Farewell Anglican Cathedral of Second Life

Back in Feb 07 I came up with the wild idea of planting an Anglican Cathedral in the virtual World of Second Life.  A couple of amazing people caught that vision and in July of 07 the first service was held in the newly built Cathedral.  Over the past two years that wild idea has grown into a real, substantial ministry with there now being offered 7 services a week, a bible study, discussion group and hundreds of encounters, all conducted online.  And the time has come for me to retire from this pioneer ministry.  The hugely competent leadership team will take the ministry forward and I am certain that it will grow and continue to influence how we understand church. This weekend is my final service, my farewell and you are welcome to attend!

The service is Saturday 8pm Los Angeles time. Click here to see what time this is where you are.

Curious what the ministry will do going forward? Check out the blog post on the Anglican Cathedral of Second Life blog by clicking here.

To get to the Cathedral

If you are signed up to Second Life: to get to the Cathedral to attend the service click here.

If you need to sign up to Second Life: check out my blog post by clicking here.

For more background info see: Christian Mission to a Virtual World (1569)

My Hope For The Church

I am really bothered by the slowly eroding influence of the church in the West.  Our message is still as fresh and as deeply relevant today as it was thousands of years ago.  And without a doubt we continue to have something important to offer society.  So it is with this conviction that I share my hopes for the church.

My hope is that we the church take the time to understand the society we seek to influence and serve, and out of this observation we shape our offerings to meet the contemporary reality.

My hope is that we the church are seen within the local community as an amazing resource for assisting people in navigating the challenges of life.

My hope is that we the church are an outspoken advocate for the poor, the marginalized and those with mental illness.

My hope is that we the church focus on growing people as well as congregations.  We certainly need more people in church but equally we need those people to be growing in their faith.

My hope is that evangelism becomes part of the church culture and not some uncomfortable add on.

My hope is that the Bible will become not just a peripheral resource but a central part of the church’s practice and identity.

My hope is that creativity is encouraged within the church and that creative people are given more say and influence.

My hope is that we the church can honestly discuss the reality of our situation and see any predicament as a glorious opportunity for change.

What is your hope for the church?

To download a copy of ‘My Hope for the Church’ click here:   My Hope For The Church (398)

Email from Pres. Obama

Got an email from President Obama today.  He just wanted to let me know some of what he is doing. Nice of him to take the time.
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So I sent the following reply:

Thanks for your email Mr. President.  Hope all is well with you and your family?  Louise and the kids are all well, although challenging times with the cold here in Wellington.  Speaking of which, if you ever come by New Zealand let me know, be lovely to have you all round for a BBQ.

Have a great day!

Regards,  Mark Brown

For the full Obama email click below.. Continue reading »

Is Faith Good For Your Health?

After completing my theology degree I decided to complete a certificate in pastoral care that included one year of chaplaincy at a chronic psychiatric hospital.  In that year two particular things struck me: I became curious by the amount of spiritual talk amongst patients and how the medical system dismissed it as just another symptom. This discovery led to me completing a Masters degree in Art Therapy and concentrating my thesis on creating an assessment tool to assist in discerning what was genuine faith expression.

Over that year I also realised how much unhelpful mythology surrounded those with a mental illness. There is a real need for us in the church to understand better what it means to have a mental illness and what we can do to promote their health and welcome them into our community.  One person who is eminently capable of resourcing us is Therese Borchard, one of the top bloggers in the mental health field. So it is great to welcome her again to Brownblog.  She writes:

In February “Time” Magazine published some fascinating articles on the “biology of belief”: how . Folks who attend church services on Sunday have a lower risk of dying in any one year than the guys who sleep in, read the paper, and skip all holy activities. “Spirituality predicts for better disease control,” says Dr. Gail Ironson, a professor of psychiatry and psychology at the University of Miami who studies HIV and religious belief.
Okay. So how? What exactly happens in a brain when a person sings “Alleluia!” that makes her more resilient to illness than the nonbeliever? Here are 8 ways faith can heal.

