I often have people approach me and ask, "Where do you think the church is headed in the future?" I believe people ask this question for two different reasons. One group sees the direction our culture is going and is filled with fear, the other group also sees where our culture is going and sees the possibilities for the church in the future.
I stand within the second group upon this issue of where the church is today and where I see our culture headed. This is not to say that the church does not have a lot of work ahead of her. I believe we as the church still have many necessary changes ahead of us to continue being a place of openness to God and our neighbor. However through God's help, we will make these changes and continue our journey into the future.
I began this blog with the intension of writing a short thesis of where I see the church of today and where I believe the church of tomorrow should be. However, along the way a stumbled upon this paper and decided to post this instead. I believe the ideas shared here voice the same cry of my heart for the church.
The paper is a little long, but worth the read.
Emerging Ecclesiology: Preliminary Obeservations Of Horizen Churches in a Postmodern World
Let me know what you think of it.
posted by Mark Garrett @ 11:20 AM
2 Comments:
Mark,
I just was part of a similar dialogue with members or a Christian group that meets on Sunday Nights. I've also been to a house church recently and the article is very interesting.
Stu
Here's a relevant conversation I just had with Leah, Mark's wife:
[09:13] SocialHipHop: Mark's discussion is right in line with what I've been discussing with several people
[09:15] george1978: Really? That's cool. I am really excited about some of these ideas. I have been struggling with these questions for a long, long time. This weekend at TEAM day, Leonard Sweet is speaking and he's another forerunner in this. It should be interesting.
[09:15] SocialHipHop: nice
[09:16] SocialHipHop: I've been to a house church and have a friend who is heavily involved in the movement
[09:16] george1978: That's cool.
[09:16] george1978: I do really hate how churches are being "branded" right now.
[09:17] SocialHipHop: yup
[09:17] george1978: It's like the "traditional" and "Contemporary" thing. I think it has be bigger than that if CHURCH will see future generations.
[09:17] SocialHipHop: yup
[09:18] george1978: My uncle is working on a theory, debating whether existing churches can actually transform into emergent. existing churches feel very threatened by this.
[09:18] SocialHipHop: probably not
[09:19] SocialHipHop: but that's a good thing
[09:19] SocialHipHop: I'd say it's best for some pastor's to close their doors and be part of such movements
[09:19] george1978: pastors? or laity?
[09:19] SocialHipHop: both really
[09:20] SocialHipHop: some pastors will keep trudging along into irrelevancy
[09:21] SocialHipHop: I think it's time for the church to go underground in America
[09:22] george1978: yeah, I agree with that.
[09:22] SocialHipHop: maybe in preparation for who knows what, maybe out of a response to all the ignorance dispelled in the name of religion
[09:22] SocialHipHop: go underground, get personal
[09:22] SocialHipHop: and NOT care about numbers
[09:22] SocialHipHop: AT ALL
[09:23] SocialHipHop: THAT'S the rub where organized churches will have a problem
[09:23] george1978: yeah, headquarters would go up in smoke!
[09:24] SocialHipHop: what if church organizations downsized to volunteer staff?
[09:24] SocialHipHop: Acts 2 in that everyone used their gifts
[09:24] SocialHipHop: worked secular jobs
[09:24] SocialHipHop: etc.
[09:24] george1978: you know, this is what Mark and I keep feeling.
[09:24] SocialHipHop: cool, keep feeling;)
[09:25] SocialHipHop: I was just telling someone the other day how refreshing it was to have a pastor younger than me..I miss that
[09:25] george1978: being full-time church employees isn't going to work. In one instance, church giving is down nationally and also because any giving could then be used to meet real needs like poverty, etc
[09:25] SocialHipHop: true
[09:26] SocialHipHop: (we oughta post this conversation on the blog...do you mind if I do?
[09:26] george1978: also, being full-time is unrealistic for us because there is just not enough exposure to anything but our own church
[09:26] george1978: On Mark's blog?
[09:26] SocialHipHop: sure
[09:27] george1978: Fine with me.
[09:27] george1978: did you read my blog on "why I hate being a Christian?"
[09:28] SocialHipHop: no, I didn't
[09:28] SocialHipHop: I'll have too
[09:29] george1978: It's kinda my last reflective blog for a while but it's just one open door into some of my "issues"
[09:30] SocialHipHop: cool
[09:30] george1978: I got too serious for a while. Not that i've lightened up but, I've gotten more frustrated and depressed about CHURCH and I haven't wanted to publicize it too much
[09:31] SocialHipHop: ok...I'm gonna post this now...
[09:31] SocialHipHop: or the relevant parts
And she adds:
[09:35] george1978: So may I add, if the church goes underground, then should the only requirement for church membership (or leadership) be a living room with lots of couches and a place for the children to play?
These guys ROCK!
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