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Bo Sanders: Public Theology

updating & innovating for today

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Church 2.0

Life Is About To Change

11 months ago I left my church, left LA, and left social media to come to Portland for a year-long appointment as the visiting professor of theology at the same seminary I had studied at 7 short years before.

It has been an eye-opening year. The seminary has changed a lot in 7 years. Education (higher ed in general and theological ed specifically) has changed a lot in 7 years. I have changed a lot in 7 years.

I had an epiphany of sorts this spring and I reached out to my denominational friends in the Portland area. I let them know that I was interested in getting back in to pastoral ministry and that I would be transferring my ordination to their Methodist denomination. The reception was so warm and so welcoming that I took it as confirmation. The Spirit of God is up to something. I can feel it. 

Fast forward 3 months and I am just weeks away from being appointed to a church in SW Portland. I am beyond excited. The church is small and in need of revitalization, but the thing that it has going for it is that the congregation cares about things that matter and they serve their community. That is an exciting point to build on.

The two issues that occupy my imagination right now (before I start) are:

  1. Transitioning the Sunday gathering to a more conversational engagement and transforming the sanctuary to a more versatile space. I have this vision to hybrid the two excellent models from the church in LA into one dynamic experience that incorporates liturgical elements, embodied practices, and critical conversations.
  2. Reaching out to new people with an invitation to a truly different kind of church environment. I have been ‘workshopping’ some ideas with the post-evangelical folks that I know to see what they think of the plan. Early feedback is good.

So I am inheriting this wonderful older congregation, a cool but outdated building, the wisdom from my experience in LA, and a mandate for change & growth from my denominational leadership. That is an electric combination.

Add that to a year of reflection and rest and I am just about busting at the seems to get started.

Thank you for your support this past year and for your prayers in the months to come. I get appointed June 20th and then officially begin in July. I can’t wait to partner with this congregation to reach out to our neighborhood and see what God might do with us.Bo sketch sm

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Preaching 2.0

We have moved from a Gutenberg world to a Google world (Sweet). Things are changing rapidly and that includes people’s expectations of what happens when we gather as the church.

Here are 3 levels of a transition to a more collaborative type of preaching where people contribute instead of being passive consumers of a scripted stage show (spectators of a spectacle).

  1. Any questions?
  2. Turn to 2 other people…
  3. Dialogue/Conversation

This mirrors the move from Church 1.0 to Church 2.0 but can still be done in a 1.0 context.

 

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Speaking of (and at) Church

Last Sunday was both Mother’s Day and Youth Sunday at my church. I gave a short homily (13 min) on the Beauty of the Divine and the living web that connects us all. You can listen to the audio here http://www.westwoodumc.org/messages/youth-sunday-bo-sanders/

This coming weekend I will be speaking at the Table outside Sacramento about updating and innovating both what we say and how we do ‘church’. Church 2.0 is not a gimmick or technique to get more people to come to church – it is a different way of being the church. [here is my first run at the concept]

I want to move from people being spectators at a scripted spectacle – a passive audience at a stage show with everyone facing the same direction – toward an active, integrated, participatory model where folks are contributors in a collaborative enterprise.

Here are the two promotional videos for that event:

Table Invite from Bo Sanders on Vimeo.

2nd Thing from Bo Sanders on Vimeo.

Lastly, we just finished up at series of conversations at The Loft LA about the beauty of what is in the Bible. Here is the podcast about parables – one of my favorite topics! http://www.theloftla.org/messages/week-3-parables/

I would love your thoughts and feedback. I will let you know how this weekend at ‘the table’ goes.

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Church Present and (near) Future

In this short video I speculate about some trends of the N. American church. I would love to hear your feedback and if you want any of the concepts expanded upon.

This is a summary of a multi-day presentation.

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