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scott callaham

one of the founding and associate pastor impact fellowship in autin texas.  scott is now working as a navy chaplain and is working on his phd.

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1.  What would you say are the keys to a successful postmodern community of faith?  At Impact we strive towards exemplifying our values in everything we do because we feel that our values provide a picture of what it takes to be a “successful postmodern community of faith.”  A postmodern faith community should be all about:

eternal perspective – recognizing that the steps we take in our lives now (in relationships, in personal and communal spirituality) leave footprints that remain forever

authenticity – being real, because we have all had enough of middle class “comfort zone” religion

community – making true inter-connection with God and with people

passion for God – giving us a reason to wake up in the morning and to engage with a spiritual but lost world

spiritual growth – knowing God more and more in our life’s journey through the power of Christ’s resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, all in the dynamic work of the Holy Spirit

The Harvest – being on God’s radical mission to spread salvation to all peoples of the Earth NOW

 

 

2.  What key elements would you put in a "job description" for a senior pastor, or pastor at Impact Fellowship?  This is a particularly relevant question for us now as we are searching for a new pastor.  Our next pastor will be:

ignited with a passion for reaching postmodern people for Christ

deep in his personal relationship with God

driven by a solidly biblical worldview

able to communicate eternal truth without Christian code-talk or terminology from a bygone era

 

3.  What would you say were the major differences between the  "contemporary" (modern) and the "contextual" (postmodern) communities of faith?   I have an appreciation for the “modern” church because this is the environment in which I came to know Christ.  However, I believe this style of Christian community has some serious shortcomings.

 

Modern church has tended to view truth as purely prepositional and rational.  This view leaves little room for the mystery of relationship or for trusting faith.  Postmodern church adds these dimensions.  

 

Modern church has been rather parochial in its outreach, implicitly insisting upon the adoption of a Christian subculture.  Removing people from direct contact with the context of lost people isolates Christians and encourages them not to engage in creative witness.  Postmodern church must critique the elements of culture that are opposed to God, but it must also communicate in sociologically genuine terms.   Perhaps the most egregious error of modern church is its embrace of “Christianity Lite.”  This is my term for what I experience in much “contemporary worship.”  “Christianity Lite” has a formula: entertain the audience with drama, hype them up with upbeat music, and serve up a “three keys to success in life” message.  Yuck.

 

4.  What role do you feel "the arts" have to offer a worship service?  Visual, tactile and musical arts foster engagement between worship participants and God as the receiver of worship.  They unlock emotions and connect with non-Christians. 

 

5.  What "models" do you see developing for new communities of faith?  I see “niche” churches developing such as: college church, techno-church, churches for children of immigrants, ethnic church, upper middle class church, etc.  While upholding the validity of tailoring the Gospel to its receivers, I see niche churches becoming comfortable in constructing their own Christian subcultures – a major error of the modern church.  Being in the body of Christ should bring more connection rather than less.  Postmodern church must “live dangerously” in reaching across barriers of ethnicity, nationality and social taboo with the life-changing message of Christ.  Postmodern church should be more a reflection of heaven than a cheap copy of fragmented American society.

 

6.  We ask this question of everyone, but... how would you define postmodern Christianity?  Postmodern Christianity is the liberation of authentic, biblical faith from the thought and lifestyle paradigms of a culture built upon the Enlightenment’s elevation of human rationality to godhood. 

 

7.  Most postmodern people tend to like reality - reality TV is a good example of this - How do you bring reality to those who attend worship at Impact Fellowship?  We have no pretenses in our worship.  We invite everyone to join our worship experience – no Christian I.D. card required.  We try to be creative in our use of multimedia, but at no point do we see ourselves as attempting to compete with the world of entertainment.  The staff and members of Impact are not spiritual superstars; we are people on a spiritual journey with an awesome God.  This touches upon the reason why “authenticity” is one of Impact’s values.

 

Any closing thoughts?


Thanks for letting me share some elements of our adventure in faith with our fellow adventurers out there.  Here’s a closing thought from our band, Eleven*:

 

Anyone who wishes: feel free to contact me at