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Developing more and better Artists

There are two things we must continue to do well to reproduce more sites, churches and networks. The first is to develop more and better leaders who are followers of Christ.  And the second is to develop more and better artists who are followers of Christ.

Much of our leader and artist development occurs through informal and relational processes.  But we also have put a great deal of effort into the formal development of leaders and artists.  One of the primary ways that we develop artists is through our School for the Arts. Our School for the Arts has grown to more than 20 instructors and 350 students. If you would like a peek at our 2008 summer School for the Arts brochure then click HERE.

CCC videos on Nightline tonight!

I just got a voice mail from Eric Bramlett telling me that Tom Greever (CCC's video guy) got a phone call from ABC Television saying that they are doing a special on GodTube.com tonight on Nightline.  They said it will include the Christian vs. Christ-Follower videos. This series of videos has had more than a million total hits so far! They already have a preview on their site which includes our Mac/PC parody and also Dan Smiths parody Baby Got Book.  Funny stuff!  So if you get a chance to check it out on Nightline let me know what you think.

10.19.07 edit:  I watched Nightline last night and did not see our videos...??  But if you check out the ABC News website it is showing the Christian vs. Christ-Follower video.  Still cool.

Behind The Music? Collaboration!

A big part of the success of our creative arts and music ministry is found in the value of collaboration.  We not only collaborate on creative content across all age groups (kids, students and adults) we also collaborate across all eight Community Christian sites in Chicago and we also collaborate with NewThing Network churches all over the country. 

In the most recent issue of The Christian Standard is an article titled, Behind The Music.  In this article Jen Taylor describes the collaborative process we use to create the BIG IDEA.  She gets the perspective from one of our Denver affiliate churches, Jacobs Well and also the perspective from a former California affiliate who chose to go on it's own.  It's worth the read.

Developing Young Artists

We have over 400 students that are now a part of Community Christian Church's School for the Arts.  (If you would like to see a sample of our summer program, click HERE.)  The dream behind the SFTA is to develop more and better artists.  Why?  Because we believe that if we are ever to accomplish the vision of 200 CCC locations in the Chicago area there are two things we have to do well:  1. Develop more and better leaders.  2. Develop more and better artists.

Tonight I went to see one of those young artists - my 9 year old son Caleb.  He was part of a musical camp that met for the last couple weeks and tonight put on a stomp musical, Joseph: From the Pit to the Palace.  The pic to the left is of Caleb and his friend Jared in costume.  Caleb had the lead role as Joseph and did a great job.  He not only had his lines memorized, but seem to have everyone else's memorized and was ready to cue them if they forgot. They did a good job and the kids seem to have lots of fun.  The last thing Caleb said to me after the performance was, "Dad, I think I want to do this again next year."  I love how we are developing young artists for the future.

How To Develop More & Better Artists

There are two competencies that a church must develop to become a reproducing church:

1. The ability to develop more and better LEADERS.
2. The ability to develop more and better ARTISTS.

It is remarkable to find a church that has developed the first competency of developing leaders.   And it is very rare to find a church that knows how to develop more and better artists.  I would like to add my two cents to this discussion (and I'm sure I will at a later time), but Bill Carroll's latest post did such a good job explaining some of the how-to's of artists development that I want you to go and check it out. The post is on his Multi-Site Arts blog and it is titled The Most Important Skill In The Arts.  Read and learn.  Good job, Bill.

Freedom Writers

To celebrate our anniversary Sue and I went to Domo 77 and then a movie.  I knew my date would be good and I knew that Domo 77 would be good...but I didn't know how how good the movie would turn out to be!  The movie?  Freedom Writers.   It is a true story about a teacher from Newport Beach who takes her first teaching job in a tough neighborhood in Long Beach.  She takes on teaching as a personal mission and in the end lives are changed.  There is some violence and profanity - but it completely fits the context.  I personally found this movie totally inspiring and when I left I wanted to better accomplish the mission that Jesus has for me.  I loved it.  Did anyone else see this movie?  What did you think?

