There is plenty of hubbub among defenders of the inherited church about the “emerging church” (EC).
There is plenty of hubris among “emerging church” (EC) advocates.
Well, let’s give the benefit of the doubt to all and naïvely assume that followers of Christ on both sides of this ecclesiological issue want to incarnate ekklesia. We want to live out Jesus’ idea of Church — ekklesia that is culturally relevant, Scripturally faithful, and indwelled by the Spirit.
Eddie Gibbs and Ryan Bolger interviewed emerging churches leaders to get at the heart of the emerging church movement. Their book, Emerging churches: creating Christian community in postmodern cultures, presents some helpful road signs for those on the path toward 21st century ekklesia.
So here are some of those road signs in notebook form. For those of the inherited church, this may help you to better understand "emerging church" people. For emerging church people, this is what your fellow travelers are saying...
EC THEOLOGY
“Emerging churches remove modern practices of Christianity, not the faith itself” 29. E.g. one EC leader said, “I needed to trust God more than my theology about God” 34. Though there is much inspiration in pre-modernist Christianity "there are also some things that will not change, the framework of orthodox belief in a saving God, for example” 229. But while the inherited church’s structure is theological in nature, the emerging church’s “structure is missional in nature” 107.
EC EVANGELISM
ECs consider evangelism more like "an open-ended conversation," emphasizing apologetics. They view evangelism as "an embodied way of life as distinct from a result-geared confrontation” 80, their own lives being a demonstration of the gospel because “a servant does not present a product but gives himself or herself” 128. For ECers, being on mission is less, Have I announced the Good News? and more, Have I been Good News? 52. Thus, emerging churches “do not separate the Great Commission (to make disciples of all peoples) from the Great Commandment (to love one's neighbor as oneself)” 149.
EC COMMUNITY
ECs recognize that “Christians need community, especially in a society like [their] own, which is indifferent or possibly hostile to Christianity” 98. One EC leader says therefore, “relationship is our organizing principal” 110.
EC LEADERSHIP
Due to the postmodern “hermeneutic of suspicion toward authority" 209, emerging church leadership is egalitarian, not hierarchic; “leadership is fluid.” Leadership is “flexible so that the right people lead the right things” 198.
“Leaders who follow the kingdom lead not by controlling but by connecting. They bring people together to generate synergy through the combining of visions, gifts, and experiences for the diversifying of the church’s mission and its continuing outreach in society” 215. EC leaders, therefore, persuade and seek consensus 191-3. They are facilitators, advisors, empowerers, envisioners, permission givers, advocates, friends, encouragers, and defenders 212.
EC leaders make it possible to initiate ministries without going through a chain of command. “We welcome the expression of any gift: dance, writing, film, graphics, installations, meditations, etc.,” not just preaching and guitar playing. This is so that all can participate in a community that produces, as opposed to being spiritual consumers 139.
EC PRAXIS
1/ identify with the life of Jesus
2/ transform the secular realm
3/ live highly communal lives
4/ welcome the stranger
5/ serve with generosity
6/ participate as producers
7/ create as created beings
8/ lead as a body
9/ take part in spiritual activities 45
EC ETHOS
Emerging churches have three core principles:
1/ identify with the life of Jesus.
2/ seek to transform secular society around them.
3/ live as community.
Emerging churches are “pro-testify,” “pro-community,” “pro-ownership” (priesthood of believers), “pro-relationships,” “pro-kingdom”. They emphasize holistic spirituality, servanthood, inclusiveness, forgiveness, hospitality, relationships, justice and transformation. The emerging church “is a servant and a sign of the coming kingdom” 90.
Sounds like many ECers might be tempted to adopt the sermon on the mount as their by-laws. In sum, “emerging churches are communities that practice the way of Jesus within postmodern cultures” 44.
I loved the book and can’t wait for the movie, or better yet, EC "live" !
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Thursday, September 28, 2006
A church of many tongues?
Should I reach out to my immigrant Mexican and Filipino neighbors? If so, how will they fit in with Caucasian middleclass Americans at church? That was my dilemma growing up in a mid-sized California town in the 80’s and it’s a growing reality in our melting-pot world today.
Remember the account of the day of Pentecost recorded in Acts 2? An indoor tornado with pyrotechnic flaming tongues of fire that “zapped” the 12 apostles with the ability to speak many languages? It’s a scene that would dazzle any movie-going audience.
Of course God could have done without the pyrotechnics and language morphs, but on that day people heard, understood, and believed as a result of listening to the Gospel in their mother tongues.
