Reflections — Arts and Missions Panel
April 23, 2010 |
It might have been the panel format. It might have been the topic. I it was probably both — the Arts and Mission panel was one of the most engaging topics and discussion that I’ve been part of in a PlantR meeting.
The panel featured three local artists who are also deeply connected with local churches:
- Nate Navarro – a pastor at Austin City Life, and the founder of a non-profit called Music For the City. The vision for the Music for the City came out Nate’s desire to connect two passions he shares: the Austin music scene and the poor.
- Steven Bush – a staff member at Austin Stone leading a team of artists who tell stories through writing and photography. Steve is also a musician and a photographer.
- JJ Plasencio – JJ is a former member of two nationally recognized bands and a worship pastor with a strong heart for mission, inviting those who aren’t part of a church to play in his worship band as an entry into Christianity.
As each of these men shared, a few common themes emerged through their stories or the stories of those they have worked alongside:
- A disengagement with the church at some point in life, followed by a return through the arts.
- A longing for the church to be known for making great art, and not forming some kind of “crappy sub-culture”.
- A consuming desire to see the Gospel be made known and true through their artistic expressions and the relationships that come through them.
Out of the sharing of their hearts, a lot of great discussion formed around these questions:
- What does it look like for Christians and non-Christians to work together for the good of the city? This is the core question that Music for the City is exploring in their work, and one that all of us should be asking.
- How can the church engage with others for the good of the city and still give credit to Jesus through the collective witness of the church? Should that be publicly visible somehow, or come out of the relationships that happen through the work?
- What does it look like for artists and pastors to work closely together? JJ suggested Orbiting the Giant Hairball — a book about how the creatives and executives at Hallmark had to learn to work together.
- How can we engage with artists in such a way that they can express as more than just illustrations for the sermon? How do we show love to the artists? Love the artists beyond being a resource. Respect and support their art outside the church. At the root of all artists is an approval idol.
- How can the church re-engage burned artists to join them on mission? Teach them to be ministers first and artists second.
- Should we pay the artists? There is not an easy answer to this, as there are times when this seems appropriate, and times when it isn’t.
- What is the role of art in the Church? A visual story is often more powerful than a aural story. People weep over a scene in a movie before they would by hearing the story. Allow art to tell the story of the gospel.
All of the answers above only capture bits of the conversation. They may appear incomplete, and they are, as many of us felt like we hand only scratched the surface in this conversation. It’s one we will likely return to in the future.
Our time together ended beautifully, as JJ laid bare his heart in sharing his love and passion for the church. While he could be involved full-time in the music industry, it is to the church that he has given his heart. That is where lives are changed. Before closing our time by praying for us and our churches, he reminded us that our competition isn’t each other or any of the other churches in town…it’s the lake, it’s all the places where people are going to find beauty and life.
Categories: Reflections