Introduction
Van Engen states the need to find new avenues for contextualizing congregations. Most pastors prioritize maintaining members happiness and to keep getting paid by members. This leaves them frustrated and not fulfilling God’s purpose for the local church as a missionary congregation.
Chapter 1
The author states that there needs to be closer relationship between the concept of mission and church. Many church members see mission and church as distinct and separate from each other and oftentimes in conflict with each other. This has happened in the past because of mission organizations operating separately from local church structures. The church is not separate from mission but exists by mission.
Chapter 2
The post Augustinian church shifted from self examination and criticism to self congratulation and static definition. This happened as the Roman church identified itself with the kingdom of God. The church is an emerging reality. It is always becoming. The church is always reaching forward to fulfill its calling and never arrives.
Chapter 3
Ephesians describes the “one, holy, catholic,” attributes of the church. The local church derives its ultimate meaning from the whole church. Oneness is intended to assist and enable mission and ministry. It is a oneness of numbers, spirituality, service, and theology.
Chapter 4
The reformation “marks” of the church were misrepresented to signify a local inclusive place and not actions to be performed in the world. It closed off the church from the world and divided the church against itself. The four attributes of the church oneness, holiness, catholicity, and apostolicity are adverbs of missionary action and set the local church’s agenda.
Chapter 5
Van Engen restates the missionary intention of the local church as being for the world, identification with the oppressed, mission, proclamation witness, and yearning for numerical growth. This yearning is inclusive of all four of the the attributes of the creedal church. The church’s nature emerges from its reality and its center which is Jesus Christ.
Chapter 6
The purpose of the church involves koinonia (fellowship), kerygma (proclamation), diakonia (service), and marturia (witness). All four function as a witness to the world of God with us. He then asks is this the reason for which our congregations, mission churches, or denominations exist today?
Chapter 7
Van Engen describes and defines the relationship between the church and the kingdom of God. He asserts that the church is not the kingdom but an anticipatory sign of the kingdom of God. It witnesses to this kingdom reality. He also points out that the 3 self formula promoted by Venn and Anderson is deficient in light of the church being the anticipatory sign of the kingdom and hinders the church from being a true missionary people.
Chapter 8
The church is called to fulfill the three roles of prophet, priest, and king in the world. These three roles must be contextualized by a particular local church in its context. This is Jesus’ ministry transferred to his followers. This awareness has brought about new forms of church organized and shaped around ministry in the world.
Chapter 9
In the chapter on the missional goals of the local church the author states that each Christian is called to build the church. As salt is ineffective unless it is dispersed, the people of God will not be effected unless they are scattered and launched into the world and the surrounding context. As the context changes the priorities for life and ministry of the local church will change.
Chapter 10
The laity are the whole people of God who are called to minister. In order for this to happen there must be a conversion to Christ, a conversion to his church and a conversion to his ministry in the world. There must be a broad development of the people of God and not just the ten percent who do most of the work. Ordained persons are set apart to equip God’s missionary people so that the church is not simply a dictatorship, democracy, tribe, or club.
Chapter 11
Church leadership is described as a missiological event. The leader catalysts must embody and ignite mission in the congregation. This means that every church leader does tasks alongside another church member while having the ultimate goal of equipping them to be a leader. In this way effectiveness is measured by equipping.
Chapter 12
Van Engen concludes with the most critical step in leading missionary congregations and must be considered a spiritual activity. It is in administration that all of the missional goals of the congregation are given practical form. It must reflect the congregation’s context and launch them out as missionaries to the world.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Church and mission 11/25-Tradition
Our professor said that no matter what the church movement a tradition is formed within one generation. It makes me feel very vigilant about what traditions have been formed in our local church and whether they are relevant to what is going on in our local cultural context. Even though we have developed traditions they are not sacred and they are only to be used for the purpose of mission in our local context.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Reflections on Global Pentecostalism by Donald Miller and Tetsunao Yamamori
Chapter 1
The authors describe Pentecostalisms different streams and the fact that there is no one Pentecostalism. Next they point toward progressive pentecostalism in the two thirds world as the one stream that gives hands and feet to social engagement. In their study the authors include the transcendent experience of the Spirit as a factor in Progressive Pentecostalism’s social engagement and resutlting effectiveness alongside other contextual factors.
