So you want to know what the emerging
church is? This is the place to start...
Emerging/Emergent:
Emerging, often paired with ‘church’, refers to a conversation
among many in the church focused on finding new ways to proclaim
the gospel in a postmodern world (see definition of postmodern).
Much of the conversation centers on integrating faith practices
in our daily lives and being the church in the world. There is also
a clear emphasis on relationships and developing a strong sense
of community. The conversation does not seek to throw out tradition,
but to examine tradition in order to give fuller meaning to the
rituals and practices we use. Emergent is used to describe those
congregations and people who embody the ideas stemming from the
emerging conversation.
Postmodern:
Postmodern describes those things rooted in a cultural phenomenon
currently taking shape. This phenomenon is seen as a transition
from ‘modernity’ to the period after, or ‘post-modernity’.
It must be noted that this shift is neither clear nor finished.
Modernity, understood as a historical period, is characterized by
the belief that undeniable truths can be established through human
observation and reason. These truths are concrete and universal
– for all people and all time. However, postmodernity arises
from the understanding that every person sees the world through
their own experiences and context, therefore no truth claim is ever
absolute. This does not mean that to be postmodern is to believe
everything is up for grabs or that anything goes. Instead, it is
to examine the methods by which we arrive at truth claims even as
they give shape and meaning to our lives. Many postmoderns believe
there to be an all encompassing Reality (for Christians this is
God), but that our understanding of that Reality is limited and
shaped by what we know and who we are.
Seeker:
The word “seeker” is seldom used in the emerging conversation,
and when it is used, it is to critique programs that claim to solve
the “problem” of drawing people into a church. Although
not specifically targeting those outside of the church, leaders
believe that the spiritual practices and call to faithful living
of emerging churches are appealing to the many in our world who
are hungry for meaning and purpose, seeking other forms of spirituality
because they have not been fed by the wider church.
Story:
Story is an important part of community life within the emerging
church conversation because it points to the relationship of our
own stories within community and God’s story. The community
within a congregation is a place where the people can share their
own stories without fear of being criticized or the fear that one’s
own story is not significant. Each individual’s story is important
to the context of living in authentic Christian community. With
the stories of individuals coming together there is the story of
the community and all of these stories are part of God’s story.
As we learn from God’s story in Scripture, we are called to
live out God’s story in our daily lives. We are called out
of our comfort zones, outside of our church buildings to reach out
to those whose stories we do not know. We are called to reach out
and learn their stories as this is part of God’s story. Within
this understanding of individual stories in relation to the community,
Nathan Frambach states that there are two important questions, “Who
am I? and Who are we?” These questions point to how we are
all connected in God’s story (p. 42). With the significance
of these questions, Frambach also states that these questions “deserve
an honest response, because they are, at root, sacred questions”
(p. 42).
Ancient/Future Orthodoxy:
The emerging conversation seeks to reclaim practices of ancient
Christianity, integrated with elements of contemporary life and
culture, as a way to both reach out to the un-churched postmodern
people and to lead lives of discipleship and deep faith. Instead
of softening the spiritual, Christian tone of worship to make worship
and congregational involvement more accessible to the un-churched,
they turn up the volume on the Christian spirituality and discipleship.
This includes worship spaces more like the house-churches of Early
Christianity, focus on devotional life, service, and community,
more time in Scripture, frequent celebration of the Lord’s
Supper, burning of incense, and sometimes using ancient/medieval
chants, liturgies, and hymns. Emerging worship also utilizes images,
such as stained glass windows and other Christian artwork for illustration
and meditation. Woven into this multi-sensory, experiential worship
are elements and images of today’s culture: using technology
like computers and MP3 players, and clips from movies like The Lord
of the Rings trilogy and music from pop/rock artists such as U2.
|
