BOOK REVIEW: THE PRACTICING CONGREGATION: IMAGINING A NEW OLD CHURCH[1]
Introduction
For the past three decades, the mainline Protestant church experienced significant decline. However, Diana Butler Bass, through research at the Virginia Theological Seminary, discovers a renewed vitality in some mainline churches. How are some mainline congregations experiencing vitality in spite of the complexity and fragmentation of Western society? The purpose of this book review is to explore Butler Bass’ findings concerning mainline Protestant vitality, interpret her findings, and apply them to the local congregation.
Understanding the Book
This is a practical theology book that examines the reasons why some mainline Protestant congregations are experiencing a renewed vitality in the U.S.
. . . It attempts to track the changes [in mainline congregations] – where the changes fit in the overall history of American religion, what cultural trends sparked the changes, why these things are happening now, and how mainline churches are experiencing new vitality through innovative engagement with traditional Christian practices (p. 3).
Instead of suggesting that mainline congregations must change, the author argues that they already are changing and offers the reasons why. This book comes as a result of a three-year study in which the author explored how Christian practices serve as a catalyst for church revitalization (p. xi).
There are three major themes that guide this book. First, the author insists that the stories told about the alleged demise of the mainline church are inaccurate. She insists that the story being told about mainline denominations is largely about loss of prominence in U.S. culture, conflict, and decline (p. 4). Those within mainline congregations believed these stories told by people outside of the tradition, “ . . . whose work is sometimes driven by agendas that benefit from stories of conflict and decline”, which cause a crisis of self-understanding (p. 4). However, the author insists that there are congregations that made a conscious decision to change and are emerging as vital, spiritually vibrant churches that are “ . . . interesting, energetic, creative, and lively . . .” (p. 91).
One of the reasons for the renewal of many mainline congregations is because of their “collective imagination.” This second major theme suggests that the pastoral imagination (what congregants in my faith tradition refer to as “vision”) is part of a greater work of the people of God in community (p. 5). The author maintains that while theological and ministerial education for the pastor is a part of congregational vitality, without the collective imagination of the congregation as a whole, this training merely provides “professional expertise” in congregational ministry (p. 6). She identifies collective imagination as the “ . . . spiritual gift of seeing God at work and embodying faith, hope, and love in the world” (p. 6). It is important for a pastor to foster an environment that thrives on a collective imagination so that a church can seek “deeper levels of meaning” in history (p. 6).
The third major theme is the emergence of mainline congregations brimming with vitality because they have established a vital link between the past traditions, the formation of new traditions, and the establishment of Christian practices in these congregations. By using sociological and philosophical arguments, by describing the current place of the Church (mainline or evangelical) within the religious and cultural climate of the U.S., and by providing an argument for a renewed emphasis on spiritual practices, she explains the source of the vitality of emerging mainline congregations.
Through these themes, the author seeks to solve several problems. The first problem that she seeks to solve is what I will call the “culture problem.” The culture problem is the complexity of postmodern culture. She seeks to solve this problem by correctly placing emerging mainline congregations in its place in American religious history by describing three religious disestablishments (pp. 23-28): (1) the first disestablishment - the disestablishment of a state religion, (2) the second disestablishment – the inclusion of Roman Catholics and Jews to form the “Judeo-Christian” national identity, and (3) the third disestablishment – the replacement of the influence of established religion in U.S. culture with the autonomous individual. This third disestablishment initiated a phase of religious history in the U.S. and in the world that she calls “detraditionalization,” which is “ . . . a set of processes, variously described as ‘post-traditional’ or ‘postmodern,’ whereby received traditions no longer provide meaning and authority in everyday life” (p. 28). She identifies this as a worldwide process that is affecting most of the established cultures and that cultures and churches are going through a “retraditioning” process. Therefore, this conflict is not isolated to the church and not caused by the church.
This necessarily leads to the second problem that the author seeks to solve, which I will call the “tradition problem.” She argues that the conflict experienced between generations in the church is not a matter of traditional vs. contemporary. In fact, she argues that many of the conflicts that are occurring within church are over various types of tradition. She argues that the conflict within churches is over which forms of tradition are authentic forms of discipleship (p. 37).
Finally, Butler Bass seeks to solve what I call the “polarization problem” – the conflict between liberals and conservative, mainline and evangelical (pp. 69-90). She seeks to solve this problem by describing as clearly and concisely as possible the philosophies of each camp. She also explains the scope of the Protestant ideological landscape and its complexity (p. 87).
INTERPRETATION
There are two key terms and one core proposition that should be defined in order to understand how Butler Bass’ seeks to solve these problems. First, she seeks to describe and define “tradition” and compare it to other expressions of congregational life that cause conflict. She exposes the problems and complexity associated with defining “tradition” by explaining that other concepts (e.g., “ . . . customs, convention, routine, and endowment . . . ”) are associated with tradition and can confuse the issue (p. 39). Whereas it is difficult to identify a clear definition of “tradition” provided by the author, ultimately, she implies that traditions are those practices and activities of congregational life that emerge through “fluid retraditioning . . . [which] recognizes the paradoxical nature of modernity and tradition” and serve as expression of what a generation feels are true expressions of authentic discipleship (p. 42). She argues that there are no fixed Christian traditions, only what emerges through the connection with ancient Christian practices and contemporary issues of living.