1. Faith provides social support.

Not surprisingly, a major reason why regular churchgoers have half the risk of dying over the next eight years as people who skip religious services is due to the social support gained by a church community. One consistent happiness key is weaving a network of support for yourself. We all need a security net. If you go to church regularly, and especially if you get involved in your parish or church community, that social support is provided. Also, regular churchgoers are more likely to GIVE support to others, and this act of generosity–any altruistic activity, really–promotes better health.

2. Faith engages the senses.

I never thought about it this way until reading the quote by Ted Kaptchuk, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, in the “Time” article. He says, “Religious belief is not just a mind question but involves the commitment of one’s body as well. The sensory organs, tastes, smells, sounds, music, the architecture of religious buildings [are involved].”

He’s so right. That’s why, when I’m in a bad place, I often go sit in an empty church and find comfort there, looking at the stained-glass windows, the sapphire ceiling with stars, the wooden stations of the cross, and the statues of the saints. I will light a few votive candles, for all my intentions, and also for those whose intentions got accidentally blown out last Sunday by my kids. This sensory experience is also why I’m brought to tears at Christmas time when I hear a beautiful version of “O Holy Night.”

3. Faith reinforces a belief system.

Did you know that you’re happier and healthier when you think that you’re right (regardless of whether or not you really are).

Think about the last fight you had with your family. If you and your sister “won” it (your brother got down on his knees … “I was so very wrong”), you know that primal feeling of superiority that I’m talking about: the one that apes experience, and insecure people like myself. But the apes and immature folks are merely confirming a theory that positive psychologists have known for a long time: that people bond when they hold common opinions and beliefs, and this kind of bonding leads to happiness. It’s like a positive gossip session.

Church is all about this kind of bonding. You believe that God sent his only son so that we might have life and have it more abundantly? ME TOO! Get out! Continue reading »

Personal Announcement Regarding my Involvement in the Anglican Ministry in Second Life

This June will signify two and a half years of founding the Anglican Cathedral in Second Life and two years of offering worship services. Over that time we have grown to seven services, a discussion group, Bible Study and numerous fellowship, prayer and counseling encounters around the virtual Cathedral. And over that time the leadership of the ministry has matured into a robust and impressive leadership team.

The time has come for me to retire from active involvement in the Second Life Anglican ministry.  The plan is to remain involved in an advisory capacity. On the 14th of June I will be stepping down from the leadership team, leading services and in being involved in the day to day operations.  This decision is brought about due to increasing time pressures in my personal and professional life including a growing family and new responsibilities within my work and ministries .

I want to assure you that the ministry of the Anglican Cathedral in the virtual world will continue to flourish in this time of transition and beyond, under the expert guidance of the leadership team.

It is a real pleasure to serve God in this unusual setting.  I am firmly convinced that God is the God of the virtual space.  There is much the church needs to do to make the most of the internet; this isn’t about producing yet another website or blog, but of reconfiguring what church is, to best interface with the digital generation.  But also, we the church need to speak boldly into that same generation so as to influence it towards all that we hold dear in the Anglican tradition.

An exciting mission indeed!

God bless,

Rev Mark Brown

The Leadership Team have also released a Statement about my retirement.  Check it out by clicking here.

Success by numbers

I have recently been exploring the point of Twitter curious as to why people are interested in the intimate details of one’s life.  But actually most of my experience of Twitter is much more about driving traffic to a website or blog.  So it is one big brand/advertising machine.  I followed one person who sent me the this typical automatic response:

Thanks for the follow! Do you want to know How To Dramatically Increase Your Followers & Make Money?

And then they were kind enough to provide me with a link to find out how I could ‘Dramatically Increase Your Followers & Make Money’ and perhaps even buy a potion that cures most ailments. Nice.

Now let me talk about followers/friends.  In this social network world it is easy to find yourself defined by how many are following/friending you. Andrew Keen argues that more talent = more followers.   Seth Goden hasn’t helped this by enthusiastically arguing that all of us are capable of leading a ‘tribe’ as he calls it.  Well the reality is, most people won’t have 50,000 followers and won’t lead a ‘tribe’.  What will happen is that a few will be hugely popular and the majority will not.  To suggest that talent is defined by how many people are following you is one shallow metric.

