Liquid Church - Community vs event mentality
I find it ironic that despite Ward’s assertion that liquid church should not focus on gatherings, it seems to me, that when he moves into describing the practical nature of liquid church there is an emphasis on events. It is true that the events proposed are substantially different to having the worshiping congregation as central. Events such as a labyrinth worship experience or a particular worship experience that people can experience in their own time and in their own space are ones that people can pick and choose depending on their taste and schedules.
Yet, I struggle with the lack of community that I perceive these examples offer. Is the community expressed between people sharing each other’s lives over extended periods of time to be shunned completely? Is there no place for people of faith to sojourn together?
Other Liquid Church reflections can be found here:
Liquid Church - Reservation on the role of gatherings
Liquid Church - Unity
Liquid Church - Compartmentalising Church
January 30th, 2004 at 4:34 pm
I think a lot of what he’s saying should replace the community experienced (?) in a worship service is informal hanging out, rather than structured fellowship-with-each-other-at-this-time events.
It’s ironic, I agree, that he says to focus less on events and more on events. It’s kind of like the focus is less on events, so we’re freer to do more and more varied events for specific purposes.