Second, she describes the new, emerging mainline congregations as “practicing congregations” or “intentional churches” (p. 32). These congregations are “intentional” congregations that are thriving on new traditions that are grounded in ancient practices of spirituality, not on the traditions handed down by their parents. They are purposeful congregations that seek an authentic encounter with God, with other people, and with themselves (p. 79). They do not receive traditions; they “re-tradition” in order to experience these encounters.
Practicing congregations seem to have accepted some of the wider cultural results of detraditionalization while, at the same time, retraditioning their own communities where Christian faith may be a vital way of life embodied for post-traditional Americans – a generation looking for authentic and purposeful ways to order fragmented and individual existence (p. 32).
Furthermore, practicing congregations are formed around Christian practice. These practices are a way of living life – a way of authentic discipleship (p. 65). These congregations are not seeker-driven; they are practice driven. “Christian practices are the constituent parts of a larger Christian way of life, as revealed, modeled, and taught by Jesus Christ” (p. 65). She provides three general categories of Christian practices: (1) moral practice (e.g., hospitality, healing, caring for the dying, stewardship and doing justice), (2) ascetical practices (e.g., traditional spiritual disciplines), and (3) anthropological, which is the resistance to “ . . . fixing such actions” (p. 66).
These definitions lead to Butler Bass’ core proposition. It is a simple proposition that weaves its way through the whole of the book. She argues that the key to understanding the vitality of the emerging mainline Protestant church is to understand their willingness to examine their core practices in light of the emerging culture, not in light of the establishment (pp. 78-80). By citing the work of a sociologist, she argues for a key to the vitality of the mainline Protestant church – “ . . . a congregation’s stance toward tradition and innovation is foundational to its vitality” (p. 43).
Reflection
There are several strengths of Butler Bass’ book. First, it is simple, concise, and clear. As a senior pastor, I became increasingly aware of the complexity of the issues facing Western culture and the complexity of the religious landscape in the United States, especially among Protestants. Protestantism is quite clearly not a homogenous religious institution. In fact, when speaking with someone who self-identifies as a Christian, his or her worldview, traditions, theology, customs, and attitude toward the Bible will most likely be significantly different than your own. Butler Bass provides a clearer picture of the scope of the Protestant religious landscape in the U.S. In other words, she provides a great “macro-view” of Protestantism. Without digressing into a war of philosophies, she offers a “practice continuum” with a simple expression and yet captures the complexity of the nature of Christianity (p. 87). She simply describes how it is.
Furthermore, the manner in which she provides her findings is largely descriptive. Although she is implicitly taking a stand on and proposing a philosophy of ecclesiology, she does not provide yet another “model of ministry” to clutter a bookshelf.[2] Models of ministry are often so contextually defined and limited that most are simply not transferable. Instead, she takes a principled approach to ecclesiology and spirituality that are pliable in various contexts (i.e., “practices”).
Another important strength of her book is her insistence that the culture problem is “just the way it is” (pp. 21-33). By bookshelf is bulging with books that place the blame for the cultural and religious climate in the United States squarely on the shoulders of the Church. I am becoming more and more convinced that accusation is incorrect and leads to a consumer-driven model of ministry. I could not agree with the author more that “many changes, conflicts, and tensions do not arise from factors within religious communities themselves. Rather, these things are the result of institutions reacting and responding to larger cultural changes – trends, ideas, and practices outside the church building” (pp. 21-22). Her explanation of the scope of the cultural shift constantly occurring within the U.S. and the world should liberate the pastor and congregation from the guilt of a faulty worldview.
As a theological conservative, I find two weaknesses. The most glaring and significant omission from Butler Bass’ arguments is any explicit reference and only two indirect references from the Holy Bible. In her book, I read citations from philosophers, sociologists, historians, theologians, and pastors. I do not find any explicit reference from Christianity’s most sacred text (dare I say it? One of Christianity’s most sacred “traditions”?). If we are to establish a link through a chain of traditions to the ancient life of Christianity, my conviction is that the Holy Bible should be referenced in some fashion, at least to validate the ecclesiology of the “practicing congregation.”
Consequently, I reject her argument about the immutability of “core teaching.” She argues:
. . . Core teaching changes over time. Thus, it cannot be simply preserved. Even in groups that believe they are preserving tradition, ironic (and often unnoticed) adaptations and adjustments occur. Core teaching can remain central, part of the longer tradition while it is being re-read, reconstructed, or reappropriated; and core teaching might include a variety of beliefs, interpretations, and practices that actually change over time (p. 44).
