"The Culture-Shaping Church: the beach, the Gospel and five big rocks

Clint Kemp is his name. He's an entrepreneur, little known pastor and thirteenth generation native of the Bahamas. Maybe you haven't heard of him yet, but he is changing the face of Christianity in the Bahamian culture. His story sheds new light on how the church can once again regain influence in culture. The story of this community being the church provides an entirely new paradigm to consider for those experimenting with pressing the Gospel forward in the context of American culture.

My wife and I took a detour during our recent vacation in the Bahamas to spend a day with our new friend. We met Clint at our hotel in Nassau, jumped into his eco-friendly car and off we went across the island.

Our first conversation turned to the challenges the major resort hotels are having on the Nassau culture and environment. His unique perspective on this topic foreshadowed his unique way of being a Christian in his culture.

As we drove through the city streets, he began telling us his story. His church used to be more of a seeker-friendly style, attracting the un-churched with a great Sunday service and environment. Over time though, he recognized that this model of church was not creating the kind of Christ-followers that could revolutionize the island. He wanted more for his people and this sent him on a journey to discover the deeper life and experience Christ was calling their church to become.

As we pulled into the parking lot of his church, I couldn't help but notice the sign reading in large letters: NEW PROVIDENCE COMMUNITY CENTER. At the bottom of the sign in very small letters it read, "Where New Providence Community Church meets". This small sign spoke volumes. It starts with the simple fact that Clint understands and is committed to true community.
This sign also illustrates the way their church sees their role in culture. They had created a "community center" that could serve their neighbors in tangible ways while also being a place to have spiritual conversations about life. From after-school training in Taekwando and gymnastics, to formal art lessons and pottery creation, it was obvious that their view of the "church" is a place that serves the community?painting a vivid picture of how the church can shape and influence society and culture at large.

Next, we walked outside and visited their gardens and greenhouse complex. On Sunday mornings, children work in the gardens with their parents. Tending to the plants, they develop a spiritual understanding of God's creation, the environment and how it symbolizes so much about their relationship to God's design.

As we left the gardens, I noticed five large, 20 ton, boulders surrounding a reflective pool, each having its own walkway to approach it. This is an art installation several artists in the community created representing the five main areas of focus for their church. The first rock, painted entirely red, represents their battle against AIDS and the service to those affected by it. (Nassau has one of the highest concentrated areas of AIDS cases in the first world. The church is a part of piloting programs to cut occurrences in half.) Three additional boulders represent Economic Justice, Grace, and Reconciliation. The fifth rock, which represents Environmental Justice, was covered with shards of glass and trash collected from a beach clean up.

Finally, Clint took us to a location called "Sacred Space". Forty feet below us we saw the crystal clear waters of the Atlantic Ocean crashing against the cliffs. This area used to be an environmental wasteland, serving for years as the unofficial island dump. Littered with trash, appliances, old tires, furniture and garbage - the entire location had become overgrown.

New Providence Community Church decided to adopt this place and began restoring it. They believed that as followers of Christ, they had a responsibility to redeem this hideous, corrupted area of the island. For two years, their people spent days and weekends removing the trash and cleaning the entire space. Many of the island's artists and environmentalists caught wind of this and became interested in the project. One world renowned artist created 12 carvings of Jesus' disciples from the fallen trees. Another hung custom designed wind chimes throughout the area, while others cleared away the brush. Today, the space is a favorite spot to visit for local Bahamians, tourists and even celebrities. The breathtaking sunset views create an amazing spiritual experience - but more than that, it's a testimony to the leaders of the Island, of how a community can be a significant part of the restoration of all things within their community.

As we were standing at the edge of the cliffs in this beautiful space, Clint shared with me that over the past six months, his spiritual discipline had been to watch the sunset three nights a week. He recalled that the first couple of months felt like staring into space; but then, in a moment, it all changed. It was the deepest soul connection he had ever experienced with the Father.

Then Clint made one of the most profound statements I have heard in relation to the church in western society. He said, "Gabe, over the next decade, the two most effective expressions of the Gospel will be through social justice and environmental justice."

This is deeply insightful. The culture at large has become intrigued with both social injustice and environmental concerns. To understand that the essence of the Gospel has everything to do with these two mainstream obsessions should be stirring to all leaders in the church. Both research and trends show that culture at large, especially the younger generation, is naturally drawn to these two global issues. Recognizing that the expressed Gospel seeks to overcome the injustices in the world for both humankind and God's creation, should bring encouragement and renewal to the work of Christians throughout the West, providing an insight into what God might be up to in our generation.

New Providence Community Church is shaping the culture of the Bahamas because they have approached their mission with the belief that they are called to be the Gospel in the context of their community. By deciding not to make their church a place for people to come and see, they have pushed their people to go and do. And they clearly illustrate the influence one church can have when it takes this mission seriously.

This church has earned a seat at the table with the arts community, business and political leaders, and the socialites - providing an opportunity to influence the future of the island itself.

Because their work takes place in an island environment - a controlled study so to speak - it is the perfect, measurable, proving ground for the positive cultural influence Christians can have when they are engaged in promoting justice, doing good and being a force for renewal and restoration in their local context. It is my prediction that in Western culture, this approach will likely lead the next phase of church missiology. When adopted, it will be the pre-cursor to the church regaining its place as a culture-shaping institution for the common good of all mankind throughout society.

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