Chapter 2
There are some Pentecostal ministries involved in charitable assistance and emergency relief work while others are involved in systemic change and community development. Partnering with non governmental organizations has been successful partly due to the indirect benefits of 1) the hcurch perceived as providing the service to the community 2) leadership training from the NGO and 3) interaction with the government. The motivation behind the social engagement of progressive pentecostalism is to “be Christ’s hands and feet in the world”
Chapter 3
The programs serving children and youth are geared towards being holistic and not just giving hand outs. The common desire for many of these ministries is that the children do not get taken away from real life but to help them in the midst of their reality. Most of the ministries that have been effective provide authoritative communities for the children. They are also focused on the children’s rights, dignity, and providing a community environment.
Chapter 4
The embrace of the Holy Spirit in progressive Pentecostalism is what makes it distinct from other social service programs. This is what fuels the leaders of the different social ministries and what they credit as the main factor in their effectiveness. It is the power of the Holy Spirit that has given them the resources and empowered them to transform individuals and society.
Chapter 5
Progressive Pentecostalism’s embrace of the Holy Spirit is clearly seen in its worship and prayer rituals. They are truly meant to facilitate a communal and individual encounter with God. It is this aspect of Pentecostalism that the authors believe activates and renews the adherents commitment to social engagement.
Chapter 6
Pentecostalism has been a tool for upward mobility in many two third world countries. One of the reasons is because of its strict moral code which restricts spending on items such as alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, and prostitution. As a result families save more money and invest in business. There are also side benefits of setting a good example for the children and having a good reputation with employers. The upward mobility of Pentecostalism’s adherents is a paradox. On the one hand Pentecostalism’s alliance with existing capitalist structures hinders systemic change and on the other hand it stimulates systemic change.
Chapter 7
The structure of progressive Pentecostal churches is very organic and finds its basis in the apostle Paul’s metaphor of the body of Christ. It is also promoted by those who belong to the emerging church. The large and rapid growth of most churches is organized around cell groups. These cell groups consist of individuals who have a knowledge of and exercise their spiritual gifts. There is no room for benchwarmers. This creates a large workforce for social engagement.
Chapter 8
The middle class demographic within Pentecostalism has caused an alteration in its eschatology. No longer is eschatology about future events but the kingdom of God is a present reality. This means that being an agent of compassion and justice is imperative. The most important factor in doing this is the experience of corporate worship which gives the progressive pentecostal a sense of hope and joy in the midst of engaging despairing social realities.
The authors describe Pentecostalisms different streams and the fact that there is no one Pentecostalism. Next they point toward progressive pentecostalism in the two thirds world as the one stream that gives hands and feet to social engagement. In their study the authors include the transcendent experience of the Spirit as a factor in Progressive Pentecostalism’s social engagement and resutlting effectiveness alongside other contextual factors.
Chapter 2
There are some Pentecostal ministries involved in charitable assistance and emergency relief work while others are involved in systemic change and community development. Partnering with non governmental organizations has been successful partly due to the indirect benefits of 1) the hcurch perceived as providing the service to the community 2) leadership training from the NGO and 3) interaction with the government. The motivation behind the social engagement of progressive pentecostalism is to “be Christ’s hands and feet in the world”
Chapter 3
The programs serving children and youth are geared towards being holistic and not just giving hand outs. The common desire for many of these ministries is that the children do not get taken away from real life but to help them in the midst of their reality. Most of the ministries that have been effective provide authoritative communities for the children. They are also focused on the children’s rights, dignity, and providing a community environment.
