Being relevant in a changing world is one of the greatest challenges facing the church. Learning to accommodate the world without being assimilated into it may be our most important work in the twenty-first century. When the world and the church meet, is it cause for celebration or panic? Sister Act is a fun reminder that the world and the church aren't enemies, and that they are better off together than apart.

What difficulties does the church face when it opens its doors to people who don't share its values, beliefs, and practices?

What are the various reactions of the nuns — Reverend Mother (Maggie Smith), Mary Lazarus (Mary Wickes), Mary Patrick (Kathy Najimy), and Mary Robert (Wendy Makkena) — to Dolores (Whoopi Goldberg) when she arrives at St. Katherine's?

The iron gates around St. Katherine's are a powerful metaphor for a church that is afraid of the world that it serves. What message do we send the world when we surround ourselves with fences, gates, and locks? What are your thoughts and feelings as you watch the nuns move out into the community?

The church exists to invite people into relationship with God. How does the invitation of St. Katherine's evolve as the movie progresses? What is our invitation?

Those who transform our paradigms usually come from outside. What does Dolores bring to the St. Katherine's? How are lives changed by her presence?

The Reverend Mother represents resistance to change. Why is it so difficult for her to see the good in the paradigm shift Dolores brings? Why is it easier for her to quit than to accept change? What ultimately leads to the Reverend Mother's "conversion"?

How can we help those who resist change to deal with the sense of loss and fear that they feel?

We regularly think of the ways that we are in ministry to the world. Sister Act shows us that sometimes the world is in ministry to us. What are some valuable lessons that the church can learn from the world?

Perhaps the most important message of Sister Act is that the church is a place for celebration, singing, and joy. What are some of the other "universal languages" that we might use to be more appealing and receptive to the world?

Dan R. Dick is a former staff member of the General Board of Discipleship.

(originally posted February 21, 2000)

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