Last October, a group of friends started gathering to start the adventure church planting. I’ve read some books and graduated from seminary, but one of my greatest inspirations for our new community is the Jimmy Fallon show.
Like most people, it took me a long time to warm up to Jimmy Fallon. His time on SNL swung violently between hilarious and obnoxious. When we started a Late Night show, I was just confused.
As he’s grown into the role, and mastered his unique approach, I find myself wishing that our new church planting efforts would eventually be described as “kind of like the Jimmy Fallon show, but for Jesus.”
My first hint that Fallon was trying to do something different came when I realized that one-of-a-kind hip hop virtuosos The Roots weren’t guests, they were Fallon’s house band. Then, in my constant search for new audio content, I came across a nearly two hour interview with Fallon that had me totally hooked.
Fallon told a Cinderella of being a goofy kid who did impressions to eventually landing on Saturday Night Live. Every step of his story, he kept repeating how lucky he was.
But it was when he got to describing the genesis of his late night show that I knew there was something very different about his approach.
He seemed almost allergic to taking credit for any success.
Fallon could not stop talking about how grateful he was to have such talented co-workers. The bulk of the interview was Fallon complimenting other people. Behind it was a hint of a collaborative system, where Fallon seems more like the host of a party than a driving manager.
Over the years, he’s gotten better at monologues. He’s come up with some great bits. Unlike his more serious predecessors, he seems utterly dedicated to making his show entertaining, rather than just glorifying entertainers.
He plays games with his guests. He creates entire routines around making jokes with The Roots. He convinces Tom Cruise and Ed Norton to smash eggs on their heads. He pretends to be Neil Young in order to force Bruce Springsteen to relive the 70s.
He is here to entertain. He refuses to entertain alone.
Reflecting on Fallon’s move to Leno’s old spot, NPR’s Linda Holmes wrote:
Jimmy Fallon lives on joy, and joy is not solitary. It’s why he’s not at his strongest in plain monologue delivery, and it’s why every single good bit he has is fundamentally a collaboration.
Could you imagine a better way to describe the daily life of a church community?
There is an ancient and ever present heresy that wants to professionalize the body of Christ. We create layers of official Bible readers, official singers and official servants. Then we line up and watch them deliver their professional religious show for an hour on Sundays.
Many churches are either dull and lifeless or forced and over dramatic.
Like Fallon’s show, we are committed to participation. We start every gathering by saying
Liturgy means ‘the work of the people.’
For this short moment, we are all participants and hosts.
Everyone has the chance to read a written prayer or to share from their heart.
We’re constantly encouraging people to open their homes and provide for one another’s needs. Our primary “ministry” at this point is to meet up for drinks, game nights and potlucks.
We strive to give credit where credit is due. Sermons are full of illustrations from within our own community, or quotes from church leaders who know more than us.
Like Fallon, we try to do good work without taking ourselves too seriously.
We aren’t trying to be perfect. We don’t have a band yet. Any official responsibilities are split between a few bi-vocational leaders. Our technical presentation is (I hope) clunky yet folksy.
The episode of Late Night ended with Fallon hiding in the background while The Muppets, led by Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem did a strangely powerful performance of The Weight.
It was ridiculous yet classy. A strange mix that Fallon has mastered.
He’s mastered it because he wants to create joy.
Joy is strangled by over-seriousness.
Joy can only be created by sharing moments with others.
May the same be said of the church.
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