What Tall Ships Can Teach The Church
I share all of that as a backdrop to what I want to blog about today. We spent quite a bit of our time talking about the reality that the church is always meant to be moving, always pioneering, always innovating. Regardless of people’s personalities on the pioneer/settler scale, the church is never meant to settle. No church is ever meant to become static. The only building that God officially endorsed was the tabernacle – not the temple. And the tabernacle was a structure that was easy to move as God led the people of Israel. It was a mobile structure. A big problem I see today is that there are a lot of churches with non-mobile structures – in the physical, spiritual, and organisational sense.
As we were talking about this, Dean shared how they were going to be going down to look at the HMS Victory (most famous ship in the Royal Navy) the next day and this led into a conversation about how tall ships are a great metaphor for the church. Here’s what Dean wrote on his blog today:
My experience of the H.M.S. Victory was as rewarding as I had hoped it would be. Tabernacles and tallships�structures designed for movement. A company of voyagers bound together by the journey. There’s nothing in this life compared to the power of the sea or the feeling of traversing it, navigating by the stars, salt spray upon your face, driven by the wind.
They that go down to the sea in ships and do business in great waters, these see the works of the Lord and His wonders in the deep. Psalm 107:23, 24
Since having this conversation about tall ships, I have not been able to stop thinking about them and God seems to have been really opening my eyes to see just how powerful a metaphor it is when thinking about church. Here are a few of the thoughts that have been triggered through my reflecting on this:
1) Tall Ships are structures designed for movement. I’ve already talked about this and I think the crossover to the church is obvious. The church as God intended is designed for movement. A tall ship is not meant to sit still on land; it is designed to be on the water. The HMS Victory is now a museum because it no longer is out on the water. The same happens to churches that settle on dry land. The ocean is a metaphor for the world, and when the church stops pioneering out into the ocean it ceases to be relevant to the future and becomes nothing more than a monument to the past.
2) Tall ships are dependent on the wind in order to move. Again, the crossover to the church should be plain to see. For the church to move it must be reliant on the wind of God’s Spirit. Having wind though is not enough to guarantee movement. The sails on the tall ship must be constantly adjusted to partner with the wind in order to move forward. Too many churches are trying to create movement when instead we need to become sensitive to the Holy Spirit, adjusting our sails to work in sync with Him.
3) Tall ships can’t copy the movements of a nearby ship. Even though another ship might be just 100 meters away, the way the wind relates to and impacts each ship is always unique. If a captain tried to just copy what another captain did, he would end up in serious trouble. Every captain has to learn to read the wind for themselves and every church leader needs to hear the Spirit and follow His leading for themselves. We must learn from others experiences, but we must never simply copy what they did. Every expression of church needs to read the wind of God’s Spirit for themselves and become the unique body it is meant to be.
4) Tall ships require all hands on deck. For a tall ship to be able to fully partner with the wind in order to obtain maximum movement, it needs absolutely everyone to know their role and give their all to it. One person not pulling their weight can affect the whole ship. The church is not for spectators. Mission is why the church exists. Every church needs to create an ethos that requires all hands on deck. There is no place for Christian tourists and only room for tour guides.
I think that will do for now; I shall maybe share more another time. I’d love to know your thoughts…
January 11th, 2006 at 5:21 pm
excellent. excellent.
January 12th, 2006 at 2:27 pm
For those of you who are interested, this entry was also posted over at my Xanga blog (http://www.xanga.com/samradford) where there is further conversation happening. I also just added the following comment over their and so feel free to add your thoughts:
I actually think there is still a lot more potential for development of this tall ship metaphor for the church. What do you think? What else can a tall ship out on the ocean teach us about being the church?
January 12th, 2006 at 9:33 pm
This is undeveloped, but something comes to mind about tall ships having deep hulls and heavy anchors. Yes, they are built for movement, but they depend heavily on the strength of their hull and when it’s time to get supplies at a port, it’s a mighty heavy anchor that is lowered. So the sails catch the light nudges of the Spirit, and the body is anchored and weighted in Jesus. Something like that. Thanks for stopping by!
January 12th, 2006 at 9:37 pm
Sam, how did you get your “About” to say, “About Sam?” I wrote an “about” bio, but it’s not appearing. I noticed that your site is beautiful and thought I’d ask you directly
January 12th, 2006 at 9:58 pm
Thank you Sam! You opened up a new world of options for me and the “about” thing worked! Wow, this stuff is time consuming and addicting… makes me appreciate even more those who have spent months preparing Vox.
January 12th, 2006 at 10:02 pm
i especially enjoy the idea that tall ships are dependant on the wind. i have a love-hate relationship with wind that began in my childhood and continues today. i guess i could say that “wind” [and water] is one of my hobbies.
when my brother was trying to prepare a series on genesis he reached a “block” on his creativity. he asked me what i would do if i were going to teach a series on genesis. i had just the year before taught a four-part series on “wind” and a two part series on “clouds”. i suggested he take the elements/metaphors/environemnts in genesis and create experiences rather than just messages. teach on “wind” but create an environment in which the congregation would experience “wind”. the goal would be that whenever we stood in the “wind” or felt “light” we would remember.
he ran with the idea –turning away on the spot from a typical day by day approach to genesis– and went environemntal. that series played a central role in turning mosaic into what it is today. wind, water, wood, fire, and earth came out of that series and the first element is wind –mission is why the church exists. i remind myself from time to time that of all the elements in genesis, wind came first. we’re depended on it.
