Emerging Churches (continued)

Identifying with the poor has become more important for many churches

• Feeding the homeless vs. having a picnic with homeless people (Spencer Burke)
• Relationship with the poor as a signifier of spiritual life
• "You need to know the poor, and the poor needs to know you."

Church of the Savior, Washington.

• Has a history of mission
• Small groups take on significant mission projects and are outwardly focused
• Membership in church tied to a small group
• Have been invited to mentor other faith communities

Levi's Table

• Churches including the poor (even if located in financially well-off places)
• Evangelism and social work: like asking: prayer or bible?

50s-90s: church planting in suburban areas
Today: church planting in urban areas

Measurement of success in quantitative terms has been resisted by emerging churches (looking for qualititative change instead of quantitative change)

• Numbers help to inform us, but can also be dehumanizing
• "Evaluating the involvement of G-d" in emerging churches based on "what are the fruits?" (We can't say that G-d is necessarily more involved in traditional churches)
• It wasn’t about taking out God’s order. It was about finding an expression within God’s order that made them a part of that body, using their creative expressions.
  

"Indigenous expressions of Christianity with specific cultures" happening also in other faiths (e.g. Judaism) and countries.

Kester Brewin, Vaux, London

• Only 2 gifts traditionally recognized in church: singing and preaching
• What other gifts can be brought into the church? (businesspeople, art, film, socialwork, politics...)
• How can each person participate uniquely? (more difficult, but infuses theology in all of life)
• People there bringing their lives into church to worship and honor God. It’s homegrown. It will look different in rural and urban settings. All are participants, just with different expressions.
• So can you critique some place like Willow Creek? Just a reflection of suburban Chicago, mall-like culture
• Can be equally embraced and critiqued. Need to make sure the gospel is there.
  

"The culture expressed in church should reflect the people of the church."
"The church should reflect its own zip code."

Karen Ward, Church of the Apostles, Seattle, US

• Set up church in a cafe
• All have gifts and not only the senior pastor/worship leader
• The church’s expectation is if you’re getting paid, you’re supposed to do X, Y, Z. But shouldn’t the pastor just be facilitating what is happening in the body? The church should be doing the work. Every person-giftedness.
  

Debbie Blue, House of Mercy, St. Paul

• Pastor as CEO vs. Pastor as artist/interpreter of faith
• Efficiency vs. Creativity
• Business model vs. Organic development

Other emerging churches discussed:

• Doug Pagent, Solomon Community
• Jason Evans, Matthews House, Vista, US

• All of life became sacred. Workplace wasn’t just a secular place. It was a means to make all of life holy.