What is Church 2.0?
The COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally changed the way all spiritual organizations offer ritually and liturgically centered services. However, further challenges, such as the many effects of climate disruption, loom large. The Church 2.0 project is intended to inform, prepare, and equip spiritual organizations to meet the needs of people seeking community and connection in a time of chronic and ongoing crisis. In this project the term “Church” and “Spiritual Organization” are synonymous, and are used interchangeably (although we acknowledge that vast differences between the two types of organizations are possible). Nonetheless, the forms used to deliver ritual or liturgical services to the public are virtually equivalent.
Many spiritual organizations have transitioned to online delivery of pastoral, administrative, and spiritual services. The current focus is on restoring the status quo. Consequently, further challenges, such as the many effects of climate disruption, the possibility of other pandemics, social unrest, deep political division, and the possibility of economic collapse in many sectors are not generally being planned for. That is because many people have not recognized that the post-March 2020 world is fundamentally and permanently changed.
So, all this activity begs the question... what is the status quo? We argue this term is misleading, and it has the effect of blinding us to reality. Status quo generally is interpreted as something that is normal or unchanging. These days, especially after being so rocked by COVID-19, we all desperately seek the comfort of the familiar. We want to go back to movie theaters, we want more 4th of July good stuff, and we want to worship while being surrounded by our spiritual family.
Yet, pandemic-producing viruses and their variants rise at every opportunity to take advantage of the human inability to adequately respond to dangerous long-term challenges. The Post-postmodernism ethos demands that fact must be tempered by faith. As a result, public health mandates are ignored and millions of people are killed in the wake of weaponized misinformation. Progress towards a return to a “normal life” we seek after pandemics is largely stymied by non-medical actions.
The same human dynamic is true for the other great underlying crisis of climate disruption. It is not difficult to list the many ways nature can wreak havoc on our planet and our lives. Statistics show that the frequency and severity of what is termed natural disasters are increasing dramatically. Thus, the status quo is actually a state of flux, change, disruption, chronic crisis, and uncertainty. It should be clear that the notion of returning to some ideal status quo is a dangerous myth.
Many spiritual organizations have transitioned to online delivery of pastoral, administrative, and spiritual services. The current focus is on restoring the status quo. Consequently, further challenges, such as the many effects of climate disruption, the possibility of other pandemics, social unrest, deep political division, and the possibility of economic collapse in many sectors are not generally being planned for. That is because many people have not recognized that the post-March 2020 world is fundamentally and permanently changed.
So, all this activity begs the question... what is the status quo? We argue this term is misleading, and it has the effect of blinding us to reality. Status quo generally is interpreted as something that is normal or unchanging. These days, especially after being so rocked by COVID-19, we all desperately seek the comfort of the familiar. We want to go back to movie theaters, we want more 4th of July good stuff, and we want to worship while being surrounded by our spiritual family.
Yet, pandemic-producing viruses and their variants rise at every opportunity to take advantage of the human inability to adequately respond to dangerous long-term challenges. The Post-postmodernism ethos demands that fact must be tempered by faith. As a result, public health mandates are ignored and millions of people are killed in the wake of weaponized misinformation. Progress towards a return to a “normal life” we seek after pandemics is largely stymied by non-medical actions.
The same human dynamic is true for the other great underlying crisis of climate disruption. It is not difficult to list the many ways nature can wreak havoc on our planet and our lives. Statistics show that the frequency and severity of what is termed natural disasters are increasing dramatically. Thus, the status quo is actually a state of flux, change, disruption, chronic crisis, and uncertainty. It should be clear that the notion of returning to some ideal status quo is a dangerous myth.
Church 2.0 - Spiritual Challenges
The sermon below by Clovice Lewis discusses the challenges of spiritual organizations face in this time of disruption and uncertainty. Four principles emerge:
- Taking control of what we can control
- The need for creativity
- Relying on each other for help
- Living in a way that encourages sacrifice and service to both our planet and our children
Goals of the Church 2.0 Project
The goals of this project are to:
- provide sustainable strategies, tools, and materials to assist in planning for continued disruption
- explain the advantages of de-centralized, collaborative organizational structures
- model best practices for producing remote, in-person, and hybrid spiritual services
- strengthen connections between networks and resources for remote ministry
- provide an educational resource for spiritual organizations
- explore new modalities of ritualistic practices
