What is Emerging in the Church?

Several people are undergoing a synchrobog today on the topic "What is Emerging in the Church?" 

What is emerging in the church?  I have no idea.  But I have my ear to the ground at House for All Sinners and Saints, the community to which I belong.

Here's what I think is emerging at HFASS....here's where I envision God calling us to be (some of these things already exist and some are yet to)

I envision a vibrant community which averages 80-100 in worship.  The leadership within the church is undertaken by many people based on what they are passionate about.   We have maintained the participatory nature of our liturgy while more people work to created it.  Writers write the prayers, musicians create music, artists adorn the worship space. It is a place that celebrates the arts in all its multiple facets from music to painting to stain glass windows to poetry, dance and sculpture – both to engage in faith and just to celebrate life in general. There’s always food.  People laugh more than anyone would expect in a church.  We see the promise of narcissism, which is ever present in our consumer culture, for what it is: a lie.  So we do the radical thing of showing up even if it is not the thing we want to do in the moment because it may meet the needs of someone else (not out of obligation or guilt, but out of freedom).  Those drawn to more of a whole-life faith undertake praying the hours together.  A small group gathers for sung Matins each day.  We are known in the community for being purveyors of whimsy and mystery.  We don’t take ourselves too seriously.  We glorify the stranger.  We insist on the gospel.  We sing our hearts to God.  Who we are changes with everyone who joins us or leaves us but what we are about is constant.  We gather around Word and Sacrament.  We respond to the needs around us.   We relish in subversive generosity.  We pray our asses off.  We know what other resources are available in the community so that we can refer people to them.  Work is joy because we do it together and for the sake of God.  We retreat twice a year.  Children help create and participate in worship.  We respond and adapt.  We are nimble yet rooted.  We have a good reputation amongst those who are usually suspect of the church.  New people are given a meaningful place in the community.  We point to nothing but Christ and him crucified. 

May God make us worthy of our calling.

Amen.

Comments

[Chad Holtz]

Nadia,
Happy to be a new friend of yours and I love this vision (as well as description) of God's kingdom on earth.

Question for ya: I am a Methodist student pastor at Duke Divinity. I pastor a rural congregation in NC. Do you think it is possible to take a congregation long rooted in its own story and tradition (one I think we must honor, even as we seek to deconstruct and reconstruct some new visions) so that they become what you describe here? Or is this sort of community only possible if it is begun new (church plant) where the sort of people that come are already conditioned for this sort of environment?

This is the tension I constantly live within.

Any thoughts you have would be welcome.

peace,
Chad

[Dave H]

Hi!

I love what you envision here. It resonates with what we are daily building in my Mennonite congregation.

The fact that Mennonites and Lutherans are each finding common vision in these ways is evidence enough that something new, no: New (capital N) is afoot.

Thanks for your leadership and followership in these conversations.

Dave

[Rachel & Ratchet]

A-freakin-men sister. Your long distant HFASS members, Ratchet and Rachel

[Amelia]

Sigh. I love your vision, and I would happily participate.

[Sheryl]

Chad asks a really good question, and I would love to hear your answer - and have some discussion about it - because it is a question I am struggling with too (though as a lay person in a struggling, dysfucntional congregation).

And this is yet another post I'll be sharing with our congregational council tonight. Maybe something will sink in eventually...

[Geoff]

Nadia -

I like this a lot.
I've been working on mission/postmodern stuff for a while and you hit the nail right on the head with your vision for ministry. What I see emerging in my life and ministry is intentionality around engagement with our people that carries over into all aspects of our lives. Albert Winsemman suggests - the days of simply "doing church" are over. It is time to "be the church" again. I agree!

Thanks for your reflection.

Peace,

Geoff Sinibaldo
Pastor, St. Matthew LC Avon, CT

[Susan Phillips]

Thanks, Nadia!

@Chad -- here is how I've explained my 11 years of ministry with an "existing" congregation which is emerging in some ways, even if no one uses that language: http://godpots.wordpress.com/2009/09/15/dying-and-being-reborn/

[Tia Lynn]

That was beautiful. And the "we pray our asses off" remark made me laugh. :)

[Vicki]

Right on, Nadia. Love your paradoxes "praying our asses off" and "rooted yet nimble." Blessings, Vicki

[Dan Haugh]

what a great vision lived out in community. thanks for sharing your experience and heart-felt passions

[Michael Curle]

That's fantastic. I think it would make a great manifesto...

[Ryan Sato]

Hi Nadia, Totally appreciate your take on what's emerging. Do i have permission to post a version of this in our future church bulletin? it would be great to use to get a conversation going in our church!
Blessings from CANADA,
R. Sato

[Kathryn]

Nadia,

You make me want to move to Denver! I pray that your vision is possible, and emerging, even in root-bound congregations in North Carolina...right now, the best I can do is the "radical thing of showing up"...
Keep dreaming dreams and seeing visions, it gives me hope!

[Jeffrey Swartz]

Thank you for posting your thoughts about being part of the emergent movement. I wouldn't really call it a emergent church but a movement like what was experienced during Martin Luther in 1500's. I now consider myself a Messianic Emergent Jew. I just blogged about it and going through many authors and their thoughts of this movement.

[Sheila Poole]

Thanks, Nadia. Heard you at Greenbelt, UK, last year and loved what you had to say. I'm just about to send your 'Emerging Church' paragraph to be published in our church newsletter....because it'll ring true with our fellowship and they'll be greatly encouraged. Keep doing what you're doing!

[Ocapologist.blogspot.com]

What's truly sad in my opinion is that what you have just described must be emerging, when it should have never diminished or disappeared.