In his album “Hillarious,” Comedian Louis C.K. rails against the over stimulation of children. He laments that television and video games have made it impossible for children to enjoy everything from the taste of an apple to the pleasures of a sunny day.
(Warning: Explicit)
We know that we will never “out-entertain” the world. Fewer of us will have the finances to try.
An increasing number of people today are arguing for a “slow church” or a hyper-localized church. Both of those are helpful, but I would suggest going one step further.
How about a really, really boring church?
My Normal Day of Overstimulation
Here is the itinerary of my average overstimulated day:
6 AM—Woken up by my iPhone alarm clock.
6:05-7:00 AM—Freak out that I’m forgetting something and grab my laptop. Check emails and social media.
7-7:30 AM—Have my first steaming hot cup of liquid stimulant. Try to read scripture and pray. Often distracted by Instagram.
7:30 AM-1PM—Head to a coffee shop for a frantic morning multi-tasking. Drink one or two more cups of coffee. Move between emails, work tasks, social media, distracting Youtube videos and Buzzfeed articles and meetings.
1-1:30 PM—Make lunch while listening to a podcast. Eat while watching a cartoon.
1:30 PM—More multitasking. More coffee.
5:30-6 PM—Listen to audiobook while driving.
6 PM—Make and eat dinner with the TV on.
7 PM—Watch TV while doing more frantic multitasking.
10 or 11 PM—Pass out while trying to pray. Fall asleep feeling guilty for something I didn’t get around to doing.
That’s a pretty normal day.
The worst sin in youth ministry
Much of the approach to modern youth ministry can be summed up in the classic phrase of YoungLife founder Jim Rayburn “ “its a sin to bore a child with the gospel.” The heart behind this is clearly a desire to teach the way of Jesus in an engaging manner.
However, engagement is often boiled down to entertainment and stimulation. Youth ministries incorporated everything from rock bands to video games.
Many modern day church leaders under 40 grew up in these highly entertaining cultures. They can’t help but bring this same mindset to understanding how we gather as a church.
Stimulation begins the moment your car hits the church parking lot. Logos on everything. Rock bands. Videos. Lights.
The burden to be stimulating is heard in Christian communicators, including myself. Some rely on cheesy, outdated tropes. At the worst they lean on shock value and anger to make their points.
Quiet moments often seem cut short. Reflective practices such as the Eucharist or responsive prayers get rushed or abandoned altogether.
None of these things is wrong. Some are unavoidable. Many are helpful. But it does beg the question: How is the busyness of our church gatherings helping us become more like Jesus?
Making Peace with Boredom
Louis C.K.’s point is obvious: children who are constantly overstimulated end up lacking self-control. They are a strain to their families, schools and even themselves. The children he describes sound like they could benefit from something more boring.
The Christian life is much like any other life. We make meals, exercise, work jobs and spend time with friends.
What if our Churches came to peace with the fact that most of the Christian life is boring?
Sure, there are miracles. There are powerful encounters with scripture. There are breakthrough evangelistic and discipleship moments. What makes these special is that they are not the norm. They happen in between hours and even years of the mundane.
We need to be a church that prepares people for the reality that the bulk of the Christian life is about learning to encounter God in the commonplace.
Five Practices of a Boring Church
It’s really hard for me to sit still. Staying engaged in a conversation, without thinking about my to-do list or the next fascinating comment I’m going to make is incredibly difficult.
This is murder on my spiritual life. Sitting still long enough to meditate on scripture or pray can be painful.
I need a church community that will help me become the kind of person capable of slowing down and encountering the God of the mundane.
Although I’ve got a long ways to go, here are five boring practices I’ve experienced that help.
1. Lectio Divina
Over the last decade, Lectio has become a practice that is often discussed and occasionally practiced.
I was blessed by being a part of a church community that taught this two or three times a year on Sunday morning. At the same church, I participated in an all-male small group where we practiced Lectio every week.
At first this was difficult. It was weird to sit around in quiet with other dudes. It was hard to listen carefully to both the words of scripture and the movement of my heart. However, over the course of the two years we shared in this practice, I came to crave it.
We need boring churches that teach us to sit still and crave the voice of scripture.
2. Eucharist
It’s thrilling to see that the practice of the Eucharist (communion or the Lord’s Supper) seems to be undergoing a bit of a renaissance. Featuring this ancient practice ensures that time is set aside to slow down, be quiet and remember Jesus’s crucifixion.
We need boring churches that provide space to remember who Jesus is and what he has done.
3. Silence
The Quakers built their entire movement around the practice of shared silence. Not just quiet for its own sake, but as a method of waiting for the Holy Spirit to speak among them.
At Austin Mustard Seed, we precede our Call to Worship with a moment of silence. My hope is that over the months and years to come we will learn to drag this out.
We need boring churches that are quiet enough for the Holy Spirit to be heard.
4. Chant
My little experience with chant comes from a handful of Taiz é worship gatherings I have visited. Chanting can easily become monotonous, or at it’s worst, vain repetition. However, if one participates mindfully, it provides an opportunity to absorb the truth that grounds the words.
We need boring churches that create moments to ruminate together on the truth of our claims.
5. Meals
A shared meal is not terribly exciting. But the time it inhabits can be priceless. You are face to face with another person. You have nothing better to do than hear their stories.
Going out to eat is good. Potlucks are better. Cooking for others is the best. In the boring time you spend waiting you will catch a whiff of the food being prepared, and maybe even the Holy Spirit.
We need churches that are so boring we actually get to know each other.
What boring practices are the most beneficial for you and your church?
Click these links to share on Facebook or Twitter.
Tweets