“When I’m thinking of disruption, I think of opposing unhealthy and evil practices and values, whether they emerge from within the church or come from the outside,” he said.
In a talk that quoted from scholarly sources as well as Monty Python’s “The Life of Brian,” Edwards challenged his listeners to do the same by overcoming evil — both in the outside world and inside the church — with God.
Along with challenging injustice, Edwards reminded attendees to tend to their own souls and lean into the grace and rest of God amid the noise of life.
“A restful soul is disruptive to a violent, competitive, stratified world,” he said.
Thursday’s sessions, along with the rest of the conference, were held at the Vineyard church in Evanston, a near north suburb of Chicago that’s home to Northwestern University. The church recently renovated its worship space to be more conducive to community building, said senior pastor Ted Kim.
Vineyard church in Evanston, Illinois. RNS photo by Bob Smietana
Before COVID-19, the church had a raised stage at the front of the room that included room for the worship band and the preacher during worship. During the pandemic, while the room was empty, the stage was lowered and relocated to the center of the room. The result is a stage surrounded by worshippers, where people can see one another, and most of the seats are on three sides of the stage.
Kim said that as a result of the pandemic and other social upheavals, some churches have been tempted to withdraw and circle the wagons, while others feel like giving up. He hoped the Missio Alliance event would inspire hopeful conversations that encourage leaders to keep going during disruptive times.
Almost everyone is bewildered, he said.
At times like this, Kim said, one of the best things churches can do is work together.
“I think the church is at its best when it’s together — when churches are not in opposition or in competition but are working together, to try to find new ways to have a presence in the world,” he said.
Rodriguez-Watson ended her talk with a similar message of hope.
Not long ago, she said, her husband told her he’d made a cutting of the plant from his father’s funeral. That cutting is now replanted and growing.
“Disruption does not have the final word,” she said.
This article originally appeared here.