Our church in Porto, Portugal ministers across social and language barriers in a number of ways, and people have responded to the Good News of Christ. The challenge became, how can our believing community maintain a unified identity while being multilingual and multicultural?
COMUNIDADE DA GRAÇA - PORTO
The Comunidade da Graça (CdG) was started in 1997 by a group of Portuguese university students who wanted to live ‘church.’ They did it through spiritual families that met formally on a weekly basis for worship, Bible study, prayer, and fellowship, while also connecting at other times of the week in less formal settings.
In time, more spiritual families sprang up, connected through relationship to God and one another. These groups were spread throughout the greater Porto area, and each had its own natural ‘flavor.’ Some were based around university life and sports; others were more appealing to young moms, youth and families. The groups had a common identity in the CdG, but each had unique qualities that allowed them to minister to different kinds of people.
Due to the presence of GBIM missionaries and a British family, an international flare developed within the CdG. Not wanting to overshadow the Portuguese focus, they were unsure what to do. But God was already preparing ministry partners in Lisbon—the Masons, a British ‘tent-making’ couple from the Riverside International Church Lisbon, a Christian Associates (CA) church plant. Bill and Tina had a heart for reaching internationals in Porto.
RIVERSIDE PORTO
A handful of Porto-based local church leaders met, and by the fall of 2004, CdG, GBIM, Christian Associates, and Riverside Lisbon realized the first formal meeting of Riverside Church Porto in the home of Tim and Julie Hawkins.
Riverside is the only evangelical, English-speaking church in the Porto area. So, in less than two years, Riverside Porto has ministered to dozens of internationals in English, the common language of millions of expatriates worldwide.
If not for partnerships, Riverside Porto would probably not exist today. We believe that wisely formed alliances such as this are increasingly key in spreading the gospel and strengthening the church in Europe.
The Holy Spirit could have created another mini tornado with fiery tongues, but instead he chose to use the local expression of His body to be the hands and mouth of ministry to internationals that had no church to call home.
Please pray for both the Comunidade da Graça and Riverside International Church spiritual families here in Porto as they are united to reach out to all peoples of all cultures and languages.
-Sam Schwartz
Remember the account of the day of Pentecost recorded in Acts 2? An indoor tornado with pyrotechnic flaming tongues of fire that “zapped” the 12 apostles with the ability to speak many languages? It’s a scene that would dazzle any movie-going audience.
Of course God could have done without the pyrotechnics and language morphs, but on that day people heard, understood, and believed as a result of listening to the Gospel in their mother tongues.
Our church in Porto, Portugal ministers across social and language barriers in a number of ways, and people have responded to the Good News of Christ. The challenge became, how can our believing community maintain a unified identity while being multilingual and multicultural?
COMUNIDADE DA GRAÇA - PORTO
The Comunidade da Graça (CdG) was started in 1997 by a group of Portuguese university students who wanted to live ‘church.’ They did it through spiritual families that met formally on a weekly basis for worship, Bible study, prayer, and fellowship, while also connecting at other times of the week in less formal settings.
In time, more spiritual families sprang up, connected through relationship to God and one another. These groups were spread throughout the greater Porto area, and each had its own natural ‘flavor.’ Some were based around university life and sports; others were more appealing to young moms, youth and families. The groups had a common identity in the CdG, but each had unique qualities that allowed them to minister to different kinds of people.
Due to the presence of GBIM missionaries and a British family, an international flare developed within the CdG. Not wanting to overshadow the Portuguese focus, they were unsure what to do. But God was already preparing ministry partners in Lisbon—the Masons, a British ‘tent-making’ couple from the Riverside International Church Lisbon, a Christian Associates (CA) church plant. Bill and Tina had a heart for reaching internationals in Porto.
A handful of Porto-based local church leaders met, and by the fall of 2004, CdG, GBIM, Christian Associates, and Riverside Lisbon realized the first formal meeting of Riverside Church Porto in the home of Tim and Julie Hawkins.
Riverside is the only evangelical, English-speaking church in the Porto area. So, in less than two years, Riverside Porto has ministered to dozens of internationals in English, the common language of millions of expatriates worldwide.
If not for partnerships, Riverside Porto would probably not exist today. We believe that wisely formed alliances such as this are increasingly key in spreading the gospel and strengthening the church in Europe.
The Holy Spirit could have created another mini tornado with fiery tongues, but instead he chose to use the local expression of His body to be the hands and mouth of ministry to internationals that had no church to call home.
Please pray for both the Comunidade da Graça and Riverside International Church spiritual families here in Porto as they are united to reach out to all peoples of all cultures and languages.
