Intro | A definition of alternative worship

compiled by Steve Collins 2002, revised 2005, 2012

These definitions were compiled from numerous sources and discussions within the movement during the late 90s and early 00s, and try to represent the collective self-understanding of what we are doing.

What:

Christians reinventing faith expression for themselves within their own cultural settings
a response to postmodern Western society and cultural change
faith expression within culture not in a parallel 'Christian' culture
reconsideration of all inherited church forms and structures, including recent modernising ones
rediscovery of ancient and alternative Christian traditions as resources for the present and future
shift from centralised into networked forms of church

Not:

not intended to transition people into existing forms of church
not an attempt to reach particular social or cultural groups
not about making Christianity appear cool or fashionable
not a restyling of existing forms and structures

Who:

a diverse network of individuals and small groups, practitioners and theorists
no single centre or authority
no single theological position or statement of beliefs but mostly within Christian orthodoxy
sometimes working within existing church structures, sometimes forming separate churches
crossing denominational and theological boundaries, even within single groups
variety of forms - full-time ministry, spare time, emphasis on events or community, result of lay or clergy initiative
high levels of friendship and exchange of ideas throughout movement
many of the people in positions of influence or leadership are not ordained or church employees

When:

beginning UK late 1980s
Nine O'clock Service, England, 1986-95, first deliberately postmodern 'club culture' church but its hierarchical structure was unlike other groups
numerous smaller groups inspired by NOS appear in the late 80s - early 90s
movement established in Australia and New Zealand by mid 90s
facilitated by simultaneous rise of the internet - the movement contained many technological early adopters exploiting its openness to new contributions
collapse of NOS in 1995 due to abusive leadership caused period of suspicion and difficulty for other groups in Britain
movement emerging in USA/Canada/Europe since 2000
Church of England 'Mission Shaped Church' report 2002 and subsequent 'Fresh Expressions' initiative marked institutional acceptance and encouragement of the movement in UK
Emergent Village as focus for movement in USA during 00s
emergence of denominationally based groupings with varying emphases in late 00s

‘Alternative worship’ and ‘emerging church’:

movement known as 'alternative worship' or 'alt.worship' c. 1990-2000
original reference to alt. groups of early internet
'emerging church' general use from c.2000
reference to science of emergence, ie self-organising systems
both labels ambiguous, 'emerging church' more representative of intentions
however 'emerging church' label identified by some only with 'low church' 'postmodern evangelical' tendency
consequently 'alternative worship' label reclaimed by some to indicate liturgical 'high church' background
'Fresh Expressions' umbrella term in England covering many things beyond alternative worship/ emerging church
'neo-monastic' groups emphasise community built around a rhythm of shared spiritual practices, rather than creative worship events

Values:

authenticity - faith expression that truly represents the people who make and take part in it
faith as journey, to be facilitated rather than controlled
giving people space for their own encounter with God
an exploration of creativity - in everyone, not just a gifted few
risk-taking, experimental - openness to failure and mistakes
holistic - life not divided into sacred and secular
any part of our lives and abilities as potential material for faith expression
participation - involvement encouraged, passive consumption discouraged
minimal exclusion - shaped by whoever gets involved
consensus - not one person imposing their direction
low threshold of permission - in general if you want to do something go ahead
high quality, as good as we can make it - culturally aware
awareness of ourselves as part of God's creation, and a concern for its welfare
the entire expression of the faith community seen as 'church' not just one event
reluctance to draw boundaries that determine who or what is in or out of God's kingdom
openness to God's presence in any area of life or culture
worship is gift - gift is whatever you can bring
belief that everybody is creative because they are made in the image of God

Kingdom:

belief that God is active and emergent in the material and cultural world
if this is so then the visible Church is not the only potential place of encounter
the Church as servant/enabler of the Kingdom rather than its container
serving the Kingdom means being/doing whatever God is, not just 'Christian ministry' - salt dissolved
an emphasis on growing the Kingdom - everything that is of God - not just growing the visible Church

Implications for church services:

church service as 'clear space' for examination of the Kingdom as experienced in the world
no specific rules about content of service, because anything might be a site of encounter with God
implications for power structure: it's not possible/appropriate for one person to do all the reporting/creating; open or representative access, openness to the unexpected/unusual
a more radical conclusion: the church service is not the public interface with Christianity but a resource for Christians - a point of renewal/reconnection

Mission:

"if we fix the service, they will come" - we fixed it, they didn't
life as chief instrument of mission not church service
non-believers won't come to church to receive 'product'
so 'product' must leave church as point of delivery
encounter with Christ through individuals and communities rather than through events
mission as actions of individuals and communities in world, resourced by their communal events and practices

Community:

community as means of personal formation/discipling
framework or 'rule' - explicit declaration of values and practices to shape life of community
community as support for countercultural living
prophetic community - public demonstration of alternative values and possibilities
community as missional tool - undertaking and enabling christian action in the world

Leadership:

leadership as facilitation of the faith journeys and gifts of others
leadership from different people at different times according to circumstances and inspiration
no fixed roles or hierarchies - leadership expected to be temporary and passed on within the community
the ‘core team’ are not an elite group delivering expertise to the community, but a representative group creating something for the use of the community
gifting understood in a very wide sense - not just preaching/teaching/music
re-empowering people who think they have nothing to offer, or have nothing to offer that fits within the confines of a conventional church event

Events:

events created and led by many people not one or two
congregation are active not passive participants
emphasis on community worshipping together rather than team leading congregation
elements and activities that emphasise hierarchy or authority generally avoided
behaviour generally relaxed, informal - permission to use the space as you wish, to not take part
movement and discussion often encouraged
learning by exploration and interaction, not located in a single 'teaching' slot
periods when people can do different things at the same time
rituals and liturgies often newly created for specific events or communities
pre-existing rituals and liturgies usually adapted and mixed with new elements
events not restricted to conventional church timetables or venues

How events are made:

curation model - organiser assembles team, shapes contributions into coherent event, but is not sole or dominant voice
events often planned around a chosen theme which determines all of the content
no fixed or obligatory elements
almost anything permitted if it makes sense within the event context
shape of event worked out in group
individuals take pieces of the event to do
event comes together on the day, generally without rehearsal, in accordance with the shape agreed during planning
high level of trust in people's ability to deliver appropriate content

New forms of church environment:

avoidance of arrangements that embody hierarchies, such as stages, pulpits, pews
non-directional space - no front to face, things happen all around
centralised space, symbolising community
cafe spaces and communal tables - eating and drinking together
informal seating arrangements - comfortable and domestic in style, or sit or lie on floor
atmospheric lighting for intimacy, warmth, a sense of mystery - spotlights, candles, projections
installations and artworks
ambient music - often as background to everything including speech and prayer
ambient video - relevant to event content but not attention-grabbing
creative use of available technology and media, including from home or work
technology and media used for environment or art as well as presentation tools
venue may not be existing church building