Chapter 4
The embrace of the Holy Spirit in progressive Pentecostalism is what makes it distinct from other social service programs. This is what fuels the leaders of the different social ministries and what they credit as the main factor in their effectiveness. It is the power of the Holy Spirit that has given them the resources and empowered them to transform individuals and society.
Chapter 5
Progressive Pentecostalism’s embrace of the Holy Spirit is clearly seen in its worship and prayer rituals. They are truly meant to facilitate a communal and individual encounter with God. It is this aspect of Pentecostalism that the authors believe activates and renews the adherents commitment to social engagement.
Chapter 6
Pentecostalism has been a tool for upward mobility in many two third world countries. One of the reasons is because of its strict moral code which restricts spending on items such as alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, and prostitution. As a result families save more money and invest in business. There are also side benefits of setting a good example for the children and having a good reputation with employers. The upward mobility of Pentecostalism’s adherents is a paradox. On the one hand Pentecostalism’s alliance with existing capitalist structures hinders systemic change and on the other hand it stimulates systemic change.
Chapter 7
The structure of progressive Pentecostal churches is very organic and finds its basis in the apostle Paul’s metaphor of the body of Christ. It is also promoted by those who belong to the emerging church. The large and rapid growth of most churches is organized around cell groups. These cell groups consist of individuals who have a knowledge of and exercise their spiritual gifts. There is no room for benchwarmers. This creates a large workforce for social engagement.
Chapter 8
The middle class demographic within Pentecostalism has caused an alteration in its eschatology. No longer is eschatology about future events but the kingdom of God is a present reality. This means that being an agent of compassion and justice is imperative. The most important factor in doing this is the experience of corporate worship which gives the progressive pentecostal a sense of hope and joy in the midst of engaging despairing social realities.
Church and mission 11/23-6 to 10 hours of influence
In class yesterday, Professor Bolger said that the average person needs 6 to 10 hours a week with a community in order for them to be influenced by that community. This got me to thinking...How can we as a church influence people for the kingdom of God in this culture? The only regular environment where people spend 6-10 hours together I believe is the workplace. Do we train people adequately to represent Christ in the workplace? What about small groups? That's about 2 hours generally. That's not enough. Sunday morning church service is about 1-2 hours. That's not enough. Any ideas of how to build this 6 to 10 hours of kingdom influence into the week?
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Church and mission 11/18-New Monasticism
The New Monastic Movement seems like one of the few bright spots in contemporary North American Christianity where people actually learn what it means to follow Jesus. Cultivating the Christlike practices of hospitality, peacemaking, and economic sharing could go along way in delivering a prophetic word to the world but also to the church. My one hesitation is that by having a certain segment of Christianity living life this way are they being set apart as the special ones or are they saying that this is the sum total and completeness of following Jesus and the rest of the wannabe Christians should follow suit? Hmmmm
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Church and mission 11/16-Culture barriers
It seems that as we study the Catholic church there have been great strides in contextualization but also has limited contextualization. The Jesuits had some stand out priests who became like the ones they were ministering to but at the same time the church kept insisting on sameness and exalting the style of church that was imported from Europe.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Reflections on An Introduction to Ecclesiology by Velli Matti Karkkainen
Introduction-Dr Karkkainen lets us know that ecclesiology and pneumatology are connected and defines "ecclesiology proper" as the study of what makes church church?
Chapter 1-The Eastern Orthodox understanding of church draws on the church fathers of the east and is very spirit sensitive. The church is the image of the trinity and represents identity and mutuality or unity in diversity. Unity is seen as a result of the church being the body of Christ. Diversity is seen as a result of the church being the fullness of the Spirit.
