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A report from the April gathering in D.C.

Posted May 6, 10:08 PM | 2 comments | by Editor | Link

By Troy Bronsink, Randy Buist, Tim Hartman, Laci Scott, and Mike Stavlund:

The last weekend in April, 24 people gathered in Washington, D.C., to spend some intensive time discerning the unique contributions of Emergent Village to the wider world, and to begin imagining a renewed expression of this generative friendship which has meant so much to so many. Emergent Village finds itself in the midst of a conversation that has changed significantly over the last ten years. It has become broader, deeper, more diverse and as a result, more complex. Resources are declining in a challenging economy, many networks and cohorts have started taking the conversation to local and regional contexts, and the need for different forms has become apparent.

The 24 assembled provided a al-information-on-dc-gathering”>diverse cross-section of people invested and committed to Emergent
Village. Their task was to ask the deepest questions, such as “What unique contribution does Emergent Village offer to the wider world, and how do we continue to offer it?” Many of the participants have begun to share their own perspectives. We greatly encourage you to read their thoughts and insights on the weekend, as well as share your own thoughts on the future we all are creating together. As a matter of highlighting, we offer you here some of the central themes coming out of the weekend.

Much of our time was spent collectively discerning the shared values of Emergent Village. This process was deeply relational as we shared stories, dreams, hopes and hurts openly with one another. What we experienced as a group was a microcosm of what this whole organism is about: friendship. We listened to one another, learned from one another, disagreed, and came out stronger friends than before we started. This shared value is at the heart of EV, and we’re excited about working to foster more and deeper friendships within Emergent Village.

We hope EV will continue to be a place of emergence, where good ideas and practices arise from the many. We also want to strengthen our emphasis on the village, where everyone is expected to make their unique contribution. We anticipate that in this collective space, we will see diversity and imagination flourish. Emergent Village has always played the part of theological provocateur, and we hope to continue generating robust conversation that leads to action for a better world. EV has also been an intersection where many distinct voices meet, leading to new and often surprising outcomes. As such, we hope to be a Village characterized by hospitality and embrace, for we are eager to see what the Spirit births as these diverse voices come together on the Village green.

Emergent Village has and should be a place where the Kingdom of God is embodied without apology and without pretense. In fact, many of our imaginings were related to expressions of truth, justice, and beauty that crop up unheralded in our world and in our lives. In a world torn apart with death and sickness and all manner of injustice, we want our communities to be places of healing, and to be about God’s work of reconciliation and wholeness. We hope to foster creative expressions of art as well as faithful living in our local communities. Simply, we want to be a place where God’s goodness happens.

The big question is, of course, what can it look like for an organization to live into these values? While we are still deep in the process of discerning the particulars, we want to share with you a few of the leadership qualities we saw emerge over the course of the weekend. There was great emphasis on collaboration, distribution, transparency and localization. In other words, we hope that the new structure of EV will support the following: conversations that allow people to come together and dream new dreams; a flinging of ideas, resources and artistic expressions far and wide; open communication among all parts of the Village; and maintaining a strong focus on the very real and centering work happening “on the ground” in local communities.

In very specific terms, we believe it is in our best interest to retain EV’s 501c3 status. A portion of EV’s current Board of Directors has agreed to serve during this interim period (after which they will step down). Additionally, we will continue to utilize the Emergent Village website as a means of communication.

The 24 continue to be in conversation as details are finalized regarding how these shared values can be lived out in a structure for Emergent Village. Rest assured, we all feel quite confident the Village is moving forward with significant energy and optimism. In the coming months we will seek to develop some basic teams to catalyze our collective imagination based in the shared values that have become hallmarks of EV. We will keep you informed about the process.

We look to the future with great hope as momentum continues to build, seeking to turn words and ideals into action. And we humbly ask for your prayers as we seek to discern the ways forward.

(Photo montage by Paul Soupiset)

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