Starting a Theology Pub
On Friday, Oct. 16 at annual Convention for the Diocese of Olympia, the Commission for Emerging Mission (CFEM) will be sponsoring a workshop on doing Theology Pub. I will be facilitating that time with a basic introduction. Since we will not have the much time, I thought I would post some thoughts, tips, tricks, etc. here and point people to this page. Many of us here on Anglimergent have probably been leading theology pubs for years, so please add your tips and tricks to mine so we can share the love all around.
Why Theology in a Pub?
Theology in a pub is more than just an opportunity to feel cool. It provides an opportunity to get outside the confines of the church building and rub shoulders with the folks you pass by on the street and sit next to on the bus. It provides a setting that relaxes the body and mind enough to speak freely about the deepest questions humanity wrestles with on a daily basis. Sometimes it is easy to be drawn into thinking a certain kind of way when sitting in a church or someone's home, but in a pub all bets are off and we can be free. A little ale usually helps in that process :) It is helpful to remember that Pub is short for Public, so this is a way of engaging in public theology, a much needed concept in our world and in our church.
Releasing Theology from the Prison of the Academy
Look there is nothing inherently wrong with academic theology, in fact we need good theologians who devote their lives to the discipline. But in an open source and increasingly diverse world seminary and schools of theology are no longer the only place where theological conversations can take place. One way to talk about this is to say we are taking theology out of the academy and getting it on the streets. When this happens, suddenly theological talk ceases to be homogenous and begins to engage everyday reality. It is amazing to listen to theological insights from computer programmers, laborers, baristas, alongside the pastors and classically trained theologians and scholars.
Tips and Tricks
There are a lot of ways to set up and run Theology Pub, so I'll just offer up some thoughts that border on common sense and of what worked for me. But first a word of warning: if you choose to advertise your group avoid calling it Theology on Tap as you may get a call from a random Roman Catholic proclaiming they have exclusive rights to that name. This actually happened to a friend of mine in the Bay area this year. So any variation you may want to name it will be find other than that one.
The first thing you'll want to consider is a way to facilitate the conversations. Whether you have one or several facilitators that rotate, this is maybe the most important role to have. The facilitator is the one who keeps the conversation flowing and makes sure that everyone is involved. The facilitator does not necessarily need to be the one to come up with the topic or to be the leader, though it could work that way. There can be guest presenters, topical series', or one running conversation, it doesn't really matter. What matters is that everyone's voice is heard and everyone's questions are on the table. In my experience it is easy for some people to dominate theology pub conversations. I think this may have something with how deep theological investigation goes into one's soul, but it also has to do with pathology. The facilitator's primary role is keep this from happening.
Relax. One of the things that church folk can be good at and lean toward, especially the liturgically oriented, is being highly structured. Be sure to remember the space that you are in. Pubs are relaxing and they are a place without structure. But this is not to say there is no liturgy at the pub. Maybe spend time in the pub and get to know the regulars and in listening to their stories of gathering together you will discover the ethos and rhythm of their shared life. People go to the pub to relax, share stories, and live life together. This ethos is important to know about when you gather together with people at the pub to talk and live theology.
One last thing is determining a rhythm. Weekly gatherings is likely too much, but monthly gatherings may not be enough. I've seen an every other week option to work really well, but don't take that to be a template. The key factor I think is where you meet. I have done the rotating pub idea, and it worked for a short time, but I eventually found a place that worked and kept going back to the same place. We found a place that had a side room that was quieter and more conducive to conversation. That is just something to keep in mind, because it is hard to have a conversation in a loud pub. This may mean you can't meet in a pub and you'll need to come up with another idea and meet in cafe's or coffee shops or bookstores. Be contextual.
So if you have other thoughts, feel free to add your ideas and questions. Have fun with it!
Why Theology in a Pub?