Chapter 2-The Roman Catholic church is so large that our understanding of a particular ecclesiology can result in a generalization. Church is seen as a mystical communion and most hold that there can be no unity without primacy of the bishop of Rome otherwise known as the Pope
Chapter 3-Lutheran ecclesiology emphasizes the two marks of the church: The Word and the Sacraments. There is also an emphasis on the priesthood of believers and all Christians being called to minister in word and sacrament although some are called for public service i.e. pastors, preachers etc.
Chapter 4-Reformed ecclesiologies were responses to existing needs and not an attempt at systematic theology. Because of this there are tensions and inconsistencies. Calvin cared more about a right order of ministry in the visible church. Barth in the 20th century emphasized that the state needs a free church to remind it of its limits and calling
Chapter 5-The free church model is a result of global social change. It has its origins with the anabaptists. There is no visible and invisible church. Only the visible church. The church is created because of voluntary commitment of believers.For free churches mission is not just task of church but the purpose of the church.
Chapter 6-The common thread in Pentecostalism is that spiritual gifts are normative for contemporary church life. Fellowship or communion in Pentecostalism is the community gathered together for mutual edification. Pentecostalism has grown because of its ability to contextualize in the third world because of ability to contextualize.
Chapter 7-In Ecumenism ecclesiology determines the approach to seeking church unity. The issues being debated in ecumenical conversation is what unites the church? Do the sacraments and episcopacy unite the church? Does personal faith unite the church?
Chapter 8-John Zizoulas' ecclesiology is based on communion as an ontological category. In his thought there should be no isolation and the church must transcend natural divisions and obstacles.
Chapter 9-Hans Kung defines the real church as a visible community shaped by invisible aspects. It is an act of faith to believe in the church because it is included in the creeds.
Chapter 10-Pannenberg defines church as a sign of the kingdom of God. The church as a sign points to when all people will be united under one God. He also emphasizes that because of its public nature it should bring justice to society.
Chapter 11-Moltmann's ecclesiology is messianic and relational. He advocates for an open church which means it is for others. It is the opposite of the state church which is absent of community and commitment. For him the mission of the church is not to spread the church but to spread the kingdom of God.
Chapter 12-Miroslav Volf's ecclesiology attempts to give person and community their proper due. Matthew 18:20 is a guiding scripture which regulates the subjective and objective activities of church. It is the coming together in his name that defines church.
Chapter 13-James Mclendon Jr. says church is the flesh and blood assembly and the place to live out a new way of Christian discipleship. In this way ecclesiology is always provisional and looks forward to fulfillment not yet achieved.
Chapter 14-Lesslie Newbgin says the essential nature of the church is missionary. In being missionary the nature of the church's witness is to humbly bear the truth and witness to the truth but not possess the truth. For Newbigin, there is no church without mission and no mission without church.
Chapter 15-The non church movement started in Japan and is based on the principle that church is invisible because faith is invisible. It is also fueled by opposition to the institutional church.
Chapter 16-Base communities are an example of the church from below. They are connected through the faith of the church and the sharing of the gospel. There is no need for an ordained priest.
Chapter 17-Feminist church advocates for a church in the round model of table fellowship and a discipleship of equals to counter the hierarchical ways of patriarchy. The structure of church would only allow for no more than one hundred so all people no matter their age, sex, race, or status can learn to be family
Chapter 18-African independent churches emphasize communion as communal living. This is similar to the African pattern of life but it is based on the activity and presence of the Holy Spirit.
Chapter 19-The Shepherding movement focused on discipleship and care through a one on one relationship with a shepherd. Although it failed because of abuse of authority; the existence of the movement is a sign that there is a need in the western church for holistic care and discipleship.
Chapter 20-The world church is born out of the idea of stripping away all cultural baggage from Christianity. It is a church that reaches beyond boundaries and emphasizes creation and not salvation
Chapter 21-The postmodern church of another city is an alternative community with no permanent place. It is a call for the church to return to its jewish roots and bring faith into the public sphere of everyday life which include building houses, tending gardens, marrying etc.
