since his gifts were better suited to pastoring and building community, we moved him into SS leadership, preserving and enhancing the unique purpose of SS.

A unique Arts program will draw out participants who are unactivated in other areas of church life. For example, our current model for worship features a band that is purposefully limited in scope: leader (with guitar), drummer, second guitar, bass, and second vocalist. The number is also limited by the technical requirement: worship music is played from chord charts.

Our Arts Ministry projects activate keyboardists, symphonic instrumentalists and choral vocalists. We also generally need players who can read music. The result of our unique approach allows these artists (who would not have a place on the worship team) to be activated and contribute their gifts in the life of the church.

I have come to believe that the purposes of God for our ministries can be easily discerned by simply looking at the gifts of the people that God has given us…

Lots of thespians… do theatre.

Lots of vocalists… do vocal ensembles.

Lots of photographers…

Lots of graphic designers…

Lots of technical musicians…

You get the idea.

The uniqueness of your program should reflect the uniqueness of your team…

And if you are having difficulty drawing interest, do a “uniqueness check”… Ask yourself whether this activity or program is similar in scope, theme or practice to other programs offered in your church.

NEXT UP: A Finite Program…

LVC Cast of Godspell...

I’ve been working to develop an arts program at the LVC for about 2 years now… In that time, we’ve tried a few different kinds of things, but always seem to find ourselves falling back on theatrical projects that consume all of our artistic resources for months. I wouldn’t describe the program as ‘comprehensive’ but it has certainly been successful.

It might be helpful to give you a bit of statistical data:

The LVC is a small church (under 200 in typical attendance), with a small staff (1 full-time and 2 part-time staffers) and a rented, retail facility that I always describe as being ‘in a hole.’  We’re currently putting up a production of Charles Dickens’ Christmas Carol, which will probably activate 30-35% of the total average attendance. Our Godspell production activated about 15%.  Our Facebook group (of individuals active in the program) has a membership of around 60 (more than 30%). Our Godspell production reached an audience of about 700 and our Night In Bethlehem event (which involves artists but is actually produced by our kid’s ministry) reaches an audience of about 1250 in the years that we do it. NiB has an activation percentage around 75%. We are prepared to reach an audience of around 1000 with our current production.

So, our focus on events and productions has been rewarded with good attendance, 3-1/2 to 4 times the typical reach of our church at-large.

Gallery presentations have activated 8-12 artists (<10% of attendees) and have required a great deal of work on my part.

Our current plan also calls for bi-annual ‘cafe night’ events that will include gallery presentations, art lessons for kids and adults and an open-mic forum.

That’s what we do because that’s who I am…

The form and focus that your arts program takes is largely dependent on your own gifts and artistic skills. It is essential, however, to recognize and embrace the basic qualities that make programs in church successful…

By my count, there are four… A successful program will be:

Unique… Regardless of how you organize your program, the opportunities offered by “Arts Ministry” must be unique within your church. For instance, our worship ministry is build around a five-piece band format, consisting of musicians who, for the most part, read charts or tabs and have little formal music training. Arts ministry offers opportunities for ensemble singing and musicianship outside of the worship team format.

Finite… The scope your program must be purposefully limited so that events and activities meet the goals of leadership. Our tendency is to jump off into major projects because these productions meet the goals of leadership. In most cases, these projects stretch us to the very limit of our capability, but the scope of the overall ministry remains limited.

Duplicatable… While the specific activities or the program may change with a change of leadership, the show must go on. In our arts group, there are 2 people who could take up leadership of the ministry and continue the same or similar emphases if I were to go away.

Open… Becoming a part of your program should be explicit and simple. Newcomers should be able to find their way into the program easily. By embracing a project approach, we are always announcing open auditions and vying for new recruits from within the church and from the community as well.

In the coming weeks, we’ll explore each of these factors in more detail…

In one of the most imaginative works of Christian fiction that I’ve picked up in ten years, Matt Mikalatos brings his own search for the “real Jesus” to life… in a weird, out-of-body kind of way.