And we in the church are also prone to equating success with numbers.  The bigger the church the more successful the pastor?  Well?

And here is a confession, I buy into that equation and that is wrong.  I have been known to throw numbers around, to play the game.  Actually what triggered this reflection for me was reading a blog post that mentioned the Anglican Cathedral of Second Life,

By the way, also found this online church in Second Life, The Anglican Cathedral in Second Life, with 7 services weekly and about 600 members in its associated discussion group.

Check it out at : http://digital.leadnet.org/

Well actually the numbers of active participants is closer to 300 and most services get between 5 and 25 participants each service which equates to around 100 people attending the services each week.

So the challenge  for me is to engage with this culture without becoming seduced by it.  To take the time to think critically and biblically.

So what of this particular issue, of success by numbers?  Well Jesus certainly did address crowds as his popularity grew, but most of his attention was on his relationship with his Father (time alone) and then the disciples, of which there were only a few.  And this pattern continues into the early church as recorded in the Epistles.

So considerable time should be spent investing in a small group of those close to us (including our family), and heaps of time relating to God through prayer and reading the Bible.  And when the opportunity presents, speak out of these relationships to a larger audience.  So we don’t seek a larger audience, we respond if one emerges.  The key is that success is defined not by ‘followers’, but in relation to God, and to how well we influence the few closest to us.

What do you think?

An extraordinary WEEK

Holy week is the week in the Christian calendar.  The time when we pause to recall the enormity of the crucifiction and resurrection of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ.  And what an amazing week it has been!

Early in the week I had the pleasure of chatting to Dr. Eric Stoddart  Lecturer in Practical Theology at the Uni. of St Andrews in Scotland.  We talked through a lecture I am participating in on Pastoral Care in the virtual setting in May.  That will be fun. And then ten minutes later I was on Radio Rhema’s morning show being interviewed about Facebook and Twitter.  Spoke about the Status Bar Sermonette Movement I started which aims to preach the Word of God in a 120 letters within the Facebook status bar.  I also shared about Twitter and spoke about @Bible4U which I started a few weeks back where I send Bible passages most days + plus the occasional inspirational message. Presently it has some 2,500 followers!  Speaking of Facebook, the stats around it are unbelievable .  There are now more than 175 million active users and more than 850 million photos uploaded to the site each month. Wow.

And then a few days ago I received confirmation that I will be speaking at a Symposium on Christianity in the Digital Space at St John’s College, Durham Uni., in the UK in July. Continue reading »

Have I failed Lent?

I took the decision to give up Facebook and Twitter for Lent.  Not really sure why, just seemed like a good idea to deny myself something I was commited to.  Thing is, it completely failed.  Why?  Continue reading »

Good to feel normal again

For the past 12 days I have been battling bronchitis and battling is the right word.  Massive headaches, wild body temperatures, teeth rattling coughing, and way to much 2am TV.  But tomorrow I head back to work (yay).  The worst is now behind me.

Speaking of work, as my body recovered and the killer headache finally subsided, I found myself more mentally alert than I have been in ages.  I realised how long I have been operating tired.  Pushing myself to keep performing.  Being tired had become my usual operating mode.  So as I head back to work, to normal life, I will keep that in mind.  Notice when things start to slide, take measures to keep as rested as possible.  See how we go!

Getting a bit academic now

The Australian Religion Studies Review is publishing a journal focused on Religion and Spirituality in Cyberspace some time next year and is calling for papers. The Australian Religion Studies Review describes itself as, ‘the leading journal of the Pacific region dealing with all aspects of the academic study of religion.’ I am seriously thinking about writing a paper, maybe a case study on the Anglican Cathedral of Second Life?  Might even re-write The Digital Revolution and the Church (1348).

You interested in writing something?  For more info on what they are looking for check out below. Continue reading »