It’s Time The Arts Come Back To The Church: So Artist, Take Action
Rev. Byron Spradlin, president
Artists in Christian Testimony Intl
It’s time the Arts Come Back to the Church. And I suggest four things for every artistic Christian to do—no matter what you’re doing to make a living—that will help. But first there are two problems that keep us out of the Church.
- For 600 years The Protestant Christian community has overlooked the role of the artistic Christian in ministry leadership, and this oversight needs correcting.
The Protestant Church to a large degree has not seriously considered the artistic (imaginative) dimension of human life and human community. And therefore it has also overlooked seeing those who possess God-given artistic abilities as a strategic resource for Church leadership.
This oversight has developed an emphasis in the Protestant Church that is less-than-biblical in its view of God [Who is the Source of all Truth, but also the Source of all Beauty, which is a central dynamic in His also being the Source of all Goodness—including the goodness of HIS beautiful incarnated provision of salvation through Jesus—all of this deeply effecting how well the Church engages the world—at street level—for Christ’s purposes in this Age]. This oversight also causes the Protestant Church to embrace a less-than-biblical view of Ministry: one that focuses only on “information” while at the same time leaving out expecting [by faith] the mystery of God’s encountering people and the community.,
In the process, and especially now at a time in Western history when the arts in mainstream culture are at an ever-growing center of community life and culture, three things are apparent:
- the Church’s ecclesial and educational structures are almost completely overlooking artistic personnel as serious resource for missions & ministry leadership development; while
- a growing number of artistic Christians are feeling overlooked, under-appreciated, hurt and alienated by the organized Church; which is resulting in
- the Church’s loss of these artistic Christians to its life and leadership ranks, and therefore loosing strategic God-designed resource for His purposes certainly for His Church, and for humanity in general.
On the other hand…
2. Evangelical artistic Christians are poorly trained and envisioned to take up their God-designed roles as culture-shapers and Church-leaders, and this reality needs correcting.
Because they have been under-affirmed [and in many cases actually criticized and rejected] by general Church leadership, few exist with the doctrinal, biblical, theological & ministerial foundations needed to step into the biblical leadership roles God has always intended for them—whether as formal Church & Missions leaders, or as Christian leaders and culture-shapers in the at-large general market place.
So what is the Consequence? The Evangelical Church has less community/culture engagement, and much less presence, impact, contribution, and formal ministry in the world at large than the LORD desires or intends.
So what are we Artistic Christians … and YOU in particular … going to do about that?
I suggest four things for every artistic Christian to do—no matter what you’re doing to make a living—that will help bring the arts back into the Church.
First, YOU … take action in your personal walk with Jesus. Do something that deepens your own walk with God through Jesus. Do anything; and do “that” for the next 6 months. Why? Because spiritual exercise is just like physical exercise: it takes consistency over time.
Second, YOU get out and do “ministry” … for free. How about go to a nursing home, a jail, a homeless shelter, a rescue mission. Minister right where you are in whatever way is available to you.
Third, YOU, as you start ’getting out into ministry, take another artist with you. Yes, it’s called “discipleship.” You know why half the church leaders don’t take us seriously? Because it most often looks like we can’t even spell ministry or discipleship, let alone be caught actually “doing” it. So invest your time in other artists.
Fourth, YOU start an eNewsletter or blog … letting people know about what you are doing. Give them insight from the Bible that you are learning during your “ministry” activities and model for them what it means to be an artistic minister. Isn’t that what the Apostle Paul did through his Ministry Newsletters?
YOU do these four things and you will impress a bunch of Church leaders. And they will take you much more seriously as a real artistic minister of the Gospel. And in the process you’ll help bring the arts back into the heart of the life of the Church in your community and region. And … Jesus will be honored in the process.