The story opens in a communist coffee house, somewhere in Portland… Matt narrates in first-person, occasionally speaking directly to the Imaginary Jesus that has joined him for latte and vegan chili. The tranquility is broken when a large, hairy brute (who later identifies himself as the Apostle Peter) enters the room and punches Imaginary Jesus in the face…

As Imaginary Jesus flees the confrontation and Mikalatos pursues him, we encounter an ex-prostitute, a talking donkey, an atheist Bible study group, George Barna (eating a vegan taco salad at the same communist cafe) and a host of other imaginary Jesuses…

The razor wit with which Mikalatos vivisects our tendency to create Jesus in our own image is both entertaining and poignant… Nobody’s Jesus is off-limits: Business-suit Jesus tells us that everyone creates a convenient version of Jesus to believe in, only to discard him when he becomes irrelevant. Men’s Retreat Jesus speaks in barely intelligible sentences, cries like an 8-year-old girl and is so easily manipulated that he follows the principal characters around for several chapters like a lost puppy. Social Justice Jesus has hands but no mouth… Legalist Jesus has a loud voice and no arms…

Wherever you land theologically, you’ll laugh at the Jesuses that you don’t like and fume when he slices to bits the Jesus that you do…

And when he finally encounters the real Jesus (ironically, hanging out in a prayer labyrinth) it will touch you to the core…

This book has been around a while and is actually being reissued under the title My Imaginary Jesus, which includes an interview with the author and a discussion guide…

Definitely worth a read.

You can purchase the Kindle edition here… or if you’re more old school, the paperback is here.

Here are a few images from the rehearsals…

Ian Prichard as Scrooge...

A tavernmaid tries to wish Scrooge an 'appy 'oliday...

Scrooge converses with The Ghost of Christmas Past...

Londoners in a tavern enjoying the holiday spirits...

The show goes up on December 1 for five performances… If you are in the Denver area, come check it out.  Admission is free with a food donation to Open Arms Food Bank and registration is open at www.freehumbug.com…

Take responsibility for creating a collaborative atmosphere for your team...

I don’t particularly enjoy collaborating within an authoritarian leadership structure… And that is largely the structure we encounter in church: Leaders who feel it is their responsibility (or even their “divine right”) to make the final decisions.

I am fortunate to work with a pastor who trusts me to make good choices…

Several years back, however, I worked with a different pastor who was quite the authoritarian… He was the person who introduced me to the pitfalls of collaborating in this context…

In authoritarian settings, I have found my creativity squashed by the realization that, ultimately, the guy in charge was going make a decision… That his opinions were (by default) more weighty than mine, regardless of his level of understanding in the medium…

Frustrating.

Don’t frustrate the creatives under your leadership.  Frustrated creatives do not produce the best results… Often, they give up and go away before the produce any results at all…

Here are a few “do-unto-others” rules for leading collaborative efforts with creatives:

1. Start with a clear vision of purpose. A vision of purpose will allow creatives to flow in their creative gifts, not just in their artistic skill.  A few years ago, I worked with a graphic artists to put together artwork for our Holy Week activities. I told her the theme, asked for a clean, modern look and let he go to work. She came back with several great ideas. We used all but one of them.

In the end, it was satisfying for the artist and I was rewarded with an end-product that far exceeded what I was capable of even envisioning by myself.

2. Start with a clear vision of outcome. This is different than a clear vision of purpose. A clear vision of outcome requires little or no collaboration, only instruction. If you are looking for a specific outcome, don’t ask for creativity, just tell the artist what you want the end result to look like in very specific terms.

Most artists are accustomed to working under specific expectations. The basis of most commercial art is commission… Someone with resources hires an artist to create something specific.

