Viva La Documentary

So I am in Cuernavaca again. I know, big surprise! But this trip is a little different than those that I have taken in the past. Instead of going primarily to work with a church, I am going to be making a documentary. I know it is a little weird, but hear me out. Mitchell (my brother) and I have tried to think of a way that we would be able to tell Cuernavaca’s story—in its own words. I asked for his help in allowing me to share what I have learned here with all of you. And we thought, What better way to do that than with a film? Isn’t that the medium with which our culture feels most comfortable? So we decided to shoot a 15-20 minute piece (whose title we are not yet revealing) about the church and the city that surrounds it.

The film is (at least at this point) going to set out to accomplish basically two goals:
1. It is going to introduce the audience (both American and Mexican) to an established church plant that exists without missionaries. It is going to briefly answer the question, What does a foreign church plant (that was envisioned, planted, and supported by American churches) look like years after its establishment and the exodus of its missionaries? What kinds of struggles are they dealing with? What do they need from us—if anything? Etc.

2. The film is also going to introduce the audience to the social injustices of the community surrounding the church. It is going to answer the question, What are some of the issues with which the church could become involved in order to bring about a kingdom ministry? What is meant by the term “social justice”? (This will be answered by showing what social injustice is an allowing the audience to answer for themselves what justice is.) What are some practical ways that the church could become more actively involved with its local community in an effort to be Jesus to it?

I think this last aspect will accomplish two things within the church in Cuernavaca. The first is that the church will begin to embrace its role as kingdom bringer to its community. This will lead them to where Christ’s church has always intended to be. The second is that it will provide a communal/congregational vision for the church. It will help them to focus on something other than survival.

What the film will not address is the question of how—really about anything. The film is not here to answer as many questions as it is to pose appropriate questions that audiences can answer for themselves. I once heard someone say, “So this film is like teaching people to tie a shoe?” My response was, “No. We are trying to teach people that there is a shoe that needs to be tied—we’ll let them figure out how to tie it.”

What I would like is to see this film as a discussion piece—not trying so much to teach something, as to allow the viewer to create his/her own answer to the questions and to share them with the community in which the film is viewed and with us (the filmmakers).

What do you think of this idea? Does it sound beneficial? Does it sound like we are taking on too much?