Culture is an interesting phenomenon. For many people,
the word culture refers to the arts including the visual, culinary and
performing. More academically stated, culture has to do with values and
behavior in society and is typically defined by three parameters:
- Language, including slang, speech style, accents and words used;
- Symbols, including verbal and nonverbal, written and unwritten;
- Borders, sometimes defined by rivers, oceans and mountain ranges, but often as simply as a neighborhood or even a building.
In the movie “Scent of a Woman,” Colonel Frank Slade,
played by Al Pacino, is blind and hires Charlie Simms, played by Chris
O’Donnell, to escort and accompany him on a busy weekend trip to New York and a
number of different locations. In one scene, Charlie and Colonel Slade
walk into a building and the Colonel asks his young assistant, “What are we
doing in a church?” Charlie hadn’t told the Colonel it was a church, but Frank
Slade, while blind, could tell just by a number of cultural clues, such as the
hushed talking, the distinctive echo of the building and the smell of the
candles.
Christian subcultures are very interesting and can be
just as pervasive in our modern nondenominational churches as they once were
within our more traditional denominational churches. The advantage of a
subculture is that it persistently and powerfully reinforces some values that
the group embraces. Like an invisible hand, it arranges the language and
symbols to fortify the culture. The disadvantage of a pervasive subculture is
that it often communicates to people outside the group the wrong message and
delivers an obvious barrier to entry.
Here in the west, many of our churches have been
sensitive to the impact of overtly Christian cultural symbols and have
eliminated to a great extent the most obvious barriers to entry. Most new
churches and church campuses start in public school buildings, storefronts and
are nondescript. New church buildings are often more about function and usage
than about ornamentation. Signs, chairs and functional auditoriums have largely
replaced crosses, pews and traditional sanctuaries.
However, all of these contemporary, nondenominational
churches and traditional churches still have to beware of the subculture that
easily develops around the language that we use as well as the patterns and
rituals that very easily define our behavior when we gather together.
Diversity or the lack of it is one of the major identifiers of culture.
Diversity includes the young and old, rich and poor, as well as the more easily
identifiable racial, ethnic and gender differences. Many churches have come a
long way, but most of us can still learn about diversity from organizations
like Disney, Marriott and McDonalds.
The use of words that are more branded than descriptive
can easily become a barrier to people that are outside of the subculture.
Modern churches often don’t have altars, but we often invite people to come
upfront to the altar. Communion is offered in our churches sometimes weekly or
much less frequently, but always needs to be described rather than
performed. Activities, including children and student instructions,
new-member orientation and volunteer appreciation are often clouded by our
language and need descriptive sentences that help acculturate visitors.
Brand-new attendees need neutral language and descriptions that help them
understand and hopefully respond to what is being communicated. In addition,
all too often, ‘insider jokes’ are a part of sermons, weekly announcements and
even written communication. These anecdotes and mini-narratives are intended to
be good-natured and often are, but they also communicate clearly that you are
outside of the group if you don’t get the joke.
The best way to eliminate the barriers of entry that a
Christian subculture may unintentional create is to intentionally extend the
borders. Borders are the third defining element of culture after language and
symbols. Borders, however, shouldn’t define the church. The Great Commission is
about taking the Gospel to the people, and the true definition of the church is
a people that are called-out. Buildings, auditoriums and comfortable chairs are
great, but the kingdom of God grows when the people of God become the church
and reach all people, subgroups and subcultures.
Reprinted from ChurchExecutive.com, June 2012
