Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Christian Piatt

Home
Progressive Christian
Flash Mob Ministry: A New Model for Instant Church

Flash Mob Ministry: A New Model for Instant Church

Last updated on: August 8, 2012 at 6:11 pm by Christian Piatt

Flash Mob Ministry: A New Model for Instant Church 2012-08-08T18:11:27+00:00 Christian Piatt

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Blaine is the kind of young man who seems to have been born for church camp. He has a permanent smile on his face, loves to lead goofy songs and has an easy way about him that makes others want to hang out with him. I met him on a final leg of his summer-long trek with Disciples Peace Fellowship to tour and take part in nine or so church camps around the country.

One trademark of church camp music, in case you’re not familiar, is that there is no shortage of goofy, infectious songs floating through the air all week long. Inevitably, though, one song in particular will grab hold of the collective imagination and become the anthem for that week. For Blaine, the song that seemed to stick was his “Sixties Party” song. One camp in particular requested he play it no less than two or three times each day, everyone doing the motions along with the progressively ridiculous lyrics.

One their way back to civilization, the hordes of campers and counselors stopped at a local restaurant for some “real” food, but some of the kids weren’t ready to leave camp behind just yet.

“Play ‘Sixties Party,'” they begged Blaine.

“This is reality, guys,” he reminded them. “We’re not at camp any more.”

But they persisted until he finally gave in. So right there, in the middle of piles of fried chicken and biscuits, they broke out in song, complete with choreography. Suffice it to say it’s simple enough and cumulative in its themes so that pretty much anyone can get the idea within a verse or two. And incredibly they did. By the end of the song, Blaine recalled, the servers behind the counter and even most of the other diners in the restaurant were rocking out and miming along to “Sixties Party.”

Was it worship? Not really. Did the song even mention God or Jesus? No. But it sparked something in the people who were there, even if they had no idea what was happening. Once the kids took the risk of looking ridiculous in public (which I’m sure they did), it gave permission to everyone else to let loose, to take part and to belong to something joyful, if only for a few minutes in the middle of some fried chicken restaurant off the interstate.

We keep talking about the changing face of church and how ministry is going to look different going forward; what if this is it? Not that I expect this is “the” model for how to do church from here forward, but there’s something to this “flash mob” concept, breaking out spontaneously into something that draws others in, right here, right now, where we are.

But we might get weird looks. We might even get in trouble.

Yep.

As I reflected on his story, I got a ping from Groupon on my phone. If you haven’t used Groupon, or similar apps like Living Social or Google Deals (no, I’m not a paid spokesperson), they’re all mobile bulk discount applications, offered by retailers directly to consumers. So a massage company or restaurant will offer some big discount on a good or service, provided that at least fifty people, or whatever number, buy into the deal to make it worth the business’s while. It’s kind of fun to watch the numbers click up on a new deal, to see when it’s been given the green light and to share with your friends how you bought trapeze lessons for 65% off the regular price.

Couldn’t faith communities learn something from this?

What if we had compassion networks or the like, where folks could sign up with particular skills or interestes, and who are willing to take part in activities in a particular geographic area? Then folks who need some help, like clearing out an abandoned lot, painting a house, feeding crowds at a benefit concert or marching for peace could sign up and send their request out to the mob. People who can drop by and help out sign on, and in a matter of minutes the need is filled.

No long committee meetings. No months of planning for an expensive mission trip. And who knows, you might actually get people of all backgrounds working for a common cause. And it could work for spontaneous gatherings or worship events of all kinds. Send out the word, invite people and see who shows up.

It’s probably a dumb idea. My wife says I have more ideas than good sense, and she’s probably right. But when I get an idea that keeps me up that night, it’s usually one that won’t leave me alone for a while. And really, it’s not that different from how Jesus did his ministry. Show up somewhere, notice the needs, address them and invite others in to hear a good word, then go out and change the world.

Just imagine if Jesus had had a smartphone!

Previous Post

August 7, 2012

Sikh Calls for Peace Reminiscent of Amish Shooting Response

Next Post

August 9, 2012 Homosexuality and the Bible: a Flowchart

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category atonement belief bible Bill O'Reilly Buddhism CCM children christian piatt christianity Contemporary Christian Music current events derek flood Easter education Everyday Sunday faith faith and culture Frank Schaeffer great commission Haaz Sleiman Hobby Lobby Homebrewed Culture humor ISIS Jesus John Paul Lederach Killing Jesus LGBTQ marc driscoll Mission Year Music My Jesus Project Nat Geo parenting politics popular culture postChristian prison reform Ray rice religion republicans sacrifice sexuality theology Uncategorized video violence wild goose festival World Vision young adults

Select a Month December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which Psalm is famous as the "Shepherd's Psalm"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Psalm 51 Psalm 119 Psalm 23 Psalm 1