Is the emerging church dying or maturing?
Is the emerging church dying or maturing?
by Jonathan Brink
At the end of 2008, I wrote a year end summary called The State of Emergence. In many ways it was an attempt to create some meaningful understanding of this thing we participate in called Emergence, which is manifested in the idea of an “emerging church.” Something is happening within our conversations that is disrupting all of our preconceived notions about the Kingdom of God. As much as we want the conversation to be over, the reality is we’re still exploring exactly what is happening. It continues to unfold.
But over the last year, and much like the year before, we encountered significant voices who were walking away from the conversation. The underlying question seems to be, “Has the conversation truly died?” As much as some want to say, “yes”, I would suggest that the answer is a resounding, “no”.
Before we rush into the evidence of maturity, it is important to reflect on why some think the conversation is dying. We cannot ignore the well documented history of the U.S. version of the emerging church. What started out as a Leadership Network’s idea to reach the Gen X audience, morphed into a conversation that attempted to address the post-modern shift in culture. Those original gatherings provided the initial sense of movement. That sense of thrill was documented in Danielle Shroyer’s recent post, “What do you do when a revolution isn’t sexy anymore?” Danielle said:
“I stumbled into this conversation as an eighteen year old college freshman in Waco, Texas. A few short years later, I felt as if I’d accidentally been placed among a fabulous group of people who happened to be sitting on top of a revolutionary volcano. It was thrilling, and sexy, and I quite literally believed that we were going to change the world. I can recall that feeling like it was yesterday.”
But like any movement, things changed.
“The truth is, everybody loves the beginning of a revolution. (Well, at least those of us who enjoy playing the part of the revolutionaries!) You have the distinct honor of experiencing and witnessing a slew of firsts- and sometimes being one, too. You get the thrill of telling people ideas they haven’t heard before and watching their expressions as little fireworks go off in their heads (for better and for worse). But no revolution stays in its honeymoon period forever. At some point, you have to come home and start the hard work of actually making a life together,”
The shift into different territory arguably began when Mark Driscoll distanced himself from and even became a vocal critic of the original conversation. It continued when Dan Kimball made it clear he was interested in evangelism and helped start a different conversation. The criticism of the movement was palpable. But this year the Tall Skinny Kiwi, Andrew Jones, wondered out loud if 2009 was the end of the movement. The post stirred up a firestorm of comments and responses. Tony Jones immediately shot back. C Michael Patton had already suggested it was true. Drew couldn’t believe it was true. Emerging Mummy was just tired of the talk. Rick even wrote a satirical obituary on it.
It’s easy to see why we’re interested in being “post-emerging.” Emergence suggests transformation but it also reveals that we’re not finished. In other words, it reveals the very thing we are attempting to grow out of. Transformation takes time and if we’re honest we’d just rather be done. We live in broken systems that we know don’t resonate like they used to, yet we continue to participate in because they are all we have. Emergence then just doesn’t come fast enough. Phyllis Tickle suggests that these shifts take hundreds of years to work themselves out. But we’re the “insta” generation. Ideas are “so yesterday” before the ink has dried on the blog post. We think we can condense everything into instantaneous moments of glory. Yet the reality is that God is not instant. God is more like a Gardener, patiently willing to let the seed struggle through the soil in order to reveal its full bloom.
So the question on the table is still, “Is the emerging church dying or maturing?” I would suggest that it not dying but undergoing a deepening of what it means to emerge. There is considerable evidence to suggest the conversation is not dying. If anything it is maturity and even expanding. For those who were at Richard Rohr’s Emerging church conference last year, you know what I’m talking about. Suddenly the conversation was not just a small group of evangelical or mainline white guys, but a large group of Catholics too. The stereotype had been broken. The world was waking up to what it means to emerge. The conference was so popular Richard is doing it again this year.
Columbia Theological Seminary recently hosted a conference on the emerging church called Emergence Now. Tony And Doug recently hosted an all female speaker conference called Christianity 21. Christianity 21 was from recounts an epic game changer. It not only gave rise to the feminine voice in our midst, but it shattered any remaining notion that women should simply sit on the sidelines and watch. It was a brilliant display of the God image represented in our midst. Peter Rollins is even hosting the “I Believe In The Insurrection” tour.
