The Future of the Emerging Church
Hello everyone.
There's been a lot of talk lately about where the Emerging Church is going. Over at Sojourners, there's a discussion about whether or not the movement is racially diverse enough. Recently John Piper said that in ten years no one will talk about the Emerging Church anymore. Even Dan Kimball believes that the discussion has drifted from its original intent--how to better love people--into theological issues.
I know there are several members of this community from the Emerging movement, so I want to ask you all: where do you think the Emerging Church is headed?
There's been a lot of talk lately about where the Emerging Church is going. Over at Sojourners, there's a discussion about whether or not the movement is racially diverse enough. Recently John Piper said that in ten years no one will talk about the Emerging Church anymore. Even Dan Kimball believes that the discussion has drifted from its original intent--how to better love people--into theological issues.
I know there are several members of this community from the Emerging movement, so I want to ask you all: where do you think the Emerging Church is headed?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jonathan Brink on -
I'll say that I think we're on the doorstep of the next stage in growth.
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Permalink Reply by Travis Mamone on -
I hope you're right, Jonathan.
After doing some thinking, I wrote some suggestions on my blog: http://www.travismamone.net/2010/04/future-of-emerging-church.html
Hopefully it makes sense.
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Permalink Reply by Mo Johnson on -
Funny, I just went on a bit of a rant about something similar to this a couple minutes ago. Bottom line is I don't see the "emergent" movement really standing for much and it won't really affect much positive change unless it does stand for some things. I think it's time to coalesce around some specific ideas that we agree on and promote them.
Here's my whole post
http://www.transformnetwork.org/forum/topics/an-alternative-to-chur...
I do see the tension between another desire to just focus on loving everyone (which is important) -- but the problem is that when that causes you to simply not stand for anything because you want to make everyone happy -- that is a problem and I sense that is the bigger problem the "emergent movement" such that it is -- has.
you really can't be all things to all people. you can't, for instance (to take the immigration issue as an exampe) -- you can't believe that to follow Jesus means either accepting immigrants and welcoming them to our country and simultaneously supporting deporting them. You really do have to choose intentionally which position this community thinks is more Christlike. If you stand on the sidelines and don't take a position -- you are irrelevant or worse, tacitly supporting unChristian policies.
I think the emergent movement needs to lead in many of the major issues facing our world. If we did that -- we'd be very relevant.
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Permalink Reply by Trevor Wright on -
My take is that the emerging movement was never really intended to be a list of theological statements so much as it was intended to be a philosophy of ministry that impacted the church and people. We are at the beginning phases of a cultural shift just as the shift into the modern era, we don't really know what the postmodern era is going to become. Emerging conversations have served well in helping the modern church explore what it will look like as we keep moving forward.
In the future I doubt that the emerging church movement will be talked about b/c it will be absorbed into the way that we do things in the church. Just like there was a movement at the onset of the modern era (enlightenment, reformation, etc.) it's not something that we talk about now, but they served purpose for bringing us into the new age. I think the same will happen with this emerging movement. It will become part and parcel with the next phase of the church and ministry as these younger generations absorb these philosophies and carry them with them into the church regardless of denomination or approach. Philosophy of ministry hasn't changed b/c the emerging movement says so, it's changing b/c the emerging movement is reflecting conversation that is already happening in the world on a larger scale.
It's unfortunate that there are those who make the emerging movement about specific theological statements. I don't think that's the point. I think the point is re:imagining the church, figuring out how to live out the principles of Jesus, and take the great commandment to love God and love others to a whole new level of practicality and extremism. My 2 cents. It'd be interesting to consider what is happening in Europe right now, b/c they seem to be about 10 or even 20 years ahead of us culturally. What are the conversations that they are having?
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