Just returned from the 50th anniversary celebration of the Faith & Order Commission of the National Council of Churches in the USA, which took place at the site of the first gathering at Oberlin College.

It was great to rub shoulders with people like: Martin Marty, Mark Calhoun, Jeffrey Gros, Susan Davies, Barbara Brown Zikmund, Don Dayton, Peter Heltzel, Avery Dulles, Mel Robeck, Jione Havea, Aristotle Papanikolaou, Amos Yong, Tom Finger, Kevin Mannoia, Mary Tanner, Carlos Malave, Mark Arey, James Forbes, Alberto Silva, David Cole, Paul Anderson, Thomas Ferguson and so many more.

Some papers of special note to those in the emergent conversation (sadly these are scheduled for publication and so they’re not available online yet):

• Keelan Downton’s “Ecclesiological Malleability as Ecumenical Horizon”
• Jione Havea’s “The Bible on Postmodern Surfaces”
• Aristotle Papanikolaou’s “Orthodoxy, Post-modernity, and Ecumenism: The Difference that Divine-Human Communion Makes”
• Cecil M. Robeck, Jr.’s “The Apostolic Faith and the Holy Spirit”
• Kevin Mannoia’s, “Issues Facing Ecumenism” and
• Jeff Kursonis & Russell Myers co-facilitated workshop titled, “Local Faith & Order, Emergent Cohorts: Possibilities for New Dialogues and Partnerships”

I was at the event representing Emergent Village (as impossible as that may be) and trying to serve as a voice for the boarder emerging movement or “Avant Churches” as most of the groups represented there are historic faith traditions or denominations. I was given an opportunity to speak to my observations of the event at one of the final plenary sessions.

I continue to be impressed with both the hospitality and the genuine interest the people I’ve been meeting from within the NCC and the more historic traditions express toward us in the emerging conversation.

I have an ever deepening appreciation for the history of this ecumenical group and the courage that has been required for many of its participants to engage in these intrafaith dialogues, and found it striking to imagine the courage that may be required for this organize to serve the American Church in an increasing Post-Christendom, postmodern, post-denominational context.

Special thanks to Ann Riggs, Susan Davies, and Keelan Downton for pursuing, and making space for younger emerging theologians at the table.

BTW, Mark Calhoun has a good day-by-day narrative of the event.

Peace, dwight

Tomorrow I head out to the 50^th Anniversary Celebration of the National Council of Churches’ “Faith and Order Commission.”  The celebration is taking place at Oberlin College in Ohio which was the site of the first gathering half a century ago.  

I will be attending as a representative of Emergent Village, and will have an opportunity to address the 400+ delegates on Sunday, with my take on the future of Faith & Order.

peace, dwight 

Some call them house churches. Some call them organic churches. Some call them simple churches. We prefer to just call them churches. They are rapidly multiplying, simple communities of believers, meeting in homes, offices, campuses, wherever God is moving. This is the pattern common to many parts of the globe, and is now becoming more and more common in the U.S. as well.

Where are two or more are gathered in His name, there is church.

Where “DNA” is present among people, there is church.

“D” stands for Divine Truth (loving God/Jesus)
“N” stands for Nurturing Relationships (loving one another deeply)
“A” stands for Apostolic Mission (being on Jesus’ mission to the world)

Buildings, programs, and professional clergy are not essential elements of a church.

By ‘simple church’, we mean a way of doing and being church that is so simple that any believer would respond by saying, “I could do that!”

By ‘simple church’, we mean the kind of church that is described in the New Testament. Not constrained by structure but by the needs of the extended family, and a desire to extend the Kingdom of God.

By ‘simple church’, we mean a church that listens to God, follows His leading and obeys His commands.

By ‘simple church’, we mean spiritual parents raising spiritual sons and daughters to establish their own families.

House Church

House Church is a term sometimes used in the way we use the term Simple Church. It can be confusing in that:

A Simple Church may or may not meet in a house (it can meet anywhere).

