My pastor, Bill Hybels, recently told me that seldom any more does he see drama being done in the churches he visits. As someone who has been firmly committed to the art of drama in the church for more than twenty years, that is hard to hear. There once was a day when I envisioned a coming time when staff drama directors in churches would be as common as music directors. These days I’m not so sure. So is drama in jeopardy? Is it a tired art form that no longer works in the church? Do we need to move on to more post-modern, cutting edge forms of communication? Is it time for live drama to give way to creative video?

To get a handle on the answer we need to look at secular culture. Has your average Boomer, Buster, Next Gen or Tweener lost interest in drama? Are the multiplexes empty? Are people only watching reality shows on their 42-inch plasmas? Of course, the answer to these questions is “no.” Drama as an art form has existed since the 5th century before Christ. As long as human beings walk the planet there will be drama, of one type or another.

One can easily argue that people today have a huge appetite for drama. Whether it’s TV’s 24, Friday Night Lights, Thirty Rock or The Office, people continue to tune in, and in big numbers. (While there are more and more reality shows on television, the reason is largely economic. These shows are much more cost effective to produce.) Your local cinema has people lined up to see Benjamin Button; HBO’s John Adams garnered multiple awards and a loyal following.

What about live drama? Some argue that live theatre is not as culturally significant as it once was. While Broadway is struggling now, there is still a vast audience for professional theatre. But the issue of live drama verses video or film misses the point, because whether the presentation of drama is in a theatre, on a movie screen, or on television, its universal appeal is rooted in the power of story. A story well-told is not an endangered species. That’s because a good story reminds us of the joys and sorrows that we, in our humanity, hold in common.

The art of drama still has cultural currency. The issue is not that drama has lost the power of impact. Rather it is that drama done poorly does not work. My fear is that too many churches have jumped on the “drama bandwagon” without paying attention to the necessity of a leader who is trained in the art of drama. Oftentimes, those attempting to lead drama ministry in churches lack, or have no, drama training. These people are well-intentioned, and they love drama, but they do not have the skill to successfully produce drama that wields impact.

Initially, even drama that is not done well can get support from a church congregation. After all, to the church unaccustomed to drama, it is different, and it can be enjoyable for congregants to see people on stage who they never imagined being there. But the intrigue will be short-lived. If drama does not connect in a meaningful way with an audience, if it does not clearly support the overall goal of the service, then eventually it will be viewed as ineffective and unnecessary. I have spoken with numerous pastors over the years who tell me, “we did drama for a while, but it didn’t work for us.” I have a hard time with statements like that. I want to say, “it didn’t work for you because you probably weren’t doing it well.” I believe that drama will “work” in any church if it is done with a degree of excellence.

Over the years at Willow Creek our “bread and butter” approach to drama has been “slice of life” scenes—some call it “kitchen sink drama”—which are either comic or serious in approach. And I believe these still work well; however, we have also been experimenting with different approaches: creative calls to worship, live drama that is intermixed with video, spoken word, drama woven together with dance. We have also had fun doing some drama on video. Keeping one’s approach to drama fresh, and offering a variety of styles, is important if a church drama program is to flourish.

So, is drama alive and well in the church? If it isn’t, it is not because drama has somehow lost its appeal. It is ludicrous to blame the art form; rather churches themselves must assume responsibility if drama has floundered. We must not forget that drama is one of the most effective, and popular, forms of communication for people today. Rather than simply asserting that drama “no longer works,” we need to figure out what it will take to truly unleash its power in the church.

Steve Pederson
Director of Drama
Willow Creek Community Church
South Barrington, IL

Steve Pederson became the Director of Drama at Willow Creek in 1986 after teaching on the college level for 14 years. He leads a drama team of approximately 25 lay people. Team members perform as part of Willow Creek's weekend services, and also frequently contribute to conferences both at home and abroad. Steve has traveled throughout North America and Europe, as well as Australia and New Zealand, teaching and leading workshops for the Willow Creek Association on drama in the church. He has an M.A. in theatre from the University of Minnesota and a Ph.D. in theatre from the University of Iowa and is the author of Drama Ministry.