Furthermore, she argues that it is inappropriate to assign to core teachings an “immutable status” (p. 44). She makes this claim through the interpretive lens of sociologists and historians. Granted, core teachings do in fact change over time because humans change and make adaptations and adjustments to them. However, from a theologically conservative perspective, the fact that humans, cultures, and conditions change does not necessarily demand that truth changes or that there are no immutable teachings drawn from scripture. I stand with other conservatives in arguing that it is the task of the theologian to seek, as best as possible, get to the core teachings from God through the holy scriptures and allow those eternal, unchanging principles to inform our ecclesiology in context, not merely through the lens of the social and historical sciences. The social and historical sciences should validate what was already revealed in Scripture, not the other way around.
It is important to note this hermeneutical distinction, not as an inflammatory polemic against the theologically liberal hermeneutic (the Lord knows that conservatives have much to learn from the social justice initiatives, principles of inclusion and hospitality of the theologically liberal), but to explain the difficulty in utilizing this book in my context of ministry. As a seminary-trained pastor, I find it simple and refreshing to draw from Butler Bass’ findings and be reflexive concerning the purposes and motivations behind our traditions. However, the primacy assigned to the Holy Bible and our core teaching concerning the nature of the Holy Bible in our faith tradition would act as a “filter” that would prevent someone reading this book to view it reflectively and objectively.
Nevertheless, I can draw from Butler Bass’ findings some principles of congregational vitality that I can apply vocationally. First, I appreciated her discussion on “reflexive spirituality.” She insists that intentional churches “ . . . think about what they do and why they do it in relation to their own history, their cultural context, the larger Christian story found in scriptures and liturgy, and in line with the longer traditions of Christian faith. In addition to thinking about their practices, they reflexively engage practices that best foster their sense of identity and mission” (p. 80). She quotes Wade Clark Roof who says that reflexive spirituality entails contemplating the traditions and practices from a distance to determine how these traditions fit into the history of a church and the Church and then determining the range of possibilities (p. 80). In the past, I simply adopted or adapted practices and traditions from other congregations and wondered why these never seemed to hold the power or effectivenesss they held in other churches. After reading Butler Bass, I am convinced that they were implemented out of a fad instead of out of reflexive spirituality. We never took the time to determine their function and merely adopted their form. Henceforth, we will contemplate the forms of our current traditions and be reflexive about how we form new traditions.
If I read the author correctly, one of the keys to congregational vitality is the collective imagination. To truly be reflexive about the traditions and practices, it must take the collective vision of the congregation in order for there to be vitality. It cannot merely be an entrepreneurial exercise from the pulpit. It must be a deeply held desire to walk in authentic discipleship help by the whole congregation.
When the pastor can tap into the collective “vision” of the congregation, then he can remove a significant barrier to church health and vitality. Butler Bass proposes that one of the results of the third religious disestablishment is the emphasis on individual autonomy. According to her, there is an upshot to the reality of the autonomous person:
The upside of individual autonomy is that people must take spiritual, moral, and ethical responsibility for themselves, thus giving them a higher stake in their choices. When they join congregations or religious movements, they do so because they believe in them and something congruent with their life experiences in a particular gathering. In short, they are potentially more committed churchgoers when they walk in the door of a church than their parents, who (perhaps) remained faithful out of communal loyalty rather than personal choice (p. 25-26).
This solves two problems. First, it identifies a significant barrier to attracting and keeping those living in a postmodern context. In other words, it explains why people do not come to church - it is no longer meaningful. Second, by removing that barrier through the collective imagination of the congregation, it gives potential churchgoers the meaning and motivation, “something to believe in,” to be involved in the mission of the church (p. 27).
Conclusion
Several years ago, I experienced significant conflict over the traditions of the church for which I was the pastor. At the time, I could not grasp the source(s) and dynamics of the conflict. For me, it was simply a matter of mission. Why would we not want to change for the sake of the mission of God? Later, after re-planting that church (and after the fallout from the previous congregational conflict settled), I simply instituted traditions from previous congregations in which I was involved without reflecting on the forms and functions of these traditions. In other words, I was not “reflexive.” I did not think through how these practices would or would not foster the sense of identity that we were seeking. Perhaps out of instinct, or perhaps by Divine grace, the congregation’s practices “morphed” into a new way of congregational life that embodied the experiences of our history and sought to create an environment that reflected the journey through which we had been. In other words, our practices were “retraditioned” because of our story, not because something another church had done.
In retrospect, after having read and understood the power of story in Practicing Congregation, I can clearly see how our church has become the product of a new story being told in a relatively old congregation (within our faith tradition). I can see how this new story is unfolding before our very eyes. Where are we on the plot line? After the drama of a church split, one could argue that we are at the denouement. However, after reading this book, I would argue that we are just now coming out of the status quo and experiencing the drama of a new story in which the climax has yet to be reached.
[1] Diana Butler Bass, The Practicing Congregation: Imagining a New Old Church (Herndon, Virginia: The Alban Institute, 2004).
[2] The author states that she “ . . . offers no program to make change happen in congregations” (p. 3). However, the implications of her descriptions, her explanation of “retraditioning,” and her celebration of the move of both mainline and evangelical churches toward being intentional churches are clearly prescriptive.
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