Lately, the “conversation” versus “movement” labels for the emerging church have been bandied around like postmodern and gen-x in the early days of whatever it is you want to call this thing we are mixed up in.
Established church pastors, denominational heads, other “leaders” need a conversation about what’s going on. They need to dialogue with many from different perspectives and in so doing find what God is doing in the varied parts of the body of Christ.
The Church, as a whole, however, needs a movement. There are too many people who can give a rip about the weighty philosophy thrown around, they just know the established church is broken, and they fear there is no place for their faith. They need a movement of people doing something rather than engaging in a conversation. The Church needs a movement.
And thankfully, there’s one going on. Even amidst those who are adamant about calling the emerging church a conversation, there’s some activity going on. But even more so, off the scope of our radars, God has birthed in many Christians a desire to do something different. I’ve encountered many of these groups who have never heard of THEOOZE, Next Wave, or Emergent Village, yet they seem to be doing and embodying much of what the emerging church talks about frequently.
The conversation is valuable, as we must not forget that regardless of the forms the local and regional church takes, we are all one body. However, we must not mistake the dialogue for what the Church needs most right now: action. A movement.
One question in the “conversation”…
Movement to where?
In my time of having been immersed in the “community”, the “language”, and the “journey”, I’ve come to the conclusion that the emerging church “movement” is more like a whirlpool and less like a river.
After a while, you just get tired of defining yourself and your faith just in terms of who you’re NOT and what you DON’T believe. I can’t take another conference or gathering filled with the din of what’s wrong with all those evangelicals and fundamentalist and whoever else. You’d think from all the “conversation” that the Holy Spirit has been asleep at the wheel for the past 200+ years. Lest we forget that a broken clock is right at least twice a day.
God has reminded me that he has not called us to follow Diogenes, but to follow Christ. And I am… right out the “emergent” church.
Bobba Gnush
June 27th, 2005
who r u??? wat religion r u?>
Jaclyn Hartung
May 30th, 2005
Jaclyn -
I’m a former pastor, currently an actor and writer, and I am the General Editor of a website called THEOOZE.
I’m a follower of Jesus who’s not a big fan of the established church, or institutional religion in general.
What about u?
Anonymous
May 30th, 2005