What do we mean by reimagining church and spirituality "from the ground up?"
The many problems the Church is facing will require more than surface level pragmatic solutions. More preaching, programming, and production can be fine and good, but they are also not likely to create the kind of deep systemic change that is needed.
Why? Because everything we do in church is the product of underlying beliefs and structures we usually take for granted and seldom call into question. In other words, if we’re not aware of what’s driving things under the surface, we will not get very far towards anything truly different.
For example: If our SPIRITUALITY is based on knowing and believing the right things about God, then it would make sense to build STRUCTURES like theological institutions and a hierarchy led by clergy. And it would also make sense for our STRATEGY to be centered around content delivery, e.g. having people sit and listen to lectures (sermons) given by experts (preachers).
But what if there's much more to spirituality than head knowledge and doctrine? What if spirituality is really about love, connection, and mystery? What if it's about acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God?
Then real change would require more than just launching more programs or preaching better sermons. We would need to rethink our entire approach. We might even need to build a whole new operating system (a new model) from the ground up! We would need to ask things like:
What does a spirituality based on love and practice (not beliefs and doctrine) look like?
What structures will foster equity, empowerment, and flourishing for all of humanity?
What strategies make the most sense in light of new technology and social change?
New Wine Collective is convening a diverse community of people–a collective–to engage in a creative, intellectual, and practical conversation about the next iteration of Christianity.