But the conversation doesn’t end there. Even within the deeply traditional evangelical walls of Wheaton College, they are still talking about it. Dan Kimball recently shared his thoughts on their recent conference on the emerging church.
“I really didn’t think too many people would even come out for it because it feels like the “emerging church”* discussion with that term is more one of the past (*I do believe the church will always be “emerging” until Jesus comes – and as I say often, the mission of the emerging church still continues even though terminology may change). So I was surprised to see the place so crowded to where they ran out of seats the first day and people had to sit on the floor.”
As much as we want to believe its dying, we can’t ignore that people are still asking and wondering what this thing is all about. But emergence is not just about conversation. It’s about transformation. Much of the shift in emergence appears to be towards “missional”. The Origins network began with this vision.
Our Vision: This network is a community of followers of Jesus who are passionate about seeing people know God and experience life as He intended. As we are guided by the Scriptures we will inspire one another to embrace innovation and creativity as a means to fulfill this mission.
In November Steve Knight and some friends launched the Transform Network. Transform was started “to bring together men and women who are on the verge of starting new communities (i.e., community catalysts) or are already cultivating new communities and to give them the encouragement and resources they need to get started and be sustainable.” The network now has over 650 members and have an incredible lineup of speakers at their first gathering in May.
Many have criticized the publishing element of emergence but it is a clear means of communicating ideas. Spencer Burke launched Ooze.tv, which quickly became a hub for some amazing conversation. Brian McLaren is launching his next book, A New Kind Of Christianity, Ten Questions That Are Transforming The Faith. Julie Clawson released Everyday Justice. Peter Rollins release The Orthodox Heretic. Cynthia LaGrou is producing Taking Flight. Philip Clayton and Tripp Fuller launched Transforming Theology, and are hosting Theology After Google. The Baptimergents are even releasing a collection of stories called, “Baptimergent: Baptist Stories From The Emergent Frontier,” Danielle Shroyer released The Boundary Breaking God. John Franke release Manifold Witness, the Plurality of Truth. Dwight Friesen released Thy Kingdom Connected. We need these books because they help us process ideas that help us make sense of emergence.
If anything the evidence suggests Emergence and even the emerging church is alive and well. She’s just maturing. If anything died, it was the expectation that emergence would be everything we demanded it would be, rescuing us from having to confront our own dissonance. Like Danielle suggested in her post, we’re now working out what it means to do the hard work of making life together. And isn’t that why the conversation started, because our structures, models, and habits weren’t producing life? It’s not sexy. It’s not even fun sometimes. But it is worth it. It is worth exploring the Kingdom of God in our midst. It’s always emerging and transforming us, even when we’re unaware of it.
Jonathan Brink is Managing Director of Thrive Ministries, a missional discipleship agency. He lives in California with his wife and three kids.
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Thanks for the baptimergent shout out, and thanks for this post. Well said my friend.
Jonathan, my comment is not directed at you, but at the larger question you are addressing…
imho, the church (in whatever form, or under whatever brand) is healthiest when it dies daily in repentance and is reborn through grace.
Thomas, I couldn’t agree more. I would suggest what is dying is our expectation, or the image we’ve created and expected.
Thanks, Jonathan, for pulling together so many strands of this conversation. It has been fascinating to me to hear the death knell sounded for Emergence when it seems to have barely begun. Of course inviting new folks into the conversation means repeating yourself and unlearning some things about which you had made up your mind. But, if Tickle is right about how cultural shifts are changing church, we are all caught up in emergence regardless of our relationship to the conversation.
In May of 2009, I had conversations with Gareth Higgins and Mike Clawson about my perception that, to date, the EC conversation had been fairly parochial. By that I mean it was limited to isolated localities (mostly urban, mostly gen x, mostly educated, mostly white…) and needed to reach out and engage a broader community. I wrote Mike about my online search for EC in Wisconsin and the only site in the first 50 was one denouncing the heresy. Without the word “faith” in the search bar I got only emergency rooms and wetlands restoration. Emergent Village listed NO cohorts in the entire state (even though we do have big +/or hip cities like Madison & Milwaukee).