Church Planting Movements

Church Planting Movements occur when simple churches multiply rapidly.

This is a Very Old “New” Idea

Churches in the New Testament were most often small gatherings that met in homes.

This is a helpful link for anyone looking to learn more about the emerging conversation and how it is shaping and re-shaping church and faith practices. peace, dwight

Welcome to a webiste dedicated to linking and resourcing simple churches (house churches) in Western Washington. The site has just lanched and will be adding features and links to websites and email addresses to simple churches in and around Seattle.

This site is being developed by Dr. Dwight J. Friesen, Assistant Professor of Practical Theology at Mars Hill Graduate School in Belltown. Please email Dwight with questions, links or simple church resources that you would like to share.

Last night was the final and celebratory gathering of the simple church that I’ve led and been part of for the past 11 years.  I was both surprised and blessed by the evening.  Spending the evening with friends (some of whom I hadn’t seen in years) over good food while getting caught up with one another, reminiscing and playing more than a round or two of “where are they now,” was nourishment for the soul.

Frankly, I’ve been undone by the number of people who have contacted me as they have heard that we have closed the church that we came to call “Quest – A Christ-commons.”  The letters, emails, phone calls, etc. from people who participated in our house church, followed us from afar or had friends who did life with us has been so encouraging.

For all who journeyed with our little faith-community thank-you again for the gift of your presence and for shaping who we’re becoming by your friendship.  I pray God’s blessing on your life and community as you continue to embody the relational reign of God in your context.

Peace, dwight 

I just got off a conference call with Spencer Burke of theOoze and some of the other facilitators for the upcoming Soularize learning party being held, of all places, in the Bahamas, October 25-27, 2007.

The closer we get to this event, the more I am excited to be participating in it. For the about same cost of the National Pastors Conference my wife and I will be able to spend a week in the sunny and warm Bahamas with people like: N. T. Wright, Brennan Manning, Rita Nakashima Brock, Richard Rohr, Jordon Cooper, Mike DeVries, Todd Littleton, Tim Parsley, Mark Scandrette, Ron Martoia, Frank Viola, Becky Garrison, Karen Ward, Gareth Higgins and of course Spencer.

I’m not sure this link is supposed to be public yet but the new soularize site is worth checking out.

I love the idea of having a conference like this outside the boards of the United States and having a space to generatively engage participants.

Maybe I’ll see you there.

Peace, dwight

If you were ever part of the simple church that I have pastored over the past 11 years, then you are invited to an “I was part of Quest” party on Sunday, July 15 starting at 5:00 pm at the Friesen’s house (bring beverages and snacks).

As some of you know, we are ending Quest as an official church. One of the things we’d like to do is invite any and all of you who have been a part of Quest to come on over. There is no program, so stop by whenever you can for some summer talking and catching up with others. I want you to know that your presence in Quest (for however long or short) has been greatly appreciated and you have helped shape who we were as a Christ-commons and who I am . . . thank you. And as always feel free to bring other people who have been part of Quest over the years.

Hope to see you then!

Peace, dwight

If you were ever part of this simple church over the past 11 years, then you are invited to an “I was part of Quest” party on Sunday, July 15 starting at 5:00 pm at the Friesen’s house (bring beverages and snacks).

As some of you know, we are ending Quest as an official church. One of the things we’d like to do is invite any and all of you who have been a part of Quest to come on over. There is no program, so stop by whenever you can for some summer talking and catching up with others. Having been part of the community from its very beginning I want you to know that your presence in Quest (for however long or short) has been greatly appreciated and you have helped shape who we were as a Christ-commons and who I am . . . thank you. And as always feel free to bring other people who have been part of Quest over the years.

Hope to see you then!

Peace, dwight

Tomorrow, I have the privilege of facilitating at one of the pacific northwest most holistically, missionally focused churches: zoe: livable church.

peace, dwight