Epilogue-The study of ecclesiology is important because people are looking for a community to give them meaning, hope, and a purpose. A 21st century ecclesiology must take into account other cultures and voices.
Chapter 1-The Eastern Orthodox understanding of church draws on the church fathers of the east and is very spirit sensitive. The church is the image of the trinity and represents identity and mutuality or unity in diversity. Unity is seen as a result of the church being the body of Christ. Diversity is seen as a result of the church being the fullness of the Spirit.
Chapter 2-The Roman Catholic church is so large that our understanding of a particular ecclesiology can result in a generalization. Church is seen as a mystical communion and most hold that there can be no unity without primacy of the bishop of Rome otherwise known as the Pope
Chapter 3-Lutheran ecclesiology emphasizes the two marks of the church: The Word and the Sacraments. There is also an emphasis on the priesthood of believers and all Christians being called to minister in word and sacrament although some are called for public service i.e. pastors, preachers etc.
Chapter 4-Reformed ecclesiologies were responses to existing needs and not an attempt at systematic theology. Because of this there are tensions and inconsistencies. Calvin cared more about a right order of ministry in the visible church. Barth in the 20th century emphasized that the state needs a free church to remind it of its limits and calling
Chapter 5-The free church model is a result of global social change. It has its origins with the anabaptists. There is no visible and invisible church. Only the visible church. The church is created because of voluntary commitment of believers.For free churches mission is not just task of church but the purpose of the church.
Chapter 6-The common thread in Pentecostalism is that spiritual gifts are normative for contemporary church life. Fellowship or communion in Pentecostalism is the community gathered together for mutual edification. Pentecostalism has grown because of its ability to contextualize in the third world because of ability to contextualize.
Chapter 7-In Ecumenism ecclesiology determines the approach to seeking church unity. The issues being debated in ecumenical conversation is what unites the church? Do the sacraments and episcopacy unite the church? Does personal faith unite the church?
Chapter 8-John Zizoulas' ecclesiology is based on communion as an ontological category. In his thought there should be no isolation and the church must transcend natural divisions and obstacles.
Chapter 9-Hans Kung defines the real church as a visible community shaped by invisible aspects. It is an act of faith to believe in the church because it is included in the creeds.
Chapter 10-Pannenberg defines church as a sign of the kingdom of God. The church as a sign points to when all people will be united under one God. He also emphasizes that because of its public nature it should bring justice to society.
Chapter 11-Moltmann's ecclesiology is messianic and relational. He advocates for an open church which means it is for others. It is the opposite of the state church which is absent of community and commitment. For him the mission of the church is not to spread the church but to spread the kingdom of God.
Chapter 12-Miroslav Volf's ecclesiology attempts to give person and community their proper due. Matthew 18:20 is a guiding scripture which regulates the subjective and objective activities of church. It is the coming together in his name that defines church.
Chapter 13-James Mclendon Jr. says church is the flesh and blood assembly and the place to live out a new way of Christian discipleship. In this way ecclesiology is always provisional and looks forward to fulfillment not yet achieved.
Chapter 14-Lesslie Newbgin says the essential nature of the church is missionary. In being missionary the nature of the church's witness is to humbly bear the truth and witness to the truth but not possess the truth. For Newbigin, there is no church without mission and no mission without church.
Chapter 15-The non church movement started in Japan and is based on the principle that church is invisible because faith is invisible. It is also fueled by opposition to the institutional church.
Chapter 16-Base communities are an example of the church from below. They are connected through the faith of the church and the sharing of the gospel. There is no need for an ordained priest.
Chapter 17-Feminist church advocates for a church in the round model of table fellowship and a discipleship of equals to counter the hierarchical ways of patriarchy. The structure of church would only allow for no more than one hundred so all people no matter their age, sex, race, or status can learn to be family
Chapter 18-African independent churches emphasize communion as communal living. This is similar to the African pattern of life but it is based on the activity and presence of the Holy Spirit.
