Why the Stage

If you’ve ever been to more than one church, you’re sure to notice that each one is different. Just like when you visit someone else’s home, you find there’s always something they do differently, no matter how much you otherwise have in common. For the past seven years, my family and I have attended a church that’s a little different than any other we’ve been to. It includes a strong emphasis on theater.

Theater?! you say. Isn’t church for sermons? Worship music? Teaching? Prayer? Helping others? Sending missionaries? Yes. We do those things, too—not perfectly, of course, but we’re always working to get better. And some of those things might look different to you, too, but our theater emphasis is probably the biggest difference from whatever you’re used to.

It’s not something I was looking for. My interest is teaching and worship music. If we’re going to do something special, I would sooner start a rigorous lay study program or develop songwriters for original worship music. But our church has been putting on professional-level dramas for close to 30 years. We do two full productions every year as well as two summer camps for kids and teens. This is our thing.

And so over the past 5 years, it’s become my thing, too. When I branched out from bass guitar to help with sound, I didn’t know I was signing up for theater work. But we rely on 3-4 guys to run sound during a production, so it’s all hands on deck. My post has been the one backstage working with the actor’s microphones. And it’s been a joy to get to know the performers, to cheer them on, and to try and make sure nothing in my little corner goes wrong.

Many of the churches I’ve been a part of did drama at some level, but not like this. We have an orchestra. We have actors that have been cultivated over years—sometimes decades—of serving in the church, many of whom bring professional experience. We have costumes and set pieces and props. We have an army of support workers in lights, sound, set, and more. We work hard to put on a good show by any standard, not what you typically see when a church does a skit.

And this means we spend a lot of time and resources on something that might seem out of place to others.

I’ve occasionally heard the concerns. I’ve even thought some of them myself at times. Wouldn’t all that time and money and effort be better put to use in other ways? Doesn’t this distract from the real work of the church? It could. It’s important to take these questions seriously.

But I’ve come to believe it’s not a waste, and I don’t think it necessarily harms other ministries either. Here are some reasons why:

Evangelism. First and foremost, this is an outreach. At the end of each show, we take time to share the Gospel and invite people to trust Jesus. In this sense, it’s no different from our basketball ministry, or some of the parties our college ministry used to throw back in Mt. Pleasant. But one of the nice things about using drama for this is there’s more than one way to make a connection. We’ve connected it to the story, to the characters, and even to the people involved. I love that we do this, and that we’re able to make such organic connections to the Gospel. I firmly believe every story is connected to the bigger story of who God is and what He has done to save us.

Discipleship. I see theater ministry as not just for those outside the church, but for those who participate in it. Some serve sacrificially, some gain new technical skills, some practice memorizing extensive passages, some are honing their public speaking or singing skills. They are growing in their God-given talents and working hard for others. So many of these skills can be used in other areas of ministry and some are not often cultivated in other areas of the church.

What’s more, I have known artistic and creative people who felt homeless in church. While I don’t believe the church as an organization needs to be involved in everything, we are called to disciple every kind of person. I love that our church cares about building up artsy and creative types. I have even heard that we help people think about their spiritual lives as they consider the characters they play. It’s rich with possibilities for helping to form Christ in others.

Who God Is. All of this comes back to who God is. God made creative people because He is supremely creative. We tell stories because He weaves narratives. We meet people where they are because God meets us where we are. Our primary business as Christians is to proclaim the Good News, but that doesn’t negate God’s original call to cultivate and keep the world He entrusted to us. Theater allows us to do both.

Because of who God is as both Creator and Redeemer, creative and artistic work is appropriate for Christians in general and for the local church as well.

Conclusion

A lot of churches do trunk or treat for Halloween. It’s an outreach that brings people to church in the hopes of building relationships and inviting people in. Our theater productions are much the same—except the subject matter is richer, the Gospel is clearer, and the work we are engaged in reflects God more and invests deeply in those who participate. Yes, it costs more, but I would much rather put the extra effort in to do this kind of outreach, knowing that the potential is so much greater.

Also: As I write this, we’re finishing our last performance for this year’s fall theater production: Fiddler on the Roof. It’s been especially good because the story teaches biblical literacy and theology along the way. The story doesn’t always have to do this, but what a great opportunity to raise issues we can talk about in other venues.