-Sam Schwartz
Friday, September 08, 2006
Homework assignment: define "church"
I guess that one could say I have a homework assignment. My boss asked me to furnish him with “a contextualized definition of the church.” Hmmm...
In all transparency, for years I have pushed off defining something that Scripture intentionally uses fuzzy metaphors to describe. And I believe that a "begin with the end in mind," crystal clear definition of church is a modern tool that may be ill adapted to church planting in the European postmodern (pre-what?), postChristendom transitional period in which I find myself.
A few thoughts motivate me to complete this homework assignment. First, my boss is a good guy and I want to be a good team player. Second, many of the church planters on my team are modernists and such a definition may be helpful to them. Third, this sort of exercise forces me to bring together a lot of data and hone my own thinking.
I am a bit clarity challenged (you will note that my convoluted "definition" still looks like a combination, description-of-church/mission statement) and my wife told me it is too "dense." So I thought it might be fun to see if you would like to help me with my assignment!
After reading the following, if you have deletions, additions or other non-snide observations, please feel free to leave a comment. (A number of people have told me that they are somehow hindered by blogger or do not know how to do that. So please feel free to drop me a note at paulklaw@gbim.org) Merci !
We desire to see Europeans become believers who recognize Christ as prophet, redeemer and King. They become disciples.*1
These disciples locally embody the universal priesthood of believers, nurturing loving relationships with Christ and one another through sustainable,*2 hospitable spiritual communities (ekklesia).
These spiritual communities recognize the concomitant authority and guidance of the Triune God and His Word.*3 These communities are shepherded by spiritually qualified European elders*4 and equipped by the five people-who-are-gifts (see Eph.4:11); they are spiritually related to the local-international and historical-future Church.
The Spirit guides and empowers these prayerful, dialogical communities*5 for mission; they therefore co-labor with others of common heart and vision. As part of their worship, the disciples of these communities creatively engage and transform the world around them through caring, sacrificial service so that other Europeans and peoples of the world also recognize Christ as prophet, redeemer and King.
*1 Baptized and obedient to Christ from a heart of love.
*2 Refreshing more than exhausting, creating more than they consume.
*3 Thus the aphorism, “The whole Bible and the Holy Trinity.” The Bible is both their code and search engine for life; they therefore employ a grammatical-historical-contextual-Spirit-guided hermeneutic. “Calvin brought together the Spirit’s work in the inspiration of Scripture with the Spirit’s illumination of the interpreter of Scripture.” Mickelsen, 40.*4 Who are themselves seconded by deacons and deaconesses.
*5 i.e. hermeneutical communities.
In all transparency, for years I have pushed off defining something that Scripture intentionally uses fuzzy metaphors to describe. And I believe that a "begin with the end in mind," crystal clear definition of church is a modern tool that may be ill adapted to church planting in the European postmodern (pre-what?), postChristendom transitional period in which I find myself.
A few thoughts motivate me to complete this homework assignment. First, my boss is a good guy and I want to be a good team player. Second, many of the church planters on my team are modernists and such a definition may be helpful to them. Third, this sort of exercise forces me to bring together a lot of data and hone my own thinking.
I am a bit clarity challenged (you will note that my convoluted "definition" still looks like a combination, description-of-church/mission statement) and my wife told me it is too "dense." So I thought it might be fun to see if you would like to help me with my assignment!
After reading the following, if you have deletions, additions or other non-snide observations, please feel free to leave a comment. (A number of people have told me that they are somehow hindered by blogger or do not know how to do that. So please feel free to drop me a note at paulklaw@gbim.org) Merci !
We desire to see Europeans become believers who recognize Christ as prophet, redeemer and King. They become disciples.*1
These disciples locally embody the universal priesthood of believers, nurturing loving relationships with Christ and one another through sustainable,*2 hospitable spiritual communities (ekklesia).
These spiritual communities recognize the concomitant authority and guidance of the Triune God and His Word.*3 These communities are shepherded by spiritually qualified European elders*4 and equipped by the five people-who-are-gifts (see Eph.4:11); they are spiritually related to the local-international and historical-future Church.
The Spirit guides and empowers these prayerful, dialogical communities*5 for mission; they therefore co-labor with others of common heart and vision. As part of their worship, the disciples of these communities creatively engage and transform the world around them through caring, sacrificial service so that other Europeans and peoples of the world also recognize Christ as prophet, redeemer and King.
*1 Baptized and obedient to Christ from a heart of love.
*2 Refreshing more than exhausting, creating more than they consume.
