Art and discipleship and all the people.
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As I write this blog, my house is full of artists: Musicians, song-writers, singers, creatives. Fifteen plus women and men from the Northwest and beyond, creating music in a retreat setting over three days. Four production spaces are set with groups of three to five people at each. The groups have eight hours to write and produce a song in its entirety each day. (The Instagram post above is the first full day, with one of the songs as the audio.) This is deep work at its finest, a pressure cooker with a presentation at the end of the day of all the songs. In a parallel way, this is also discipleship: people working in community to grow their skills through discipline, apprenticeship, submitting themselves to the work and one another, and seeing new creations born.
For many years, my husband and I have lived in community with artists. My husband is a composer and producer of music and has created communities of both visual and performing artists wherever we have lived. While living in Los Angeles we started “Revolution(626): An Open Forum for the Creative Arts,” which was a community of artists from the local colleges who would gather in a live space each month to show and perform their arts for the public. This developed into Community(626) and Church(626) over time where artists found belonging and a community of Christians who loved them and recognized their creativity as an aspect of the incarnation of God in them, mimicking God’s creativity in their own. Some of these artists owned this creativity as being given by God. They committed their lives to being disciples who made art as an act of worship to God and in reflection of God’s presence within them and gifting to them.
In William Dyrness’ book, Visual Faith: Art, Theology and Worship, he speaks of art in relation to discipleship.[1] In creating there belongs service, suffering, death to self, and resurrection, following the pattern of Christ. The depth of truth of Dyrness’ words depends on the artist. Will they follow this pattern and let the process be only as deep as the art itself? Or will they allow their good creation to have a multilayered dimension, recognizing their process comes from a greater discipleship model, being of the One who calls all to make disciples?
A larger conversation looms with regard to art and the church. Set as one of the main themes of Visual Faith, Dyrness addresses the tensions between the two. Deborah Sokolove explains this tension in her review, “The fact that much controversy attends the use of arts in worship, that artists in Christian communities continue to be marginalized, and that Christians still express confusion regarding their engagement with the arts indicates unfinished business. This “unfinished business” is, first, educating his audience about the historical connections between art and faith, and, second, providing a theological grounding for engagement with the arts.[2]
Dyrness sees his task as a theologian to bring a biblical and theological foundation for reintegrating art with worship and spends a chapter on each of the topics. Recognizing the influence of culture on art over the centuries, he makes clear that the renewal of the art and worship comes through a lens of proper theology. “Clearly, this renewal in worship is itself being influenced by the surrounding popular culture, but this in itself is not a bad thing. Given a proper biblical and theological grounding, it is also possible that the renewal can in turn have an impact on that culture.”[3]
Dyrness is attempting to disciple Christians through his text, as one who has done the work of research and writing, to help Christians to rethink their perspectives and be open to the possibility of creativity as part of the image of God in humanity.
One of the limitations of Dyrness’ text is that he fails to recognize that his scope only involves a popular Western perspective and not a global perspective of history and current trends. The art recognized is primarily in relation to Europe and America and almost exclusively by men of Western European dissent. There is nothing wrong with this perspective as long as it is recognized by the author as one perspective of Christianity and not the comprehensive view of history and current trends in Christianity.
With regard to Western limitations, consider the following from my own life this week. I recently viewed a map with China as the center of the world and realized, similar to Dyrness, that my own perspective is limited. My perspective has always been of the traditional map with the Americas on the left and Asia on the right. After viewing several variations on the world map this week my perspective shifted. Seeing the countries Great Britain has invaded and then noticing Europe’s orientation on the map, I recognized Europe as the obvious center. My ignorance was simply due to what I have always known, without taking into consideration the perspectives beyond mine.
I mention the map illustration as it is so easily the perspective of Westerners to believe that much of the world, including art, orients from the West. The reality is that the places where the Industrial Revolution began were the places with the most influence, due to print. This effects not only print but the arts and worship as well.
Both Dyrness and my own limited perspective relate to my consideration of my own doctoral research, in both direct and adjacent ways. My research has evolved some to focus on discipling leaders who are marginalized, although theologically given all the rights as those who are empowered. Specifically looking at those given the least opportunities for ministry leadership in the Wesleyan Traditions are women of color. Meeting with female pastors of color and hearing their stories reshapes my perspective and makes me look at texts written by Christians with a new lens of consideration. I am aiming to see the world discipled into the vision of the New Testament, with a multi-ethnic male and female leadership. Visual Faith lays a biblical and theological framework with the development of the kingdom practice still to be built.
[1] Dyrness, William A., Visual Faith: Art, Theology, and Worship in Dialogue. Baker Academic, Grand Rapids, MI, 2001, 151-3.
[2] Sokolove, Deborah. “Dyrness, William A., Visual Faith: Art, Theology, and Worship in Dialogue.” Cross Currents. New York Vol. 52, Iss. 3, (Fall 2002): 418-420.
[3] Dyrness, 23.