And yet, the medium-sized congregation I serve is “emerging” even though I suspect no one has heard the term. We are growing deeper and closer, risking ourselves in meaningful relationships that transform our souls and our worship.
In May, the Presbytery of Des Moines is hosting a transformation conference “Plugging in without Burning Out” that will include a variety of voices from the emergent conversation (www.presbyteryofdesmoines.org) This is an example of how the conversation is spreading and reaching new faces that register the “ah-has” about which Danielle wrote.
In December, Max Ramsey and I were invited to share EC conversation with 70 denominational leaders at the Wisconsin Council of Churches annual meeting. It was a fruitful, meaningful conversation with insights into community from a Presbyterian member of a Benedictine community, use of icons in worship with an Orthodox priest, and the necessity of mutuality with a street preacher. I hope this gives an idea of how the conversation is alive and well out here where I live.
deep peace
To me, two of the most telling events/shifts in the emergent conversation are these: 1-Cohorts have changed from being gatherings of pastors who want to bring change to the church to being gatherings of people who are disenchanted with church. In other words, some cohorts appear to have become their own faith community. I would love to have a group of people to sort through emerging stuff with as a church leader.
2-It seems that when the accusation of “not orthodox” came down the pike, a lot of people abandoned the emergent ship.
I think these two things are linked in that people figured out that once they were labeled not orthodox, their income would dry up, so they backed off. The people without church jobs stuck it out and they are the ones in the cohorts now—probably wondering why the pastors deserted them.
I think the emergent movement as an attempt to interpret the church and Christianity in light of postmodern thought is valuable, but that’s more of an academic pursuit. And with all the conferences with philosophers that no one could understand, Emergent shot themselves in the foot and painted themselves as hipster intellectuals. I find the most value for me as a church leader trying to form/lead an authentic faith community comes from the alt worship movement and the Off the Map (practicing church) people. Honestly (and I love these folks), it doesn’t help when every time Brian McLaren or Phyllis Tickle get up to speak, they give the same talks. It gives the whole thing a been-there-done-that feel.
To me, Samir Selmanovic is one of the few still holding any emergent-type interest for me.
If “Maturing” means that there will finally by orthodox theology and a return to the preaching of the necessity of repentance for salvation and separation from the world for holiness then I am all for it. Of course then it would just be something like Mark Driscoll’s church writ large.
Aarn, can you explain what you mean by “return”? It seems to imply the return to something that never needed to change – and in the proper sense of the word – never needed to “mature” in the first place.
If it DID need to change however, how is this new orthodoxy different from the old one?
Josh, thanks for writing this. The funny thing for my perspective is so much of this emergence is new to me. I planted a church a little more than a year ago and incorporated missional language into it based off The Secret Message of Jesus, The Forgotten Ways, and The Tangible Kingdom…but I really resisted the ‘Emerging/emergent’ aspects. Over the last year, further reading of books and blogs and seeing a shift in my community as we got an influx of under 25 year olds who think different in a way that resonates with me had me seeking out people in the EV and other pockets of emergence as our community started to change very naturally and organically to what I would call emerging.
This is not a hyer intellectual community. Our group is in a very blue collar town, but post modern thought does not discriminate due to tax bracket or level of cultural savvy. ;)
So here I am and here we as a community are just beginning to enter the conversation and meet others in our local cohorts. I cannot tell you if you are right or wrong on the maturing aspect, all I can tell you is that we are dipping our toes into the pool and it is breathtaking, lovely, and a relief.
That said, from my humble and limited perspective, part of me thinks there is merit to the above mentioned thoughts that some of the discontent of others is on expectations not being met, but if they stick with it, I suspect those expectations will be found to have been limited in scope and the reality that will emerge in the decades to come will exceed prior expectations. Hope I am right on that score.
Be well and thank you again.
Patrick,
It’s really encouraging to hear about your story and experiences.
Just to clarify: Jonathan wrote the post, not me (although I DO agree with him wholeheartedly and am grateful – being a newcomer still in many ways myself – for this concise and perceptive summary and evaluation).