January 12th, 2006 at 10:06 pm
Thanks, Alex. When you say that Erwin created experiences rather than just messages, what did that look like in practice? And what did experiencing the wind look like for Mosaic at that point?
January 12th, 2006 at 10:13 pm
in terms of the series…for wind we had fans blowing out through light fabrics at the entrances. you could see the wind before we entered and had to push through it to get in. the video crew collected amazing elemental footage to run on the screens.
admittedly, we would look back today and think much of it sub par, but this was a long time ago, and it was raw and primal just the way we like it.
the five environments became our discipleship matrix. everything was taught via these environments. you’ll get to see them when you come to origins. the chapter on soul environments in Unstoppable Force describe it in more detail.
January 12th, 2006 at 10:14 pm
Thanks for that. Really looking forward to Origins. Rachel is literally booking the flights as I type!
January 12th, 2006 at 10:17 pm
you’re right. i say erwin created experiences, but to be fair, erwin ran with the idea and suggestions (kudos to him as a leader for recognizing a good idea) but it was the amazing creative arts community that created the experiences. when erwin came back from our retreat, he gathered everyone related to the arts community and pitched the idea. the thing took off from there and became formative for the community…not just because of the series itself only but also because of the creative energy collectively exerted to pull the series off.
January 12th, 2006 at 10:21 pm
after thought: all the energy focused on the sunday celebrations was received very well and in fact poured out into the everyday lives of the congregation. in some ways, sam, this is the spirit –a primal creative missional spirit — that was poured out on mosaic and hopefully all of the mosaics out there.
January 13th, 2006 at 11:37 pm
I love the metaphor. It’s visual and dynamic. One thing I would add about leadship trying to copy others in stead of learning to read the wind for themselves. I believe it is meant to take it one step further and realize that all crew members need to read the wind and adjust to where it wants us to go. We would work better together as one with the wind.
January 14th, 2006 at 12:10 am
There is a Mosaic in the UK! I think I know where we are going after Lithuania! Awesome, great to hear!
January 14th, 2006 at 12:18 am
before long there will at least three mosaic communities in the uk.
January 14th, 2006 at 2:31 pm
Mark - what are you doing in Lithuania?
Alex - which is the third Mosaic?
January 14th, 2006 at 2:41 pm
[…] I’ve been doing a lot of reading, praying and thinking lately about church. In particular, what is church? What is the function of the church? And, what does “doing” church look like? I ran across an interesting article on a blog (samradford.voxtropolis.com) that compares the church to tall ships - What Tall Ships Can Teach The Church. I’m posting it here for you to read and think about. Give me your comments. - Greg […]
January 14th, 2006 at 3:08 pm
I also posted this at kingdomblog.org and one of the contributors there, Arnie, wrote the following which I thought I’d share here:
I liked what you said about your day in the Convent Garden pub - that is church!
But what are the traditional mass meetings of Christians/others and the institutions most people associate with the word “church� then? Can we still call that church, or is that more a place where many small churches are created and guided?
Shouldn’t the institutions/larger communities rather be seen as docks where tall ships are built, repaired and prepared for their journeys?
If that is true, should communities not be more focused on the transformation of their members? Will mission and reaching out then take care of itself?
Does any of this make sense?
January 14th, 2006 at 3:51 pm
Great post and very helpful. We are in the beginning stages of planting a church in St. Paul, Minnesota and have been using Erwin and Alex’s writings as a guide. Thanks!
January 14th, 2006 at 3:53 pm
Good to hear from you, Greg. All the best with the church plant. We’re just embarking on a new venture ourselves…exciting times!
January 14th, 2006 at 5:06 pm
Sam…You have a great point about the role of traditional church… are they docks to transform it’s members and prepare for the journey. I think it is one way to look at our current condition. I just don’t think the church knows how to do that? I do agree that if the heart is transformed the mission will follow. We have a history of “doing the work” with little effect which has lead to disillusionment and burnout among current leaders. We love to lead and we are great at “doing” but terrible at “being”. All we know is how to take the reighs of the church and lead. I think it is time we surrender the reighs to the Lord and let him lead us. We would have better results and I’m quite sure be of less burden. This is one aspect of transformation necessary before missional can begin.
January 14th, 2006 at 5:33 pm
I like Arnie’s inclusion of “docks” in the tallship::church metaphor. To unfold it a bit more, I think there is a clear and helpful distinction between the very rare visits to drydocks/shipyards, where the ship is initially assembled– the regular visits to ports which are part of normal ship life– and the safe harbor or haven the ship might visit (or serendipitously discover), while seeking refuge from storm or war.