About the Author
Trisha Welstad
Trisha is passionate about investing in leaders to see them become all God has created them to be. As an ordained Free Methodist elder, Trisha has served with churches in LA and Oregon, leading as a pastor of youth and spiritual formation, a church planter, and as a co-pastor of a church restart. Trisha currently serves as leadership development pastor at Northside Community Church in Newberg, OR. Over the last five years Trisha has directed the Leadership Center, partnering with George Fox and the Free Methodist and Wesleyan Holiness churches. The Leadership Center is a network facilitating the development of new and current Wesleyan leaders, churches and disciples through internships, equipping, mentoring and scholarship. In collaboration with the Leadership Center, Trisha serves as the director of the Institute for Pastoral Thriving at Portland Seminary and with Theologia: George Fox Summer Theology Institute. She is also adjunct faculty at George Fox University. Trisha enjoys throwing parties, growing food, listening to the latest musical creations by Troy Welstad and laughing with her two children.9 responses to “Art and discipleship and all the people.”
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Great post, Trisha!
Your opening video envelopes readers and challenges them to delve into your text. What a great idea for a retreat! LOUD Summit showcased an incredible worship band last year and it was birthed from deep work. They never planned on creating a band, but as they worshiped together and entered into strong community, God gave them lyrics that echoed their heartbeat. Their originals moved each of us and challenged us to stand in awe of Jesus.
Your post reminded me of Dyrness’ statement, “Beneath the glitter of popular visual culture, and clearly driving developments in the visual arts, is an unprecedented spiritual quest for reconciliation with each other and with the earth” (Dyrness 2014, 21). Music paints a perfect picture of relationship – it challenges unification, reconciliation, pursuit and worship. I can only imagine the beauty of seeing music come to life during those three days. How has this communal experience shaped your theology? How have you been challenged by their art?
Thanks for your thoughts Colleen. I bet the inspiration for worship at the LOUD summit was pretty incredible. Those divine moments are always the sweetest.
To answer your questions, my theology has been shaped a lot through the creativity of our community, mostly recognizing the reality of the biblical text and who God is as well as how he has put his image in us as his created ones. Seeing people create and the need for creativity to not be a sideline but a mainstay in Christian community has also been a place of formation. We are imitators of Christ when we create; we also become more of the animated body of Christ (as Greg’s post shows).
Trisha,
What a great video – I’ve got to admit I wanted to hear and see more! I love that you and Troy have always created an artistic community wherever you are (and what a GREAT ministry)…how do you pull the art into your own ministry context at the church?
Thanks Jean! It is fun (although draining at times). Honestly, I have not pulled much into our church of late as there is another ministry of creatives and I am not part of that. In years past we made creativity beyond words a norm as part of our services.
Trisha,
I liked the “Writing Camp” Instagram introduction. I agree with you, this is a great present-day example of discipleship, community, and mentoring ministry. PTL.
Please send me a link to read more about Revolution, Community, and Church (626). Thanks.
I like seeing the map perspectives in your post. I believe in your goal and vision of the NT leader. I wonder if when we look at your dissertation goal on a global perspective, like the map examples in your post, if our focus might change? For example, when we served as missionaries in several African countries nearly all the “Moruti’s” (ministers) were people of what we Westerner’s call color and the “lekgoa” (white European English speaker) was the marginalized outsider. In Botswana, when they describe a person of color they are talking about someone who is not the same color as the indigenous population.
Stand firm,
M. Webb
Trisha, Great job connecting your current project to the reading for this week; how fortuitous when our readings taken an active role in our present ministry. Furthermore, I believe your project has also helped to demonstrate the role that musical artistry is making on large part of church-goers today. Historically, it was the painted, carved or sketched art that was monumental in adoring most earlier church buildings; however, today it is more the bands, electrical equipment and musicians that represent the investment made by churches. I would be curious to see what the average investment by music-driven churches was today in regard to these factors. Perhaps that was the point our reading was trying to make; when we see the value of artistry in drawing the heart to worship, it can have the potential for great spiritual connection. Though I am not declaring that all churches should have bands or orchestra, I do believe there is potential for different artistic expressions to help build a worshipers emotional connection to God; whether it be in a Rembrandt as Kyle pointed out, or in a piece of beautifully played or sung music.
Trisha
Great post and great perspective on your own dissertation problem. It is very hard to change a perspective and you are doing a great job. Also, love the video great collaboration brings great results. Thanks so much.
Jason
Great job Trish! And it was so cool to hear about your current circumstances while writing this. what a tie-in. You bring up a good point about the evolution of art, and its primary anglo history. included in this are the symbols within art that has slowly changed through the centuries.
Trisha,
Loved hearing about the journey with your husband in ministry and how you have and continue to use various kinds of art to develop relationships. What a great image of Christ going to those and honoring their gifts.
I also appreciated your reminder of our perspectives and the need to keep allowing for adjustment. It is easy to see that we (or I) have a great perspective and do not need any more shifting (I have arrived). Although I would never say that I have arrived in my perspective of life, I live as though my current world view in good enough. I appreciate being reminded again that God is continuing to mold and shape our view of this beautiful created and creative world.