by: Brian Orme

The church is made up of all kinds of people - businessmen and women, farmers,  

industrial workers, theologians, teachers, blue collar, white

collar, entrepreneurs, servants, and leaders - but there ¢â‚¬â„¢s one group of 

people that the church is in danger of losing: her creatives. 

Why is it so hard for creatives to fit in to the local church? And why 

do so many artists leave? 

It ¢â‚¬â„¢s simple... the church has a hard time speaking  ¢â‚¬Ëœcreative. ¢â‚¬â„¢ 

In Richard Florida ¢â‚¬â„¢s book /The Rise of the Creative Class/, he says that 

creatives have fled from rural towns to urban spaces where their 

talents, skills, and values are a better fit. Could this be true in the 

church as well? Are we losing our creative class because we ¢â‚¬â„¢ve made it 

too hard to be an artist in the average church today? 

I ¢â‚¬â„¢ve met with many young creatives who are struggling to find their 

place in the traditional church. They typically don ¢â‚¬â„¢t have a problem 

with the music, or the message, it ¢â‚¬â„¢s the church culture that ¢â‚¬â„¢s the 

biggest obstacle. It ¢â‚¬â„¢s hard to feel like you belong when you ¢â‚¬â„¢re 

God-given talents aren ¢â‚¬â„¢t valued and, at times, even suppressed. 

I ¢â‚¬â„¢m not a church historian but I do know that the Reformation, which was 

a great movement by the way, was also partly responsible for throwing 

out church art to fight against the worship and veneration of images. 

However, in reaction the church started to embrace a more austere and 

plain worship style - one where the arts and artists where no longer 

embraced, and to some degree, kicked out with the icons. 

We could also try and blame John Calvin for taking such a staunch 

position against images in the church. Heck, we could blame modernity, 

industrialism or even the creator of clip-art, but that won ¢â‚¬â„¢t get us 

very far. 

The bottom line: the church at large needs to learn, once again, how to 

embrace and empower its creatives. 

We need a creative revolution. 

Not a revolution that makes creativity king, but a revolution that seeks 

to embrace artists. A revolution that restores value to their Kingdom

contribution in deeper ways. 

In other words, the church needs to embrace creativity beyond sermon 

series graphics and the occasional live painting (to the newest Casting 

Crowns song). We need a movement in the church that empowers and 

releases creatives to do serious work as vital part of the community. 

We need to confront the plain, ascetic values of the traditional church

and embrace something more vibrant and colourful - once again using art as

a valued expression that points to the redemption we find only in Christ. 

Throughout time there have been issues and causes within the church that 

need to be overthrown with vigor by the masses. I believe a creative 

revolution is needed - one that that seeks to embrace the gifts, talents 

and skills creatives have to offer in the local churches once again. 

So, how do you start a creative revolution in your local church? Here 

are four suggestions to get it started. 

*Evaluate the Creative Climate* 

What does the creative culture in your church look like? Does your 

church embrace creatives? Why or why not? Talk to artists and designers 

in your church to get a good feel for the creative environment. You 

might even want to engage members who have left and get their input. Ask 

your leaders to help identify the obstacles for church creatives to feel 

like they belong. 

*Become a Creative Activist* 

Visit other churches and ministries to get new ideas for creating a 

community where creatives are welcome. You might even need to engage in 

a little righteous anger to gain some traction, but remember  ¢â‚¬“ there ¢â‚¬â„¢s a 

lot at stake. If you don ¢â‚¬â„¢t champion the cause to make your ministry a 

creative-friendly environment who will? 

*Start a Collective* 

Invite other like-minded creatives to join the cause. You don ¢â‚¬â„¢t have to 

go it alone. Pray for God to open your eyes to other artists in your

community who might join the fight to help make your church a hotbed for 

Kingdom creativity and an embracing environment for artists. 

*Do Something* 

Get your creatives involved in something substantial in your

Church - whether it ¢â‚¬â„¢s an art show, a design workshop, guest speaker, or 

even a writers group. Do something that will start the momentum. 

Remember, you ¢â‚¬â„¢re not pursuing creatives in the church for the sake of 

creativity, but for the ultimate goal of bringing glory to God and 

strengthening the effectiveness of the local church. 

Because, what Michael Wood says is true,  ¢â‚¬ËœArt can ¢â‚¬â„¢t redeem the world, 

and that is why we must be modest about it. But it can show us what 

redemption would look like, and this is why it matters." 

original source: http://www.creationswap.com/article/6512