Chapter 19-The Shepherding movement focused on discipleship and care through a one on one relationship with a shepherd. Although it failed because of abuse of authority; the existence of the movement is a sign that there is a need in the western church for holistic care and discipleship.
Chapter 20-The world church is born out of the idea of stripping away all cultural baggage from Christianity. It is a church that reaches beyond boundaries and emphasizes creation and not salvation
Chapter 21-The postmodern church of another city is an alternative community with no permanent place. It is a call for the church to return to its jewish roots and bring faith into the public sphere of everyday life which include building houses, tending gardens, marrying etc.
Epilogue-The study of ecclesiology is important because people are looking for a community to give them meaning, hope, and a purpose. A 21st century ecclesiology must take into account other cultures and voices.
Monday, November 16, 2009
New airline ticket finder
Here is a new site to find good airfare called Kayak
I like it because they give you optional dates and prices on a calendar.
I like it because they give you optional dates and prices on a calendar.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Church and Mission 11/11 Fresh Expression
"Proclaiming the truth of gospel afresh in our changing culture raises questions about the shape of the church"-Bishop Graham Cray. There are no good old days of church. There has always been challenges, problems,and sin in the church. The only thing that we can do is strive to be faithful to what God is doing and discern what he wants to do with and through the church and its interaction with our current culture.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Church and Mission 11/9-Ministry in a network society
Today in class I finally figured out what makes community, church, and ministry so hard in the LA context. Life in LA is a clear example of what it means to be in a network society. Everyone is spread out and the relationships are not all located in one physical space. This makes it more difficult to do centralized ministry. It is better to decentralize and release people to do ministry wherever their networks are found.
Sunday, November 08, 2009
Church and mission 11/4-The separation of church and kingdom
In class we learned that one of the reasons why people have done so many ungodly things in the name of Christ is because they did not separate the church from the kingdom of God. So the church became the enforcer of God's will on people without any checks or balances. I believe this is always a danger when the church aligns itself with a political system or culture. Then that political system or culture begins to be identified with the kingdom of God and begins to be imposed on those who do not adhere to it. So what can we do to stop the alignment of church and kingdom and the alignment of church and state?
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Church and mission 11/2-Voluntary commitment vs passive Christianity
Many orthodox churches are tied to a nation state. This makes Christianity a matter of passive acceptance and not a voluntary commitment. Most who are born in these nations believe that because I am a citizen of this country therefore I am orthodox. There are parts of the United States that are like this (Bible belt :)but we are so pluralistic and have never had a state church so this attitude hasn't taken root. One thing that is similar between all the different church expressions here and abroad is that the youth need to make a voluntary commitment or the faith will face extinction.
Reflection on Emerging Churches by Eddie Gibbs and Ryan Bolger
Ch 1
Western church must study culture because of the incarnation. A big cultural difference between the United Kingdom and the United States. The United Kingdom has a club culture and virtually no Christian subculture. The lack of Christian subculture creates a high social cost for those who become decide to follow Christ. Because of this the church in the U.K. has had to contextualize much earlier than the United States. The U.S. church should pay attention to church developments in the United Kingdom because of this difference in culture. It could be a major learning tool in the area of training Christians as missionaries
Ch 2
The emerging church can be defined first by what it is not. It is not a generational church. It is not a church within a church. The emerging church carries a certain ethos and engagement with postmodern culture. It can be recognized by three core practices: identifying with Jesus, transforming secular space, and living as community. The practices of welcoming the stranger, serving with generosity, participating as producers, creating as created beings, leading as a body and merging ancient and contemporary spiritualities flow out of the three core practices. The emerging church identifies with postmodernism’s deconstruction aspect but holds to the one meta-narrative of the gospel. One of the questions to be asked is Can older movements remain true to their tradition if they change to an emerging church model?