As wonderful as the drydocks might be, it’s an unfortunate ship that must pay frequent visits there; a “complete overhaul and refit” is by nature intrusive and destructive/reconstructive. But if a ship sees frequent combat duty or hazard duty, it’s no shame but an honor to have to spend every summer in drydock. Expect extensive changes every time it’s relaunched, though.
Ports of call, on the other hand, are the bread and butter of a tallship’s career… the larger and more cosmopolitan they are, or the more exotic they are, or the more distant and neglected they are, the more profitable the visit. A merchant captain will make regular stops at the great world ports, particularly his home port, but if he is good, he will be on the lookout for opportunities to serve neglected or far-flung communities… if he is brave, especially those that suffer from embargoes or pirates or other hazards that keep most ships away.
Safe havens are not on the formal port roster, but a wise captain may take advantage of them when he knows his crew needs R&R or respite from the storms and battles of the open sea.
Hmmm! Much to explore in this metaphor!
January 14th, 2006 at 5:47 pm
Another thought just occurred to me: John Piper touched on the metaphor of tallship::soul near the end of his biographical sermon on Charles Simeon. Piper was emphasizing the importance of humility in Simeon’s life, and might have quoted Simeon when he said that the ship of a man’s soul is like a tallship: if you will make your mast high and your sails wide to profit from the faintest breath of wind, AND run swiftly even with the stiffest gale, your keel must be deep and your ballast heavy, or you’ll capsize.
Switching the metaphor to the church instead of the soul, the ballast could = our confidence in the core truths of scripture, and the depth of our keel = the depth of our understanding of those truths.
Sound right? anyone want to adjust that a bit? (where does the big heavy anchor come in?)
January 14th, 2006 at 7:10 pm
You can read a little more about us at http://www.hoelterhoffs.com
but the short story is that my wife and I are serving at Lithuania Christian College. A university in Eastern Europe that serves students from over 17 countries, many of which are not believers. In other words, education as mission. You can also check out the university’s website at http://www.lcc.lt. I am the department chair for Social Sciences and psychology professor.
January 14th, 2006 at 7:15 pm
I should also add that I am doing my second doctorate (PhD) at the University of Plymouth and my wife and I have discussed going to the UK after Lithuania. We like Plymouth, and Devon but are open to other places. SO it is great to hear about Mosaic communities. So there is one in Sheffield, where are the other two?
January 14th, 2006 at 7:17 pm
it looks like the first three mosaic communities in the UK will be in sheffield, edinburgh, london.
January 14th, 2006 at 7:18 pm
Cool to hear what you’re up to…thanks for sharing. I know that a guy called James Petticrew is going to be starting a Mosaic community in Edinburgh later this year, but I’m am not sure about the third one.
January 14th, 2006 at 7:19 pm
Who’s going to be starting one on London, Alex?
January 16th, 2006 at 2:15 am
Sam,
I got here thru Alex asking me if I had set up a vox blog yet. I saw his highlight of your post and thought I’d check it out. Dependency on wind is exactly what I talked to my group about today. Acts 1:8 - You will receive power…and be witnesses. My metaphor was the “wind farms” I see here in the western USA. The huge windmills just stand there waiting for the power of the wind to get them moving and give them purpose. Without the wind they are nothing, but with the wind, they come alive. Like us and Holy Spirit. I’ve been out of pocket for the past month while relocating from Tennessee to New Mexico. We’re now three weeks into THE WAY and God is working. Blessings to you and congrats to your wife.
January 16th, 2006 at 8:25 am
Dave posted this comment over at kingdomblog.org which I thought I’d share here:
Great post, and funny actually as I was watching a programme called ‘Shipmates’ last night and this reminded me of my time in the Royal Navy.
Life on the ship was fascinating, 250 men thrown together by random draft picking and yet we all got on well (almost). We ate together, we socialised together and we slept,washed and worked together. We were a community bound by our association to the ship we were all proud to serve in, when in a foreign port, if trouble arose we would fight together, even to the point of spilling blood.
Now I am not condoning the drinking and fighting, but if this is how close a group of people can become who were randomly drawn together, then how much more should those drawn by the Father of all be as one. I’m afraid that my time in the Navy was more of a community than most experiences of church I have had so far - though now I have determined that if what we have is not authentic community then I do not want it.
Again great post
January 16th, 2006 at 10:11 am
Nicolas - never said thanks for your thoughts on docks…really good stuff.
Rick - great to hear from you! All the best for THE WAY…you’re in our prayers. Good thoughts on wind farms by the way.
January 16th, 2006 at 1:03 pm
Just checking out this blog, hand another thought, when i was studying in a little coastal town called Bangor i would walk past the harbour everyday on the way home from college, I thought it a shame that so many large expensive yachts were sitting in harbour day after day and rarely seemed to be used for the purpose for which they were built!
January 16th, 2006 at 2:20 pm
Now there’s a parallel!
So when are we going to see you with your own VOX blog Mr Stewart?