Yesterday I participated in one of the most promising North American emergent-type events I have seen in some time. Karen Ward and the Church of the Apostles sponsored “mission shaped church: a learning party.” A couple of things that were promising to me about the event were: the age of the participants (average age maybe in their 50’s), and the fact that the group was dominated by non-evangelicals. All six presenters were asked to give three minutes to respond to: “what is emergent?” Here’s my response:
Emergent might be the ecclesial equivalent to Miester Eckhardt’s statement “I pray to God that I might be rid of God”
Emergent is in many ways in pursuit of churchless churches: living self-organizing networked communities of Christ-followers leveling traditional hierarchies as they incarnate Divine relationality, integrating text, soul and culture in such radically indigenous ways that one church might barely recognize another church. These Christ-communities are reflective of the very interpenetrating and interanimating relationality of the Holy Trinity.
“It is the business of the future to be dangerous,” said Alfred North Whitehead. Emergent as a movement is in a liminal space standing between worlds, pursuing a third-way, transcending terms like liberal/conservative, or Protestant/Catholic, republican/democrat, modern/postmodern, etc. Emergent is dangerous and so D. A. Carson, Chuck Colson and others are wise to be asking hard questions of the influencers of this movement for the potential for chaos is great.
Having said that, we also know that one of the first principles of quantum physics is that “life exists at the edge of Chaos”; real life, abundant life at the very edge of chaos. There is little doubt that emergent may lead to chaos and uncertainty, which we as Christians understand in part as the cross. And so, in a time like ours when Western churches appear to be failing and our structures are facing their own deaths there is an invitation to the edge of chaos. Emergent may be one such invitation.
Peace, dwight
"life exists at the edge of chaos"
wonderfully put Dwight
This is a beautiful way of talking about the emergent conversation. In this light it is possible for me to hope more fervently for where ever that chaos may lead us. Because I want that life that exists there.
Dwight, I havent enjoyed myself as much as at the learning party in a long time.
The way the event was structured, I got to observe and participate as a member of one of the groups. I got the advantage of hearing all of the speakers share. It was uncanning how there were three or four things that each speaker repeated. I have to go because of work but Ill send those in another comment tommorow. Love and Rest in Christ Kyle T.
On my previous comment, I said that there were a number of things that the speakers repeated. "Repeated" is the wrong word. There were a number of thoughts that the speakers shared in common.
1)Dont copy what another church is doing. Find out what God is doing around you and join Him.
2)Experiment…What works for some might not work for you.
3)Bottom-up leadership / servant leadership
4)Relationship…the inter-connectedness of the Kingdom of God(Holistic, Ecological, Systems thinking)
5)Our walk with God is amphibious and fluid not static.
Peace and Rest in the arms of the Father, Kyle T.
Thanks Dwight for your post and thanks Kyle for sharing some of the highlights of the learning party. I found your summary of common themes helpful. I especially like the metaphor/idea of our walk with God being amphibious.
peace.
dallas