Unlocking Creativity 

EMQ » Jan – March 2025 » Volume 61 Issue 1

Reviewed by Matt Menger, global ethnomusicology and arts coordinator for SIL, PhD candidate at Dallas International University, and arts consultant with various churches and projects in Indonesia. 

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I had the privilege of studying under Brian Schrag in 2008 as he developed the ideas that eventually became Creating Local Arts Together. As I prepared to write this review, I read this new second edition and stifled smile after smile. If you have ever talked with Brian, you cannot read this book and not hear his voice on every page.  

He is a scholar and thinker full of profound ideas. Still, this revision of the classic manual distills complex concepts and deep multidisciplinary reflection from years of teaching and application into creative, witty, practical writing, balancing rigorous scholarship with practical application.  

In this second edition of Creating Local Arts Together, Schrag offers an updated version of an already-essential manual. The book begins with foundational concepts, including a lengthy and creative theology of the arts and ethnodoxology, which is helpful even apart from the methodology which follows. The manual then moves into practical tools for research and engagement with local arts.  

Seven conversations guide readers to walk alongside communities through a collaborative process of discovering, analyzing, and sparking artistic creativity. Schrag has incorporated substantial feedback from users of the first edition, enhancing the manual’s helpfulness. Significant changes in this edition include updated terminology and more content for urban and multicultural contexts. It also includes new case studies, reflection questions, and updated resources, making it a flexible and comprehensive guide for practitioners.  

The final sections offer additional tools like a glossary, bibliography, a full index, and access to digital resources for further exploration. Of particular note is “Closing 3,” which contains the Global Ethnodoxology Network’s core values; these seven items are foundational to the field, and their implications are worth pondering. 

Readers of the first edition may recall the seven “steps” of the Creating Local Arts Together (CLAT) method. The change to calling them “conversations” epitomizes many of the updates to this edition. Schrag further stresses the imperfection of it all, reminding readers that we co-create in dialogue with fellow humans in a meandering and playful process.  

This shift in language summarizes many of the minor tweaks found throughout the volume. Numerous case studies emphasize the messiness and flexibility of real-life applications of the methodology. Communities have adapted CLAT for diverse settings, from Scripture-infused songwriting workshops to visual and performing arts projects. These real-life applications offer more profound insight into how CLAT can foster unity and cultural revitalization. 

At its core, Creating Local Arts Together aims to inspire communities to explore their local artistic expressions for the glory of God. This book is an indispensable resource for field workers, teachers and trainers, administrators, and anyone curious about how the arts fit into their work. Schrag guides readers through a practical, community-based process of encouraging local creativity to reach kingdom goals and invites them to discover, explore, create, celebrate, and integrate arts into worship and community life, all for the glory of God.

For Further Reading

Worship and Mission for the Global Church: An Ethnodoxology Handbook edited by James R. Krabill, Frank Fortunato, Robin P. Harris, and Brian Schrag (William Carey Library, 2013) 

Let Us Draw Near: Biblical Foundations of Worship by Ron Man (Worship and Witness, 2023) 

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EMQ, Volume 61, Issue 1. Copyright © 2025 by Missio Nexus. All rights reserved. Not to be reproduced or copied in any form without written permission from Missio Nexus. Email: EMQ@MissioNexus.org.