Isn’t She Beautiful - Who Came? (6)
- Posted by scott on January 25th, 2007 filed in conversatio, isn't she beautiful, mars hill, ethnography
Thus far, I’ve discussed the content of the teachings at the conference. But who came to hear them, and how were they received? It’s time for a little ethnography.
I’ll be relying on a few crowd-shot photographs and statements from those who taught for this, relying upon my (fallible) “general impressions” as a very last resort. You can see my photos here, with more from “Podro” here.
Before proceeding, we need to understand the conference’s intended audience. This is from IsntSheBeautiful.org:
Q) Who is this seminar for?
A) Pastors, Youth Pastors, small group Pastors, Worship leaders, seminary students, college students, elders, board members, church volunteers, church planters, church staff members…etc.
First, let’s talk about gender. I counted the women and men in seven photos of the crowd. The ratio of men to women was roughly 2.25 to 1 (32:16, 14:6, 9:2, 7:8, 18:4, 7:3, 19:8). This figure is far from precise due to factors such as unidentifiable / misidentified individuals, unrepresentative samples, etc. However, I did attempt to represent the crowd accurately by simply turning around and shooting to avoid the “lens bias” that often occurs when framing shots of small groups of people.
While far from equal, this 2.25:1 ratio stands in sharp contrast to that of the “Together for the Gospel” conference led by Mark Denver, Ligon Duncan, C.J. Mahaney, and Albert Mohler (think Reformed / Baptist). Tim Challies, an avid blogger wrote on 4/26/06: “There are no women at the [T4G] conference” (though anecdotally, it appears that a few did show up).
Bell pointed out that Mars Hill affirms women in all leadership roles: “…We are so passionate here about women being free to be everything that God made them to be, whether it’s elders, pastors, teachers…” At this point, many cheered and applauded. (MHBC’s lead elder is female).
I’ll be more cautious from here on out, as distinctions beyond “gender” are increasingly problematic.
Age. The majority of attendees appeared young, between 25 and 35. That said, a significant number were middle-aged and older. I would estimate that attendees ranged from 20 to 60 with the average near 31.
Race. Most were white. Among others, some were African-American, Asian, and (perhaps) Indian. I’m hesitant to speculate further and cannot offer a ratio. During a breakout session, one of the speakers remarked that “Most of us look alike – we’re white. But according the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2025, whites will make up less than 50% of the total population.” Additionally, Phillip Jenkins’ The Next Christendom was on the “further reading” list. From this, I infer that there is a general movement or ideology paving the way toward greater diversity, but little progress has been made with regard to leadership roles.
Style. This is a very informal category, but I have to mention it if only for its “amusement value.” Tremendous diversity here. I saw dreadlocks, polka dots, messy beards, plaid, dress shirts, suits, T-shirts, hoodies, etc.
But the majority were simply “trendy.” Our similarities were embarrassing. MacBooks, track jackets, fashion eyewear, RAZRs and Treos, soul patches, big white belts, fitted dress shirts and sweaters, goatees, faux-military hats, iPods, pricey jeans, khakis and cords, digital cameras, necklaces, etc.
One guy was positive he knew me from Colorado (he didn’t). I ran into several men whom I thought I recognized as well (I didn’t). I’m sure we weren’t the only ones.
[ For a very tongue-in-cheek approach to “emerging” style, see “You Might Be Emerging If…” at Purgatorio. ]
One Response to “Isn’t She Beautiful - Who Came? (6)”
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Isn’t She Beautiful - Who Came? (6)
- Posted by scott on January 25th, 2007 filed in conversatio, isn't she beautiful, mars hill, ethnography
Thus far, I’ve discussed the content of the teachings at the conference. But who came to hear them, and how were they received? It’s time for a little ethnography.
I’ll be relying on a few crowd-shot photographs and statements from those who taught for this, relying upon my (fallible) “general impressions” as a very last resort. You can see my photos here, with more from “Podro” here.
Before proceeding, we need to understand the conference’s intended audience. This is from IsntSheBeautiful.org:
Q) Who is this seminar for?
A) Pastors, Youth Pastors, small group Pastors, Worship leaders, seminary students, college students, elders, board members, church volunteers, church planters, church staff members…etc.
First, let’s talk about gender. I counted the women and men in seven photos of the crowd. The ratio of men to women was roughly 2.25 to 1 (32:16, 14:6, 9:2, 7:8, 18:4, 7:3, 19:8). This figure is far from precise due to factors such as unidentifiable / misidentified individuals, unrepresentative samples, etc. However, I did attempt to represent the crowd accurately by simply turning around and shooting to avoid the “lens bias” that often occurs when framing shots of small groups of people.
While far from equal, this 2.25:1 ratio stands in sharp contrast to that of the “Together for the Gospel” conference led by Mark Denver, Ligon Duncan, C.J. Mahaney, and Albert Mohler (think Reformed / Baptist). Tim Challies, an avid blogger wrote on 4/26/06: “There are no women at the [T4G] conference” (though anecdotally, it appears that a few did show up).
Bell pointed out that Mars Hill affirms women in all leadership roles: “…We are so passionate here about women being free to be everything that God made them to be, whether it’s elders, pastors, teachers…” At this point, many cheered and applauded. (MHBC’s lead elder is female).
I’ll be more cautious from here on out, as distinctions beyond “gender” are increasingly problematic.
Age. The majority of attendees appeared young, between 25 and 35. That said, a significant number were middle-aged and older. I would estimate that attendees ranged from 20 to 60 with the average near 31.
Race. Most were white. Among others, some were African-American, Asian, and (perhaps) Indian. I’m hesitant to speculate further and cannot offer a ratio. During a breakout session, one of the speakers remarked that “Most of us look alike – we’re white. But according the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2025, whites will make up less than 50% of the total population.” Additionally, Phillip Jenkins’ The Next Christendom was on the “further reading” list. From this, I infer that there is a general movement or ideology paving the way toward greater diversity, but little progress has been made with regard to leadership roles.
Style. This is a very informal category, but I have to mention it if only for its “amusement value.” Tremendous diversity here. I saw dreadlocks, polka dots, messy beards, plaid, dress shirts, suits, T-shirts, hoodies, etc.
But the majority were simply “trendy.” Our similarities were embarrassing. MacBooks, track jackets, fashion eyewear, RAZRs and Treos, soul patches, big white belts, fitted dress shirts and sweaters, goatees, faux-military hats, iPods, pricey jeans, khakis and cords, digital cameras, necklaces, etc.
One guy was positive he knew me from Colorado (he didn’t). I ran into several men whom I thought I recognized as well (I didn’t). I’m sure we weren’t the only ones.
[ For a very tongue-in-cheek approach to “emerging” style, see “You Might Be Emerging If…” at Purgatorio. ]
One Response to “Isn’t She Beautiful - Who Came? (6)”
-
Jason Says:
January 27th, 2007 at 7:52 pmFound you via Google…am interested what you thought of the conference, not just the overview…peace!
January 27th, 2007 at 7:52 pm
Found you via Google…am interested what you thought of the conference, not just the overview…peace!