3. Be a team player. This sounds obvious, but you would be surprised at how many leaders see themselves as apart from, or even above, the rest of the team. When you enter into a collaboration, you have to allow that some of your ideas will be trumped or even cast aside…

4. Remember that being the leader does not make your ideas better. This requires a cultivated humility… a choice to view others as more important and their needs before our own.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.  (The Bible, Philippians 2:3)

When I direct a show, I have a few key moments that I want to play out just as I envision them. I lay these out clearly to the actors, musicians or technical artists… I will have other occasions, in the same show, when I specifically request collaboration. In these cases, I layout the theme or message that I want to convey and let the team run with it…

I also allow myself the artistic and human freedom to be wrong. Sometimes, the blocking or technical aspect doesn’t work the way I thought it would… Since the team is accustomed to having the freedom to collaborate, they can help fix it.

If your team does not get the opportunity to routinely question and critique your ideas, then you may not get the input you need to make your collaboration maximize it’s potential awesomeness.

As a leader, take responsibility for creating a collaborative atmosphere for your team… Then sit back and watch the magic happen…

I’ve had the site on hiatus since spring as I have been up to my ears in purchasing and remodeling a house. As I begin to see the light at the end of that tunnel, I’m looking forward to finding some more great artists to introduce to you and sharing some more of the seed ideas that are forming the basis for chapters in my book.

Talk to you soon!

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Just thought I’d warn you.

The primary change is the scope of “art” that I intend to address… About a year ago, I made the decision to omit any writing and opinion about musical arts and worship in church. Since the scope of my ministry at the LVC excluded musical worship, it just seemed a good choice at the time…

But as I move forward with my book and with the scope of WOP, it seems foolish to ignore a major art form in the church just to be politic.

I stink at being politic anyway…

Josh, as Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls

This is Josh.

Got a story about your own misjudgement? Know a decidedly “unartistic” artist? Share…

Love.  Love.  Love.

Theatrical productions are rife with opportunities to collaborate… It is the single most compelling reason, in my thinking, to do full-scale theatre in the context of arts ministry: It gives purpose, context and accountability to collaborations.

Purpose…

I did a gallery wall at LVC last year as a prelude to launching our arts ministry… It was… nice…

But it lacked any sort of real purpose. The submission ranged from photographic art to pencil drawing to graphic design to painting… It looked diverse and aesthetically pleasing, but floundered thematically in the realm of “inspirational art,” lacking any kind of cohesion.

Our Godspell production, on the other hand, has a great deal of thematic cohesion… While focused largely on Jesus, Himself, it is also filled with themes and images of community and those themes are filling every creative aspect of the production.

Context…

I’ve observed that artists produce best in the context of a larger project. We’ve seen it in our Night In Bethlehem programs that we do with the LVC kids’ ministry… Activating about 70% of the adults and students in our church is a daunting task, but the larger scope and context of the project is part of the allure to volunteers… They can see that they are participating in something much bigger than themselves… There’s a sort of transcendence in it that keeps us coming back to it year-after-year.

A theatrical project gives the same opportunity to use our gifts and talents within a larger context.

I’m not a dancer. So, when it comes time to do a musical, I need a choreographer. Watching her work with the cast and watching that aspect of the show come together is a huge thrill for me. Even when my contribution is limited to operating the iPod…

Accountability…

If space-aliens were to break into my house and judge the whole of humanity by what they found, they’d conclude that earthlings have a strong aversion to finishing projects. Most of the creatives that I know personally have a similar struggle…

Projects with deadlines are either going to make us or break us…

That is, of course, the risk that is inherent in allowing artists to lead artists… I’m pretty sure that our pastor at the LVC has spent a considerable amount of time in prayer about Godspell… specifically regarding it timely completion… He has graciously declined to say so… out loud… but I know that it worries him.

Fortunately, I have the collaborative effort of a stage manager, an assistant director and a production assistant… to keep us on track and on schedule…

We haven’t missed a single deadline… Which reminds me:

Be sure to bring in a few left-brains when you start a big project.

Finally, remember what the Bible has to say about getting together:

Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:
If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!
Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
- Ecclesiastes 4: 9, 10, 12