From the title you may be wondering if this is a blog about NASA. It's not, but I bet the chairs on any spacecraft are carefully arranged with the mission in mind.
In this blog, I’m talking about the chair arrangement in our worship space at Spring of Life. I decided to change up the arrangement this past July as part of a message series on “Becoming the Body of Christ.” Instead of having rows all facing the same direction toward the stage, altar, speaker and worship music leaders, I put the chairs in a kind of “U” shape semi-circle with the stage/altar as a kind of completion of a circle. You might think of it as a “church in the round.”
Here are some of the results I’ve heard as a result of this new arrangement:
“I can see other people more than I could before.”
“I am sitting closer together with others because there are fewer chairs in the room.”
“The altar and worship leaders are a part of the community circle and in some cases at the center of the gathered community.”
“I am uncomfortable because my usual spot is gone, the sight lines are different and it feels less like a traditional church.”
“I like it.”
“Change it back.”
“I personally feel a little more exposed sitting on one of the front rows like I do because I sense people can see me a little more than before (whether that’s actually true, I’m not sure. It’s just how I feel).”
I’ve explained briefly in worship and had a couple of conversations with folks who have asked about the new configuration. It has prompted me to reflect more intentionally on the connection between the space where we meet and the gospel we proclaim. I hope this helps deepen your appreciation for the space where we worship, draws us deeper into becoming who God has created us to be and at the very least gives you food for thought.
At its best, the design of worship space is determined by the church’s mission. The first questions to ask are “What is our mission? And how can the space arrangement help us achieve that mission?”
Our mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. And our vision is to be a church where people come as they are and become who God created them to be. This year in particular, our church leadership has been living with the theme of “Becoming the Beloved Community.” To put it another way, we have focused on the ways that disciples of Jesus transform the world by becoming the beloved community where we recognize, understand, appreciate and celebrate our differences as a reflection of God’s present and coming Kingdom.
This is the primary reason behind the chair set up in our worship space at Spring of Life. In the middle of July, there were some other practical reasons that made sense, such as lower weekly worship attendance and having fewer chairs made the room feel less empty. And there was the teaching moment of dealing with life change and transition by recognizing that God is with us in it and calling us to place our trust in Him. The primary reason, though, is the mission, vision and theme mentioned above.
Once again it is worth asking: What is our mission and what kind of community is God compelling us to become in proclamation, pursuit and embodiment of that mission? Here are some of my thoughts.
First, the church’s mission is not to get people to believe the right things so that their souls go to heaven instead of hell when they die. This is a common over simplification and distortion of the whole gospel (good news) that Jesus lived, died and rose from the dead for. Jesus didn’t call people to believe a list of things about him. Jesus called people to follow him and find their life in him. Jesus welcomed all kind of people into this community of followers and this got him into trouble with the religious gate keepers and rule followers of his day. Jesus came proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God and taught his disciples to pray “Thy Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.” So, it might be better to say that the church’s mission is the same as that of Jesus mission – to live life on earth in a way that makes sense in light of God’s present and coming kingdom. And whether we live or whether we die, our life is found together in Christ.
It might also be helpful to remember that from the beginning of the Bible we learn the story of a God who calls and constitutes a people (Israel), promising to be their God and blessing them so that they would be a blessing to the nations. God restores, corrects (and you might even say resurrects!) this people of Israel along the way. (Weren’t the people of Israel as good as dead, enslaved in Egypt when God brought them out and raised them up by his mighty hand?) Further, God doesn’t protect His people from pain, but walks with them through it. He delivers them from enemies that are larger and more powerful militarily. In Israel’s weakness as a people, God shows his strength. He provides food and water for them in the wilderness. He shows them that they are deeply loved personally and that He will always save them corporately, as a community. God would be right there in the center of this community in the form of fire, cloud, the prophet voice, the priestly sacrifices, the calling of kings and the law that He gave.
Through Jesus, the Bible tells us that God would now be right there in the center of this community in a way God had never been before – in the flesh. And through Jesus, the rest of the world is now “grafted into” this story of the people of Israel. The invitation is open to live life together with Jesus at the center, in the power of the Holy Spirit, to show the world a glimpse of God’s hope for the world. To put it simply: The church’s mission is to reveal the kingdom of God by making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
Our life together as a church ought to bear the marks of God’s Kingdom for the world to see. And God’s kingdom by its very nature is community on earth as it is in heaven. So, when we gather we aren’t just coming to hear a teacher or preacher give us an inspirational message. You can find more inspirational preachers on tv or the internet! We are gathering to be reminded that we need each other as much as we need God. In fact, God in His wisdom has chosen to reveal himself through the community called “the body of Christ.” So, an arrangement of chairs that helps us see each other and look for God in and through each other as the Body of Christ is helpful.
Last Sunday I heard a woman share a little of her story. She said, “In order to deal with my disease of alcoholism and drug addiction I need to be reminded of the truth that I need the help of a community. I need help to remember that I can’t do this on my own. I need people that I can trust to “tell on myself” when I mess up.” She was describing her need for a recovery group. I thought she might as well been describing the church with the different gifts of the Spirit that God gives to different people and the gift of confessing our sin to one another so we may be healed.
So a mark of this beloved community called the Kingdom of God is that we watch over one another in love and if we can see each other better in this seating arrangement, then that’s a good thing. That’s part of God's mission in Christ to call and constitute a people called "The Body of Christ."
Here are some questions to consider:
Do you notice people you don’t know?
Do you notice people are missing?
Do you see and hear children?
Do you see people who make you uncomfortable or distract you?
Do you hear from people other than the clergy?
Do you feel a little more exposed?
Do you get the sense that being a Christian is about becoming God's beloved community on earth as it is in heaven?
I don’t know if an arrangement of chairs can help you answer yes to any of those. But if so, that’s a good thing because wrestling with those questions is part of our mission as God's people becoming a reflection of God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
How about your thoughts on the connection between worship space and the church's mission? Share away . . .