Theology in a pub is more than just an opportunity to feel cool. It provides an opportunity to get outside the confines of the church building and rub shoulders with the folks you pass by on the street and sit next to on the bus. It provides a setting that relaxes the body and mind enough to speak freely about the deepest questions humanity wrestles with on a daily basis. Sometimes it is easy to be drawn into thinking a certain kind of way when sitting in a church or someone's home, but in a pub all bets are off and we can be free. A little ale usually helps in that process :) It is helpful to remember that Pub is short for Public, so this is a way of engaging in public theology, a much needed concept in our world and in our church.
Releasing Theology from the Prison of the Academy
Look there is nothing inherently wrong with academic theology, in fact we need good theologians who devote their lives to the discipline. But in an open source and increasingly diverse world seminary and schools of theology are no longer the only place where theological conversations can take place. One way to talk about this is to say we are taking theology out of the academy and getting it on the streets. When this happens, suddenly theological talk ceases to be homogenous and begins to engage everyday reality. It is amazing to listen to theological insights from computer programmers, laborers, baristas, alongside the pastors and classically trained theologians and scholars.
Tips and Tricks
There are a lot of ways to set up and run Theology Pub, so I'll just offer up some thoughts that border on common sense and of what worked for me. But first a word of warning: if you choose to advertise your group avoid calling it Theology on Tap as you may get a call from a random Roman Catholic proclaiming they have exclusive rights to that name. This actually happened to a friend of mine in the Bay area this year. So any variation you may want to name it will be find other than that one.
The first thing you'll want to consider is a way to facilitate the conversations. Whether you have one or several facilitators that rotate, this is maybe the most important role to have. The facilitator is the one who keeps the conversation flowing and makes sure that everyone is involved. The facilitator does not necessarily need to be the one to come up with the topic or to be the leader, though it could work that way. There can be guest presenters, topical series', or one running conversation, it doesn't really matter. What matters is that everyone's voice is heard and everyone's questions are on the table. In my experience it is easy for some people to dominate theology pub conversations. I think this may have something with how deep theological investigation goes into one's soul, but it also has to do with pathology. The facilitator's primary role is keep this from happening.
Relax. One of the things that church folk can be good at and lean toward, especially the liturgically oriented, is being highly structured. Be sure to remember the space that you are in. Pubs are relaxing and they are a place without structure. But this is not to say there is no liturgy at the pub. Maybe spend time in the pub and get to know the regulars and in listening to their stories of gathering together you will discover the ethos and rhythm of their shared life. People go to the pub to relax, share stories, and live life together. This ethos is important to know about when you gather together with people at the pub to talk and live theology.
One last thing is determining a rhythm. Weekly gatherings is likely too much, but monthly gatherings may not be enough. I've seen an every other week option to work really well, but don't take that to be a template. The key factor I think is where you meet. I have done the rotating pub idea, and it worked for a short time, but I eventually found a place that worked and kept going back to the same place. We found a place that had a side room that was quieter and more conducive to conversation. That is just something to keep in mind, because it is hard to have a conversation in a loud pub. This may mean you can't meet in a pub and you'll need to come up with another idea and meet in cafe's or coffee shops or bookstores. Be contextual.
So if you have other thoughts, feel free to add your ideas and questions. Have fun with it!
Comment
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Comment by jon myers on October 20, 2009 at 9:07pm -
James-good to hear from you, it sounds like things are going perfectly for you. I hope I'm in Houston some day and could join ya'll.
As for starting one up from a pragmatic, Tim, I couldn't have said it any better. Mary, I hoped that was more helpful than what I offered. I'm not quite sure if you are saying the convention or my church group is ready made, but either way I'm afraid that any group you want to start this with should be amenable to talking theology in a public setting. As for the academy pushing theology more than the street I would say of course it is. They have all the resources and time and people to listen to them. That needs to change from my perspective, not to say theology needs to be taken out of the academy altogether as that wouldn't make much sense. I'm seeking a new kind of balance. We need to listen to a broader range of voices is my only point.