Finally Saw DaVinci Code

I finally went and saw The DaVinci Code last night.  My reaction:  Um...  Yawn...  What?   

I ended up going with four teenagers and here are a couple reviews: "Can I get that 2 1/2 hours back?"  and "That was the biggest waste of time since I sat and watched four hours straight of The 100 Greatest Child Stars on VH1." 

Rainy Day & Akeelah and the Bee

Since it has been raining for a couple days that meant Amy's all-day lacrosse tourney was cancelled and Caleb's baseball game was cancelled.  At first I was kind of bummed since Sue's parents are here for Mother's Day and to see them play.  But it turned out to be a really laid back day - of which I don't seem to get too many.

Since all the sporting events got cancelled we took the whole gang to see Akeelah and the Bee.  I was a little skeptical since it is backed by Starbucks (what does coffee have to do with movie making?) and it's about a spelling bee (can that be interesting?).  But it was a terrific movie.  I would even call it inspiring! The BIG IDEA of the movie is found in this quote referred to two times in the movie: 

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, "Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?" Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.  Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we subconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

If you saw the movie, what did you think?

Chicago Tribune Music Editor Challenges Christian Artists

It is really easy to take shots at Christian art. Often it is deserving, but I want to be careful not to do that until I’m sure that I’m doing a better job at creating art than those I’m targeting.  Make sense? 

Having said that - Lou Carlozo (see photo), a Music Editor for the Chicago Tribune was the guest blogger on Culture Watch and he puts out a real challenge to all Christian artists and in the process takes some shots.  Here is what he said:

It's an outrage to me that so much "Christian" art is in fact artistically inferior crap. Why? First and foremost, I don't think my Savior, the love of my life, would want His holy name spackled onto something so ham-fisted as most "Christian" music. Talk about violating the commandment of taking the Lord's name in vain! Jesus as the marketing equivalent of Adidas. A brand name.

On a more personal note, I receive entreaties from Christian music publicists at least several times a month urging me to cover their artist because, it is implied, I am "on the team." And I've had pieces spiked in leading "Christian" music magazines because I was presumptuous enough to slam an album as being mechanical, wooden, and backward thinking.

UNTIL CHRISTIAN MUSIC STRESSES ART OVER AGENDA, IT CAN NEVER BE ANYTHING BUT SECOND RATE (my emphasis). As a music editor at the Chicago Tribune, I have a responsibility to turn my readers on to the best art out there. And as a Christian, I have an obligation to tell the truth at all costs, as I see it. If it's bad, awkward, mawkish art that Nashville keeps shipping to me like so many day-glo W.W.J.D. bracelets, what choice do I have? I would rather be the voice of one crying out in the wilderness than win the approval of any cabal that is convinced--for all the wrong reasons--that the majority of "Christian" music serves a noble purpose.

Michelangelo makes us cry by depicting the finger-touch of creation in a majestic image. Johnny Cash could break your heart by revealing the serrated edges of his brokenness. Bono makes you wrestle and challenges all assumptions that God is of the right or left wing. None of this is a "business model" to be emulated. These are ways of approaching art and life we are talking about, meant to be done with all the fear and trembling of someone trying to point the way to a higher truth while walking a narrow path.

Why does the Christian music industry so thoroughly believe that the way to do this is to TELL/LECTURE people? Maybe it has something to to with the mammon of income streams and mansion-house dreams.

For me, the true Christian artists worth emulating--including Emmylou Harris, Over the Rhine, Buddy and Judy Miller, Kate Campbell, Pedro the Lion and a Nashville rebel like Rich Mullins--they walk the walk. They SHOW us. Art before agenda. Beauty before the bully pulpit. My Lord, what a radical concept.

What do you think?  What are some of the best examples of stressing “art over agenda” that are making an impact?  Who are the Christian artists worth emulating?