The Arts and the Christian Community 

The September/October issue of the “Central Florida Episcopalian” focuses on the arts in church. As a person who has long valued the arts and artists, I find that a fascinating topic.

The Arts in the Bible

In fact, I have been thinking about the places in the Bible where art was considered as a vehicle for the expression of worship. In the Old Testament, that was primarily the construction of the temple and tabernacle. Here, God expected his people to express themselves artistically, and to do so for his glory alone.

But when you’re in the New Testament, there’s a kind of urgency about the writing. There’s the capacity to say, “We need to be about our Father’s business, because Jesus is coming soon.” And that often mitigates against doing something more than singing anyway. When you’re a persecuted group of people, you don’t necessarily have time to do a lot in the way of artistic expression. 

In the book of the Revelation, there is fulfillment for all that’s prefigured in the earthly temple and tabernacle. It’s no less beautiful, and it’s no less meticulously constructed. Here, there are also gorgeous poetically crafted anthems that say something about the importance of doing art well. Otherwise, it would feel much more spontaneous and haphazard. But you don’t get that when you read the New Testament. Instead, you really do get the sense that the Holy Spirit is, in essence, the conductor. And what the Holy Spirit is doing is nothing less than magnificent. 

The Arts in the Church

Despite the importance of the arts in scripture, there are a lot of people who feel that in the average Christian congregation, there’s not a lot of room for art. Our diocese is blessed to have churches that go against this trend, but overall, we hear a lot of pejorative comments about “Jesus junk,” poorly done paintings and so on. And we don’t often hear statements like “We want to build a genuine commitment to serve the arts community.” (For some ideas around this topic, see my column in the September/October issue of the “Central Florida Episcopalian.”)

And serving the arts community almost has to be a calling, a calling to build the connections such a move will require. It requires action on the part of the church to grow beyond itself and to build relationships outside the church community, relationships that will allow the church to be seen as trustworthy. After all, just by virtue of personality, artists are used to feeling that they don’t fit in at the local Rotary Club or other, more business-oriented gatherings. So anything the church does to reach out must be authentic, must be genuine, must not be self-serving in any way. 

The Arts in Relationships

I think it all begins with building one-on-one relationships with artists. And if God is calling a church to reach out to a particular group of people, almost always, the way it begins is with the seed of one or two people who already know people who are involved in the arts and want to find a way to connect the dots. And those are things that the Lord uses to perhaps open a wider door. 

So people begin to say, “Maybe this isn’t just my personal concern about so-and-so. Maybe God is calling us to do something in relationship to that particular community.”

And it’s baby steps. Because again, what you have to do is to build a reputation that you’re trustable. And that doesn’t happen overnight. So don’t rush it. If God is calling you to reach out in this way, you trust him to show you where the seeds need to be planted. 

The Arts in Outreach

And sometimes the craziest things can happen. Nearly 20 years ago, I sat in the audience of a Broadway show, and I was looking through the playbill, where they tell you who’s going to be in the show. And all of a sudden, I felt this burden of intercession, this compulsion to pray for one of the actors. And I couldn’t shake it. When he came on stage, I kept praying.

Afterwards, I took the playbill home, and God kept reminding me to pray for him. And finally, I felt like I should do something about it. So I looked up his information online, sent him a note and introduced myself. And I said, “I know this may sound odd, but I wanted you to know that I’m just really praying for you. It began when I first read about you in the playbill, and it happened all through the show. And I’ve not been able to shake it.”

Well, he wrote me back, and he said, “I’m actually a lapsed Episcopalian. I’m really grateful that you’re praying for me. Keep it up.”

To make a long story short, he would end up really coming alive in his faith. When he met the young lady he wanted to marry, I did some of their premarital counseling. They now have a child, and I still keep up with them.

So yes, reaching artists and the arts community takes time, and it has everything to do with building relationships. Just like ministering to any other group not familiar with church life, it’s messy. And there are setbacks, because we’re all broken, sinful human beings.

But none of those are reasons not to reach out. That’s just counting the cost. Assessing the lay of the land. And continuing to serve—even when it isn’t working out the way you like. Investing in the people to whom God calls you is always worth it. Even when it takes a long time. Even when you don’t see changes right away. Even when it seems like a crazy idea. 

Here in the Diocese of Central Florida, we have an incredible opportunity to serve the arts community. Is God calling you or your church to be a part?

Does your church minister to or with artists? Share this blog and your response on Twitter. Please include my username, @revgregbrewer. 

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.