Tribes & configurations: postmodern church implications (1)

Let’s unpack the opening line from my previous entry: “Pentecost weekend 2007: a postmodern tribal event if there ever was one!” Tribes in the Australian bush or deepest, darkest Africa okay, but occidental postmodern tribes?!

Postmodern tribes are micro-societies, says Anne-Marie Green*, formed around interest based cultures, that transcend class, social status and even age.
For example, a person may belong to a musical tribe, and silently proclaims that by a particular label of clothes and other “badges” that the young person will wear and by which s/he identifies with her/his tribe.

A postmodern badge

(I had an oh-so-cool orange Led Zeppelin t-shirt that I acquired during a high school trip to the Jersey shore with my friends. I of course sported until it had gone well past dust cloth status!)

Tribal Configurations
According to Bernard Cova and Marco Roncaglio, postmodern tribal groupings are composed of the individual, the nucleus or core group and occasional huge gatherings that stimulate the imagination.**


Postmodern tribal social configurations have tremendous implications for the forms that postmodern ekklesia (church) could or should or will take. More about at the end of the month… once I return from vacation!

* Anne-Marie Green, Des jeunes et des musiques: Rock, Rap, Techno… (Paris: L’Harmattan, 1997). Professor Green teaches sociology at the Paris X University and musicology at Paris IV.
** Adapted from Bernard Cova and Marco Roncalglio, “Repérer et soutenir des tribus de consommateurs ?” Décisions Marketing, no.16 (janvier-avril 1999).

Mission Attitude: Pentecôte 2007

Pentecost weekend 2007: a postmodern tribal event if there ever was one!
(But all of you aspiring cultural anthropologists will need to wait for my next entry for more on that.) Over 3000* evangelical French youth gathered in Valence, France to cultivate a missional mindset — Mission Attitude!

Stéphane Lauzet, president of the French Evangelical Alliance,
organized the event (with the help of many French evangelical youth leaders) toward the goal of mobilizing French youth to be on mission for Christ in a needy world

Pentecôte 2007 (see: www.pentecote2007.com)

I had a major role at this festival… I was one of the taxi drivers that enabled the youth group from the Eglise Protestante Evangélique de Dijon Est (Grace Brethren Church of East Dijon) to attend!

The Dijon GBC youth group


Jérémie (above) and Christelle (below) are our fearless youth group facilitators.


Christelle beat Baptist to the top on their climb to help provide computers for an African Christian organization

Tim joined our youth group for the weekend (there is no evangelical church in his village)

Phill cultivating a mission attitude!

"My mummy makes yummy sandwiches!" says Etienne, whose parents also played a vital role — they cooked for us throughout the entire weekend! Guillaume and Baptist (below) enjoyed the pool at Etienne's uncle's house where we pitched our tents to camp for the weekend.




Elise & Antonia had things well under control


Julien helping Terrence get a better view of the band


Cultivating an even greater appreciation for coffee than when I began working with French students in 1988 ;-)


Late nights made for stimulating breakfast discussions (lol)


The French Grace Brethren Churches were well represented: Amandine (above) is from the Chalon GBC & Melissa (below) from the Lyon GBC




Dijon was well represented. "J.T.M.," the main worship band at Pentecost 2007, is from the Full Gospel church in Dijon.


Matt Redman led a concert of worship that truly gave us a delicious taste of heaven


Redman & friends adroitly utilized lighting and ballet to amplify an already powerful time in God's presence, honoring Jesus — the light of the world


This gentleman shared how he turned from being a follower of Mohamed to become a follower of Christ


Timothée Paton shared how God called him from being a youth pastor in the north of France to helping and sharing Christ with street children in Cambodia

Especially pertinent were the stories by the mayor of a French village and a young woman who is today a high government official, of how they are serving Christ in the public arena. Of course there was theater, many other concerts, speakers, workshops and forums all to promote a mindset of being on mission for Christ wherever, whenever.

May France and places beyond be transformed by the small steps and giant leaps of these young people!

Brother Andrew, founder of Open Doors, issued a Zinzendorf-ish challenge to be willing to "do anything, go anywhere, at anytime" for Christ

* Just a note to remind you why France is truly a mission field, 1% of all professing French evangelicals were at this festival (3,500 people). In the United States, 1% of all professing American evangelicals would total about 980,000.