Ch 3
The first of the 3 core practices is identifying with Jesus. The emerging church emphasizes the gospel as more than just personal salvation as they seek to identify with Jesus and his kingdom agenda. In this way emerging churches take on the mission of Jesus. This emphasis is informed by the writings of N.T. Wright, John Howard Yoder, David Bosch, and Leslie Newbiggin. For emerging churches the mission of Jesus is more important than a church worship service and the kingdom of God is the highest priority. There is the need to recontextualize the kingdom of God concept with language for this generation.
Ch 4
Transforming secular space means that there is no divide between secular and sacred. This is a reaction against modern culture’s dualism. Because of this emerging churches engage with culture not to be trendy but in order to do worship and mission as a way of life. The emerging churches do not divide life into separate compartments. Instead life is to be viewed holistically. As a result there are no separate holy buildings or music or art. Emerging churches will gather in cafes or lounges or clubs. They worship using songs and art that permeates their everyday lives. The whole of life becomes a gift to God.
Ch 5
Living as community is built on the foundation that secular space no longer exists. Community is not defined as meeting in a church building but more as identification with Christ and his followers. Emerging churches view church as the people of God and as a rhythym and not a routine. Some emerging churches do not have a scheduled meeting. Some of the challenges then become staying focused on Jesus and his kingdom and not just friendship. In a way it is the same challenge of other forms of church. Another challenge is to wrestle with the practicalities of future growth. One way to meet these challenges is for smaller groups to come together as church in city or region and making space in the smaller groups for each individual to participate.
Ch 6
The practice of welcoming the stranger is to practice inclusion. Modernity created order by excluding those who were different. In order to counter this the emerging churches offer acceptance and forgiveness on site. Hospitality also becomes a central practice as emerging churches welcome the stranger. Emerging churches welcome those from other faiths while staying true to historic Christianity. Being concerned about faking friendship and having an agenda is a primary for those in the emerging church. They would rather be open to the agenda of the Holy Spirit and not subscribe to canned presentations of faith.
Ch 7
Serving with generosity counters and confronts the consumer culture of exchange. This consumer culture of exchange has created the consumer church of modernity. The emerging church seeks to turn the consumer church on its head by serving others with a spirit of generosity. It is not just human activism or the social gospel of the 1920's. It is kingdom activity that must never be divorced from its roots and nourishment in the gospel. There is also an avoidance of programs. Serving is a way of life and many serve through their vocations rather than church administered program.
Ch 8
To participate as producers in the emerging church means to follow what John Howard Yoder has called “the rule of Paul.” This means that everyone in the gathering participates. Emering churches view church as an egalitarian kingdom of priests. This is the way forward in not catering to consumeristic demands. The leaders are there to faciliate and the only way to receive from the gathering is through participation. In order for this practice to be realized meeting need to be small. Full participation for every person becomes a challenge when the group gets larger.
Ch 9
The emerging church holds strongly to the practice of creating as created beings. The worship gatherings include more than just an orator and a band playing a narrow genre of music. It incorporates Djing, dance, writing, poetry, videography and many other creative expressions in order to fulfill the mandate to create in imitation and honor of the Creator God. This is one way the emerging church fights against the Mcdonaldization of society. The art is not ego driven but arises out of personhood and community identity. At the same time creating as created beings is a way to communicate spirituality publicly and offers those who are visitors in the gathering space to experience God.
Ch 10
Leading as a body means that there is no one leader. Emerging churches eschew hierarchy for a leadership that is more fluid and flexible. The leadership of emerging churches do not use modernity’s primary leadership tool: control. Leadership tools are non-coercive and there is more emphasis on consensus building. Some emerging churches even desire to have a leaderless group. While others have experimented with this concept they have had to change and morph because being leaderless gives rise to unspoken leaders which can be toxic to the group. Most emerging churches do not have staff because of the pragmatic reason that there is not enough money to support staff salaries.
