Horizontal religion: congregating - Column

Christian Century, Oct 13, 1993 by Jackson W. Carroll

WHAT DOES this church mean to you?" the pastor asks a parishioner during "Moments for Ministry" at the morning worship service. "It means relationships with others, renewal of my spiritual life, warmth and friendships," she responds. She has prefaced her response by speaking with conviction about her strong relationship with Jesus Christ, first nurtured in her home church in Kansas, where her father was Sunday school superintendent for 60 years.

The woman being interviewed, Julie Gionet, is president of the congregation's women's organization, Earlier she had recalled the roots of the "Old-Fashioned Box and Pie Social" that the women are sponsoring for Valentine's Day. Such suppers were a popular event in her home church in Kansas, She said that the first time she had prepared a box for a supper, her father had proudly bought her box and was her escort for the evening. The congregation applauds loudly as the interview concludes.

The congregation is Rancho Capistrano Community Church near San Juan Capistrano, California. The interviewer is the pastor, Robert A. Schuller, son of the well-known TV preacher, Robert H. Schuller, pastor of the Crystal Cathedral, some 30 miles to the north.

Rancho Capistrano Community Church sits on a hillside a few hundred yards from the busy I-5 freeway. A cross identifies the building as a church. Although no denominational affiliation is advertised, it is a congregation of the Reformed Church in America. About ten years old, the church has an average morning attendance of 400 at two services.

Access is through the grounds of Rancho Capistrano, a former working ranch and now the Crystal Cathedrals spiritual renewal center. The congregation is housed in a "Butler building"--a prefabricated structure that previously had been the ranchs warehouse. The building has been tastefully renovated in a contemporary California mission style. Temporary buildings like those used for the overflow from public school classrooms stand behind the main church building and house the Sunday school and weekday nursery classes. A sign at the main entrance tells the visitor what to expect:

 All are welcome
 Nursery care provided
 Sunday School
 Good music
 Positive messages
 Friendly people

In visiting the congregation, I was intrigued by several related questions: How much is the younger Schuller influenced by his famous father? (Having seen the son on the "Hour of Power" broadcast, I had been struck by physical and stylistic similarities.) Would he and the Rancho Capistrano congregation also be similar theologically--a sort of junior-varsity Crystal Cathedral, an outpost of "possibility thinking"? Or would Rancho Capistrano be more representative of the Reformed tradition? After all, the congregation is affiliated with the RCA, and the younger Schuller is a graduate of Fuller Seminary. which has strong Reformed roots.

On entry, we were warmly welcomed by the official greeter and several members. The narthex stretches the full width of the building. On one wall is a large map of the world with pins indicating the congregations support of various mission programs. There is also an architects rendering of proposed new facilities. A table displays books for sale, including those authored by the two Schullers.

The low-ceilinged sanctuary has a center aisle with cushioned pews on either side. In the pew one finds an RCA hymnal (but these are not much used, since hymn texts are printed in the bulletin) and a Possibility Thinkers Version of the Bible, prepared and distributed by the eider Schullers ministries. Verses with a positive message are highlighted in blue. (Highlighted sections do not include the passion narratives.) Live plants embellish the wooden arches that support the ceiling. The wall to the right is solid; the left wall is glass and looks out on a landscaped hillside garden replete with waterfall, reflecting pool and memorial benches.

At the front of the sanctuary is a low platform. A large wooden cross stands in one comer, surrounded by plants. A communion table sits in front of the cross. In the opposite corner is the choir loft. The central lectern-pulpit is constructed of clear Plexiglas and holds an open Bible.

As we enter, the "preparation for worship" is already in progress. Two young women with guitars are singing contemporary praise choruses and gospel hymns. The congregation is predominantly white; no more than a half-dozen nonwhites are present. Most participants are young and middle-aged couples (many with children). Dress ranges from casual to more traditional Sunday garb. The singers encourage everyone to sing along and we do.

At the end of the preparatory service a crimson-robed choir enters, followed by Schuller in a gray robe with an academic hood. A laywoman, Patricia Nye, accompanies him. Nye is an eider in the church and, Schuller tells the congregation, she is adept at helping others discern their spiritual gifts.

Schuller is a tall, handsome man with black hair and a booming voice. Following a choral call to worship, he greets the congregation enthusiastically, using the phrase made familiar by his father: "God loves you and so do I!" The congregation greets one another in the same manner--their way of passing the peace. As they do, Schuller moves down the aisle to the center of the church and asks members to join hands. He offers a brief prayer. The choir sings "Wonderful Peace" as worshipers move back to their seats. The congregation applauds the anthem. From the lectern, Nye announces the Scripture--l Corinthians 12--which, she says, she will read "in preparation for Reverend Schullers message."