Posted 162 days ago
The New Conspirators: The Emerging Church: Touring the Emerging Stream
by Tom Sine, Mustard Seed Associates
As we race into a very uncertain future, the Western Church is facing some daunting challenges: declining numbers and a seeming inability to engage younger people, including many who were raised in the church. In response, God is conspiring with a new generation of creative, risk-taking Jesus-followers to imagine and create new expressions of church. In my book The New Conspirators: Creating the Future One Mustard Seed at a Time
Brian McLaren, discussing the emerging church, observes a distinguishing perspective of young Christians: “It’s not about the church meeting your needs; it’s about joining the mission of God’s people to meet the world’s needs.” Those involved in this stream almost always tend to be more outwardly seeking to engage urgent needs in their communities and the larger world.
Beginnings in Britain
Many American Christians have never heard of the house church movement that swept through Britain in the late 1970s and early 1980s. This renewal movement was short-lived, however, and soon ran out of gas. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, I met a number of young Brits who began creating new expressions of church. These leaders included: Peter and Samie Greig, Phil and Wendy Wall, Gerard and Chrissie Kelly, Andy and Helen Harrington, and Jonny and Jenny Baker. In a variety of ways they took initiative to begin the world over again. Some described themselves as “post-evangelical.” Others were experimenting with alternative forms of worship. They all seemed to share a postmodern and often a post-Christendom critique of both culture and church.
Kiwis and Aussies joining the emerging edge
In the early 1990s, some young Christians in Nelson, New Zealand, created a sophisticated venue called the Led Zebra. This safari-themed center was drawing more teens than any secular venue in town. Meanwhile, in the red light district of Auckland, New Zealand, Mark Pierson, Mike Riddell and some of their mates created Parallel Universe, a monthly alternative worship opportunity for twenty- and thirty-year-olds, most of whom made no profession of faith. From those early beginnings, Mark Pierson went on to lead one of the most artistic churches in the emerging world— Cityside Baptist, also in Auckland. A number of new expressions have also been created in Australia, like the Basement, an Anglican church plant in Canberra that works with the poor and started a coffee shop to reach out to the young.
North Americans joining the emerging edge
In the mid-1990s, the emerging church movement made its way to North America. Funded by the Leadership Network, Doug Pagitt a small circle of pastors started holding conferences around the country. Many young leaders at these conferences have subsequently planted new forms of church, such as Solomon’s Porch in the Twin Cities, Minnesota, Ecclesia in Houston, Texas, and Mars Hil in Grandville, Michigan.
Since those first mustard seed experiments in the mid to late 1990s, there has been an explosion of emerging church plants in North America, including Veritas in Southern California, which offers postmodern worship and opportunities to make sandwiches for the homeless. Dan Kimball, author of They Like Jesus but Not the Church: Insights from Emerging Generations
Defining the Emerging Conspirators
I find there is a wide array of understandings around the world of what constitutes an emerging church. Emerging leaders in Britain, Australia and New Zealand tend to be more involved in a conversation about postmodern culture and a post-Christendom church. Others define emerging as the creation of post-denominational and post-congregational forms of church. And for some other young leaders in the US “pomo” (postmodern) churches seem to be simply another way to describe alternative worship. Eddie Gibbs and Ryan Bolger took a comprehensive look at this movement in Britain and the United States in their definitive book Emerging Churches. They offer this very succinct definition of this stream: “Emerging churches are communities that practice the way of Jesus within postmodern cultures.” Scott Bader-Saye observes that those in the emerging stream often prefer to define the emerging church as a conversation instead of a movement—a conversation that “is still young, experimental and evolving.” Leonard Sweet sees it as “an ongoing conversation about how new times call for new churches, and the mortar-happy church of the last half of the 20th century is ill-poised to face the promises and perils of the future.” But, however defined, the emerging movement offers fresh expressions of what it means to be the church and do mission, from which we can all learn.
Some leaders in the American church like theologian D.A. Carson express serious reservations about Brian McLaren’s writings and all things emerging. I think if these critics took the time to get to know these leaders personally they would discover, as I have, how most of these leaders struggle to be true to both scripture and the rich traditions of our faith. In fact, I find that many actually take scripture more seriously than some of their detractors in their call for “ortho-praxy”—to not only intellectually assent to faith but to more authentically live out a biblical faith with their entire lives. I believe we all have much to gain not only from the new examples these emerging conspirators but also from the questions they raise for all followers of Jesus.
A few writings about all things emerging
One of the characteristics of the emerging stream is strength of imagination with a very high level of risk-taking and initiative. Emerging Churches: Creating Christian Community in Postmodern Cultures
A few web sites about the emerging edge
Here are few of the emerging websites that will connect you with what these conspirators are doing. The Church Mission Society maintains a website emergingchurch.info, where many emerging leaders connect to one another. The best place to meet many young emergingleaders is at the Greenbelt Arts Festival, which gathers every August at the Chelteham Racecourse in the UK. The blogging apostle to the emerging church in Europe is Andrew Jones, alias Tall Skinny Kiwi. Fuzz Kitto is in touch with what is happening in Australia and is one of the sponsors of the Black Stump Festival , a gathering place for the innovative and risk-takers in Australia. Steve Taylor, pastor of Opawa Baptist Church)in Christchurch, New Zealand is part of the latest generation of emerging church planters. In North America, Emergent Village, led by Tony Jones , and The Ooze, led by Spencer Burke , are the primary groups hosting young church planters and wannabes in gatherings and online venues. Youth Specialties is also a primary player in the US.
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