Oops! Color me embarrassed. Jonathan, please apply any and all accolade to yourself. :)
Great post Jonathan! Thanks for pulling together all these examples of how the emerging conversation continues to mature and grow. I’d add to what Susan Phillips (#5) and Patrick Green (#10) said, and point out that where I’m seeing the most expansion of the conversation is precisely in those areas where it is least noticeable by the online hype machine. It is in small communities, whether new church plants or home groups, or established “traditional” churches that are beginning to move in emerging directions. I can tell you tons of stories about churches like this that I have encountered, across numerous denominational identities. And as a member of EV’s Cohorts Team, I field requests constantly from people all over the country (and the world) who are just now joining the conversation and forming new communities in their areas. These are the stories that go unnoticed by the blogger critics, the publishers, and the conference planners, but it is what I am seeing all the time.
Jonathan,
Interesting article. Very thought provoking. Having been involved with the emerging church movement since its beginnings I am excited to see what is emerging. I think that the new theological perspectives that Brian McLaren and others provide are refreshing and I am constantly stretched by what I am reading. The movement is definitely maturing theologically and the new perspectives make many people uncomfortable but so appropriate for today’s world
Hi Jonathan:
I really appreciate this article and perspective. I agree with Mike’s comment above. That is actually what I was trying to get across in my initial post (which you linked above – thanks!) but failed miserably. I have much to learn.
I am not a seminary person and often feel out of my depth in these conversations.
Also, just so I can make myself feel better by clarifying, I am more tired/letting go of the Official Americanized Emerging Church (capital letters) than the emerging church as it’s occurring right now. Does that make sense? Probably not but thanks for the link and for taking me seriously. I appreciate it.
S.
Christine, thanks for your perspective. I appreciate your take as and elder in the conversation.
Mike, I’ve often wondered if the cohort is a passing fad or a long term trend, and just Monday I had a friend restart the Sacramento cohort. I continue to hear of churches embracing the idea of emergence.
Sarah, I sometimes think conflict brings out what we really want to say. I’m glad you were able to clarify.
The first thing I’ll admit, is that I know what I know. And what I know, I know because the Holy Spirit has given it to me to know.
Having said that, I can’t help but be sickened by the whole “emergent or emerging church” ideology.
God hasn’t changed and Scripture hasn’t changed in 2,000 years. In my opinion, the whole “emerging church” philosophy (or “discussion” as it’s being called) is another step forward to creating the oft quoted, “One world religion” that the Anti-Christ is expecting us to create out of our own foolishness. :( (at the very least read 2 Peter 2)
Now I’m not claiming fulfillment of prophecy, but I can’t help but wonder if this isn’t Satans way of making it EASIER for Revelation 13 & 14 to be achieved later on…. Think about it; if we “consolidate and repackage” these “religious beliefs” now, how much easier will it be to have your average person “worship the dragon” later…
IMHO, The discussion should be concluded and if you’re concerned about Ministering to the “younger generation”, ask the Holy Spirit to give you the words to better communicate to them what GOD ALREADY GAVE US! :) If you can’t TRUST God to do that, then maybe you need to re-evaluate your OWN beliefs and leave the rest of Christianity out of it.
IMHO, Religion (as a whole) has done MORE damage to Gods good name than any Atheist could ever muster. (Specifically regarding Christianity & “World Religions”....)
God Bless,
RevKeith
PS: Anger at hypocrisy isn’t a sin—it’s a virtue.
I am still getting used to that part of the conversation. I liken it to running into a Ford dealership to scream “Ford’s Suck” and then running out, hopping into your Kia and high fiving all your buddies.
I am so used to debating these types of assaults, but I have noticed how most of you in the EC take the high road and it shows me how much I have got to learn as I enter the conversation. So thank you for teaching me a deeper level of love.
So because I want to do Gods will, I’m hopping into a Kia?
Because I want to remind people of Gods Word and not yours, I don’t LOVE?
Because I just want you to go back to the Bible instead of trying to “Re-invent God”, I’m assaulting this dangerous movement?
You sound like Nancy Pelosi! Oh wait, is the EC aimed at Liberals? If that’s the case, then I stand corrected. I wouldn’t have posted here. Even you have a right to your own opinions and forums.