*3 Thus the aphorism, “The whole Bible and the Holy Trinity.” The Bible is both their code and search engine for life; they therefore employ a grammatical-historical-contextual-Spirit-guided hermeneutic. “Calvin brought together the Spirit’s work in the inspiration of Scripture with the Spirit’s illumination of the interpreter of Scripture.” Mickelsen, 40.*4 Who are themselves seconded by deacons and deaconesses.
*5 i.e. hermeneutical communities.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
an unexpected change in direction
In recent entries, you’ve read about some of the creative avenues GBIM staff are exploring as they plant the Church in Europe. In this blog, Brian Weaver explains how God led his family to a full-time position with UCCF (InterVarsity UK):
I didn't expect to be where we are today. Rhonda and I were raised Grace Brethren, and we took part in everything the Fellowship offered - BNYC, NAC, OB, TIME, Grace College and Seminary, and ultimately GBIM. We came to England with hopes and dreams of a life-long career with GBIM, seeing churches planted across the United Kingdom.
But we didn't see the change coming in early 2005. A colleague in London student ministry was moving on and he invited me to apply for his position. ‘Leave GBIM?! Surely, that isn't what God wants from us?' Thoughts like this echoed in my mind for months, joined by other thoughts: 'Building up God's Kingdom is what we're called to do. Perhaps we've been prepared for this kind of change in direction?'
With the advice of our teammates, our sending church and some trusted friends, we decided I would take up the role of London Team Leader with Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship and Rhonda would take a job in our children's school. And God has confirmed this decision countless times since April 2005.
Since arriving in England in 1995, and especially since we came to London in 1998, we’ve seen the importance of working with the larger Body of Christ. Some place more emphasis on preaching, others on serving. Some worship in different ways. But all of them look to Christ alone for forgiveness and trust in the Holy Spirit's work of conforming us to the image of Jesus all to the glory of God the Father. What a blessing!
Part of my role is to represent UCCF across London, drinking coffee with church leaders from many denominations, seeking collaboration with colleagues in other ministries, aiming — like Barnabas in Acts 11 — to find evidence of the grace of God, encourage, edify and give thanks. I haven't been disappointed. I first learned that notion of encouraging the Body of Christ in June 1983 when I attended Operation Barnabas orientation in Lititz, PA. God was preparing me even then to work with UCCF in 2005.
So, here we are - still working the harvest field in London alongside my brothers and sisters in Christ. They don't wear the badge of GBIM, nor are they all from UCCF. That doesn’t matter, as long as we all belong to Christ and are preaching His gospel for the glory of God. It's great to be in the business of making Jesus famous together!
I didn't expect to be where we are today. Rhonda and I were raised Grace Brethren, and we took part in everything the Fellowship offered - BNYC, NAC, OB, TIME, Grace College and Seminary, and ultimately GBIM. We came to England with hopes and dreams of a life-long career with GBIM, seeing churches planted across the United Kingdom.
But we didn't see the change coming in early 2005. A colleague in London student ministry was moving on and he invited me to apply for his position. ‘Leave GBIM?! Surely, that isn't what God wants from us?' Thoughts like this echoed in my mind for months, joined by other thoughts: 'Building up God's Kingdom is what we're called to do. Perhaps we've been prepared for this kind of change in direction?'
With the advice of our teammates, our sending church and some trusted friends, we decided I would take up the role of London Team Leader with Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship and Rhonda would take a job in our children's school. And God has confirmed this decision countless times since April 2005.
Since arriving in England in 1995, and especially since we came to London in 1998, we’ve seen the importance of working with the larger Body of Christ. Some place more emphasis on preaching, others on serving. Some worship in different ways. But all of them look to Christ alone for forgiveness and trust in the Holy Spirit's work of conforming us to the image of Jesus all to the glory of God the Father. What a blessing!
Part of my role is to represent UCCF across London, drinking coffee with church leaders from many denominations, seeking collaboration with colleagues in other ministries, aiming — like Barnabas in Acts 11 — to find evidence of the grace of God, encourage, edify and give thanks. I haven't been disappointed. I first learned that notion of encouraging the Body of Christ in June 1983 when I attended Operation Barnabas orientation in Lititz, PA. God was preparing me even then to work with UCCF in 2005.
So, here we are - still working the harvest field in London alongside my brothers and sisters in Christ. They don't wear the badge of GBIM, nor are they all from UCCF. That doesn’t matter, as long as we all belong to Christ and are preaching His gospel for the glory of God. It's great to be in the business of making Jesus famous together!
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