We recently got a new teaching pastor at our church. As far as I understand, he will not be the head pastor (we are a congregation/elder-led church and don't necessarily have head pastors and assistant pastors and associate pastors and whatever other kind of pastor title you can have), but he will be the primary leader of the teaching team. I have been listening to him teach on the radio for at least the last 2 years, know the school he comes from and their doctrine and theology, and really enjoy his teaching—it's exegetical, which means he teaches directly out of the Bible, and it's more contextual (my word) than topical, which means he goes through a book (1 Thessalonians, for example) from start to finish (thus giving the context of each verse). That kind of teaching is, in my opinion, the best kind and the kind that has been modeled for us in the Word itself (see Acts 7, where Stephen walked the high priest, the people, the elders, and the scribes through most of the Torah, and Acts 8, where Phillip guided the Ethiopian man through Isaiah, for a few examples).
A friend who previously worked at the church recently left. I asked him whether there was anything I should know that might keep me from attending the church. He said that our new pastor's way of teaching is "the Bible and nothing else" and that the new pastor admittedly does not get the whole "art" thing. (Neither do I, but this friend is basically the opposite, knowing and worshiping God through visual expressions like videos, pictures, and more.) I know that God can work through art, but I was elated to hear that philosophy. The kinds of "art" our church focuses on include dance (we have a school of dance and people often express their praise and worship through dance), music (living in Nashville, we have some amazing musicians at our church), and paintings or other similar expressions.
Nashville contains a large number of artsy people who, as I understand it, express their knowledge of or innate desire to know God through their work. There is definitely a need to communicate the gospel, the hope of Christ, the truth that when Jesus came to earth, He died to pay the penalty for our sins and then rose to conquer death so that we can live with Him forever if we accept the gift of His sacrifice. The church was in some small way attempting to reach that world, but as I understand it now, we will be less focused on that part of our culture.
The friend who left is now making it his mission to reach those artists. Since I can't have an influence in that culture, where should my influence be? And how will the anticipated changing of the direction of our church affect me, how I live my life, how I worship God, and how I communicate His truth and hope to others around me? Will my legacy outlive me?
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