With Love,
RevKeith
Mike,
I think you are right about the small pockets of community emerging about the world under the radar. It is why I like the Call for Voices deal you got going on here on the weblog. It is fascinating to hear how others are expressing worship and forming communities. It is enriching to hear a few good stories and know there are new friends to converse with and a few more blogs ot read. ;)
Patrick –
I don’t know if all of us have always done a good job of “taking the high road.” I know personally I’ve gotten into my fair share of online debates. However after a while most of us have realized that it’s just not worth it. Keith is welcome to his opinion and I doubt any of us could say anything to alter his perspective of us at all. And of course while most of us value friendly critiques and outside perspectives, a lot of us used to be exactly where Keith is ourselves, so there’s not much there we haven’t heard (or argued ourselves) before. At some point it’s better to just say thanks, and decline to get into it yet again.
I made an error in assuming that this website was open to the public. I sincerely didn’t realize that this site was only for those who agreed with this philosophy.
I am going to make one more comment and then I will not return.
As Pastors, you are not “better” than anyone, however you have a GREATER RESPONSIBILITY than the members of your congregations do. You are responsible not only for preparing sermons, Bible studies, answering questions, counseling, functions, etc, but you are TRUSTED to keep the Word of God, AS it is given.
Matthew 18:6 – Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
Revelation 22:18-19 – For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
I know the piece of Revelation was written with the book of Revelation in mind, but don’t you think God intended that sentiment towards the entire Bible? I do. I will pray for ALL of you, that you find your way BACK from wherever it is you are now.
God Bless,
RevKeith
RevKeith, you said, “I made an error in assuming that this website was open to the public. I sincerely didn’t realize that this site was only for those who agreed with this philosophy.”
I would like to remind you that no one has censored you or deleted your comment. This is an open forum. You came in with criticism, which this this forum has given you a place to do, but don’t be critical when others follow your lead.
I have been hanging out on the fringes of the “emerging conversation” for a while now, have loved many of the ideas that I heard for the first time (“little fireworks” – thank you for that apt metaphor!)& am still conversing in my part of the world, with anyone who is interested! (& there are plenty – christian and non-christian alike!)
Funnily enough, though, I don’t consider myself “emergent”, and although the church I am a part of is asking a lot of the same questions, I don’t think it would be accurate to label us “emergent” either.
So why am I saying this?
I guess the one thing about the “official” emerging conversation that makes me uncomfortable (& please don’t misunderstand me – I’ve been influenced deeply &, I think, wonderfully by the conversation), is the feeling that emergent leaders are trying to somehow “own” the revolution. Jonathan, even your post here reads a bit as if the emergent movement is what God is doing in the world today. I don’t see it quite that way. The movement we call “emergence” is a significant and wonderful voice in something much bigger! God is bringing His Kingdom to earth – & transforming people in ways that are direct and real – everywhere! Old misconceptions are shattering, and the reality of Jesus is becoming visible in the world, like yeast, salt, light… and I think a great deal of it is quite independent of “the conversation”. Hope what I’m trying to say is coming across the way I mean it – I don’t want the conversation to stop (& I am sure it has not!) but I believe what is happening is out of any person or group’s control and beyond any human leadership. God is doing something no movement on earth could contain – & it’s wonderful to be a part of it!
Kerry, I would actually agree with you. Emergence is not a human construct and cannot be owned by anyone. It would continue regardless. It just happens because God makes it happen.
But we are part of the conversation. The reason it has traction is because there is a dissonance within our own historical (especially evangelical) stories. And much of the Western emergent conversation is an attempt to call that out and reconcile it. I would suggest Phyllis Tickle’s The Great Emergence on this subject.
One of the posters said: “Emergent Village listed NO cohorts in the entire state (even though we do have big +/or hip cities like Madison & Milwaukee)”. One of the turn-offs I have of the emerging movement is the assumption that “cool” and “hip” people will want to be a part of it all. If you’re young, into art and poetry, use “postmodern” vernacular, drink expensive beer from micro-brews, and disparage all things mainstream then you fit the mold. I attended one of the emerging conferences a few years ago, and this was the strong impression I received. It seems like if you have traditional tastes and a conventional style you just don’t fit in. Am I exaggerating here? There’s too much emphasis on what is external.
