A Node in the Web of the Emerging Church

"Why and How Emerging Church Congregations Are Thriving at This Particular Point in History"

Posted Apr 7, 09:44 PM | 0 comments | by Editor | Link

Josh Packard, an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, has posted a summary of the findings from his dissertation entitled Organizational Structure, Religious Belief and Resistance: The Emerging Church (download PDF here).

His “Principle Findings” are summarized as the four following “strategies”:

Be Intentional

Don’t Reinvent the Wheel

Use Professionals (e.g., Pastors) Wisely

Compel Questioning

He concludes, “This research provides important insights into both why and how Emerging Church congregations are thriving at this particular point in history. Specific strategies are being employed in order to promote a kind of church which resists institutionalization rather than trying to put forth a new model of church.”