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Comment by Tim Mathis on October 20, 2009 at 8:58pm - yeah, I agree - there's been some discussion at St. Margaret's about starting up a group - I think there's definitely space for it on the Eastside.
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Comment by Mary MacKenzie on October 20, 2009 at 8:54pm - Thanks. That's really helpful. Don't know if we'll do it, especially since you're already doing it nearby. I think Crossroads in Bellevue would be a great venue - it's already a natural community gathering place. Wonder if Resurrection folks would consider doing it.
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Comment by Tim Mathis on October 20, 2009 at 8:28pm
- We've (kind of) started up from scratch several times - or at least from not much. Here's how I would go about the process: 1) Start with a facilitator willing to guide conversations for at least a six-month startup commitment - you've got to have a long-term commitment to establish a routine and culture. 2) Determine your method of conversation facilitation (ours has worked to just throw out a topic and let people run with it, having the facilitator keep people involved but allow the community to drive the discussion) 3) start w/a church base and advertise through that community and invite members to invite their friends 4) take a few gatherings to find a pub that works but aim to eventually stick w/the same place so people can get used to the rhythm and build a word-of-mouth. 5) once you have a rhythm down, begin to invite folks through public venues - google groups, facebook, meetup.org, public bulletin boards, etc. 6) take it for what it is and meet regularly - don't get discouraged if only a few people show up - this is dinner and drinks w/friends, a front door to a church community, or a chance for folks to talk about religion who might not have other outlets to do so. In my year of facilitating I don't know that we've ever had more than 10 people show up, and there have been weeks when the only 3 people who showed up had really meaningful conversation, which to me is what it's about. 6) keep it natural and laid back. Dinner and drinks is the ethos.
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Comment by Mary MacKenzie on October 20, 2009 at 5:18pm
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Jon, You haven't actually offered any nuts-and-bolts information on how to start a theology pub from scratch. Could you help us out here? I very much enjoyed the one at convention, but you had a ready-made group that wanted to talk theology in a pub and a space already set aside and amenable to that use of their business.
Also, I have found that the "academy" is pushing the envelope a lot more than folks on the street, rather than being "imprisoned" they are very free to think.
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Comment by James Derkits on October 20, 2009 at 9:57am -
Jon-thanks for sharing this! Good work. I've been doing a Bible study in a bar for Pentecost. I'm in Houston. We started at a bar just a few blocks from the church, but they didn't serve food, so we moved to another Noise has been an issue at both, but we're dealing with it. We are reading through mark right now, one chapter at a time. We read through once to get a sense of the chapter, taking turns to hear different voices. Then we read it in chunks taking time to discuss. I state at the beginning that there is no agenda but to discuss what we hear. And we usually end by asking "So what?" "So, what do we take away from this reading, back into the rest of our lives?" I try to do some preparation beforehand, but not always. Either way, the conversation has been rich, and we have had some interesting theological discussion along the way.
My favorite week, though, was the week someone stumbled over and started yelling belligerently at me. He walked up just as I did, so I didn't know if he was with our group, and the group didn't know if he was with me. So we had some small-talk sprinkled with plenty of colorful language, and then a waitress came over to ask him to leave (apparently he had just upset someone at another table.) Now, that's context.
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Comment by jon myers on October 19, 2009 at 8:18pm
- That is tough. One option would be to start another pub and design it for community and conversation. Obviously that takes capital and business minds. The other option would be to find a night of the week where the pub is slower and maybe they'll work with you on keeping the music down or just giving you a section. Of course it needs to be worth it to them financially to do so. So if you have enough people to buy up drinks they might go with it.
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Comment by Br. James Patrick Hall on October 19, 2009 at 6:34pm -
I have been facilitating a Theology on Tap since June, and that loud pub problem is the single largest issue. There are precious few bars in my small town (suburb of Tulsa), so we moved it to the (only) coffeeshop, which also has a noise problem. I do NOT want to move it to a Church.
We could move to the larger town of Tulsa, but then loose the local witness we originally wanted. Any ideas?
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