Also this: “And yet, the medium-sized congregation I serve is “emerging” even though I suspect no one has heard the term. We are growing deeper and closer, risking ourselves in meaningful relationships that transform our souls and our worship.” Again, there is the assumption that only “emerging” groups (whether they know the terminology or not) are growing, transforming, experiencing real relationships, etc. The implication is that those churches who are NOT emerging probably aren’t experiencing all this really good stuff. Can these aspects not be experienced in tradition evangelical or Catholic or Anglican communities? How about churches that have decided to remain true to their principles and resist changing into an “emerging community”? Can grace not be experienced there too? It just seems to me that those in the emerging conversation have a certain arrogance that, if you’re on the outside, is difficult to look past. If you’re intentionally not part of the conversation, it is assumed that you’re part of the problem.
I am open to correction of course.
Hi Jon,
I think it depends on the group you met. My community is very down to earth and come from mostly blue collar and impoverished roots. That is not to say there are no artists about us, there are, but I think you get my point. If their pants are torn it is because they are ripped and aged wranglers as opposed to trendy Abercrombe designed that way 3 digit pants.
We are who we are and we are very inclusive and love connecting with other communities. Now, one of our earlier attempts to have a conversation with emergence, there was an air of what you speak of and it put off some in our community. However, our last meeting with an evangelical church resulted in a security escort (ARMED security escort) off the church campus mostly over the way my community dresses and pierces. Now, our subsequent meetings with members of the Emergent village have gone very well and I suspect if we went to Willow for another adventure in a mega…we would be welcomed.
I suppose the point of my story is that it is hard to paint an entire community with a broad brush based on what I suspect is a vocal minority. I’ve met the people you speak of, but I’ve also met some really wonderful people who are taking the time to meet and reach out to people in my community in a very real and tangible way. Also, none of them have handguns. :) But we also both know that most evangelical churches do not run off kids with hands on the hilt of their .38’s. An experience is an experience and not necessarily a fair representation of an entire movement or community. he snob you met no more represents me than the views of Pat Robertson do. Despite the actions of these cats, I consider myself a part of the conversation and I cannot escape my evangelical roots. I am babbling now and I got a gathering to get ready for in the morning to I will quit while I am behind.
Cheers!
Jon, I know the stereotype you speak of. in fact I wrote a silly post about it that ended up becoming the biggest post on my blog EVER. It was called the Top 50 Reasons You Are Not Emergent, and dealt with so many of those stereotypes.
http://tinyurl.com/565l5m
I went to a Rob Bell conference in 2006 and it was hip to be cool. A lot of people were so worried about how they looked that they might just have missed how cool the conversation was.
But I think that stereotype is slowly fading. It’s no longer a white evangelical conversation but a Catholic, Mainline, Evangelical, and even a Muslim/Jewish conversation. What I see is the hip part wearing out and the real work emerging.
Jonathan,
Bottom line: God is up to something BIG, (hasn’t He always been?) this conversation is part of it… our own agendas are not – but God is more than big enough to sort all that out!!
I think we are living in exciting times – & thank you for the contribution you are making – I’m still loving being a small part of the conversation!
Perhaps one of the reasons I/my church don’t feel the term “emergent” quite fits us, is that we are not mainline evangelical & perhaps a little less tied to those particular traditions (we have our own hangups!) & as you say, a lot of this particular conversation addresses that specific church culture.
God bless!
Hey Jon, that was my post to which you were responding. I realize that sarcasm doesn’t read well in type, but my comment about cool and hip cities was that. Madison is cool and hip, but my point was that the conversation is going on well beyond the recognizable clusters and cohorts. I was criticizing the notion that folks in small towns and rural areas aren’t asking similar questions. BTW I have neither tattoo nor goatee, so I’m probably not hip or cool either (sarcasm again, please, no offense to those with either :)
It was my same post to which you responded: The implication is that those churches who are NOT emerging probably aren’t experiencing all this really good stuff. Can these aspects not be experienced in tradition evangelical or Catholic or Anglican communities? How about churches that have decided to remain true to their principles and resist changing into an “emerging community”? Can grace not be experienced there too?
I think you’ve misread my intent again. The church I serve is, in many ways, a traditional Presbyterian Church. No one in our presbytery is interested in intentionally sharing in the Emergent Conversation, and yet, we are spending significant amounts of time and energy on healthy transitions, restructuring to more faithfully fulfill our mission in service to G-d. Sound familiar?
A year ago I posted on the Presbymergent site: At the Calvin Insititute’s Worship Symposium one critics of the Emerging Church asked the question: “What do emergents think one must believe in order to be Xn?” My question to is “Is there anything in particular a Xn must believe in order to be emergent?” Ryan Kemp-Pappan answered: “I would say, no. What is emerging, everything is. I would not force anything in to or out of the term emerging. It is an intentional posture.” In this light, I would concur with the recommendation on Tickle’s book, “The Great Emergence.” In the same way that both Protestant and Catholic churches were effected by the Reformation—all kinds of expression of the Body of Christ are being effected by the questions raised about authority, identity, relationships and meaning by new technological and post-modern realities.
It is my deep hope and conviction that no human construct limits G-d’s grace. My story was meant as a testimony that significant, faithful conversations related to emergence are happening all over the place. Including in my interfaith household, Jonathan!
grace & peace to y’all
jon (#28) – I just want to add to Susan’s clarification with one of my own: the idea that one has to be “hip” or “cool” to be emergent is a complete and utter myth. I mean MAYBE it was true a decade ago (though probably not), but it definitely has not been the case for a very long time. I don’t know what event you were at, but I’d venture to say that it was the exception not the rule. For instance, at the 2007 Midwest Emergent Gathering that me and my friends put on in Chicago, the majority of attendees were middle-aged and from fairly traditional churches – but like Susan, ones that were interested in moving in more emerging/ missional directions. In fact one of the common “complaints” we got after the conference was that some of the older attendees were expecting more young, hipster types and were surprised to find themselves in the majority.
(BTW, even in those contexts where there are more young hipsters in attendance I’d encourage you to look past appearances – some people are “hipsters” because that’s just genuinely who they are, but just because they are being who they are doesn’t mean they are necessarily passing judgment on or excluding those who aren’t. As one who is not a hipster myself, I’ve come to realize that sometimes my level of comfort or discomfort in such settings says more about me than it does about them.)
At any rate, in my experience, folks like Susan and her church are exceedingly common and definitely very welcome in the emergent conversation. I’d go so far as to say they are the mainstream portion of it these days.
Stillbirth is a kind of emergence.
@Joe—true.
Yet G-d is redeeming the whole creation. Jesus redeems even death. We are resurrection people who grieve our losses and attempt to let ourselves be held in divine arms as we weep. Blessed are those who mourn…
We are also people called to witness the movement of the Spirit in the world.
What I see in emergence Christianity is sincere grieving shared and faithful servanthood witnessed. I give thanks for both.
Thanks Jonathan. I think the sexiness of the emergence conversation dies only if you are out looking for another “spiritual climax” and aren’t out to really make a difference. But for young leaders in the Church who have been begging for years for direction and connection with like-minded mentors and piers, the “conversation” was like finding God’s compass—momentum to help guide us along this journey…
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- gb (Unstudying God: Finding God in the Barren Land)
- Peter J. Walker - EmergingChristian.com (A Time To Reconstruct)
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Thanks for this, Jonathan. Since the beginning I’ve felt that the eulogizing just wasn’t indicative of the reality on the ground. If people want to move on then I affirm that but it seems to me that the conversation is thriving. What I really don’t get is this new wave of nasty emotionalism in reaction to Brian’s new book (which, once you read carefully has more to do with people being unhappy about the conversation and nothing to do with Brian, it seems to me). I’m actually glad he is clarifying his own understanding. It almost seems like some people got really attached (both the “death of” and “goodbye” camps) and then things didn’t pan out the way they had hoped. The problem there is that people had expectations. This isn’t that type of conversation, at least in my mind.