Ch 11
Merging ancient and contemporary spiritualities give the emerging churches a unique blend of old and new. Many of the older forms are reshaped or reinterpreted for this generation. Many pray the fixed hours of prayer and participate in liturgy. A lot of the spirituality of emerging churches is based on Celtic spirituality. Emerging church spirituality also has roots in the Third Wave Charismatic movement and the practice of John Wimber (founder of the Vineyard Association of Churches) who invited the presence of the Holy Spirit as opposed to commanding a particular manifestation. Emerging churches also engage the culture with spirituality and invite others into experiencing God through connecting with aspects of contemporary culture.
Ch 12
Bolger and Gibbs book was difficult to write because it was a snapshot of a rapidly changing scenario. Emerging churches are changing and morphing and some are dying. They do represent a new form of church expression that is impacting the Western world. This book is composed of the emerging church leaders in their own words and is a record of what is going on within this movement.
Western church must study culture because of the incarnation. A big cultural difference between the United Kingdom and the United States. The United Kingdom has a club culture and virtually no Christian subculture. The lack of Christian subculture creates a high social cost for those who become decide to follow Christ. Because of this the church in the U.K. has had to contextualize much earlier than the United States. The U.S. church should pay attention to church developments in the United Kingdom because of this difference in culture. It could be a major learning tool in the area of training Christians as missionaries
Ch 2
The emerging church can be defined first by what it is not. It is not a generational church. It is not a church within a church. The emerging church carries a certain ethos and engagement with postmodern culture. It can be recognized by three core practices: identifying with Jesus, transforming secular space, and living as community. The practices of welcoming the stranger, serving with generosity, participating as producers, creating as created beings, leading as a body and merging ancient and contemporary spiritualities flow out of the three core practices. The emerging church identifies with postmodernism’s deconstruction aspect but holds to the one meta-narrative of the gospel. One of the questions to be asked is Can older movements remain true to their tradition if they change to an emerging church model?
Ch 3
The first of the 3 core practices is identifying with Jesus. The emerging church emphasizes the gospel as more than just personal salvation as they seek to identify with Jesus and his kingdom agenda. In this way emerging churches take on the mission of Jesus. This emphasis is informed by the writings of N.T. Wright, John Howard Yoder, David Bosch, and Leslie Newbiggin. For emerging churches the mission of Jesus is more important than a church worship service and the kingdom of God is the highest priority. There is the need to recontextualize the kingdom of God concept with language for this generation.
Ch 4
Transforming secular space means that there is no divide between secular and sacred. This is a reaction against modern culture’s dualism. Because of this emerging churches engage with culture not to be trendy but in order to do worship and mission as a way of life. The emerging churches do not divide life into separate compartments. Instead life is to be viewed holistically. As a result there are no separate holy buildings or music or art. Emerging churches will gather in cafes or lounges or clubs. They worship using songs and art that permeates their everyday lives. The whole of life becomes a gift to God.
Ch 5
Living as community is built on the foundation that secular space no longer exists. Community is not defined as meeting in a church building but more as identification with Christ and his followers. Emerging churches view church as the people of God and as a rhythym and not a routine. Some emerging churches do not have a scheduled meeting. Some of the challenges then become staying focused on Jesus and his kingdom and not just friendship. In a way it is the same challenge of other forms of church. Another challenge is to wrestle with the practicalities of future growth. One way to meet these challenges is for smaller groups to come together as church in city or region and making space in the smaller groups for each individual to participate.
Ch 6
The practice of welcoming the stranger is to practice inclusion. Modernity created order by excluding those who were different. In order to counter this the emerging churches offer acceptance and forgiveness on site. Hospitality also becomes a central practice as emerging churches welcome the stranger. Emerging churches welcome those from other faiths while staying true to historic Christianity. Being concerned about faking friendship and having an agenda is a primary for those in the emerging church. They would rather be open to the agenda of the Holy Spirit and not subscribe to canned presentations of faith.
Ch 7
Serving with generosity counters and confronts the consumer culture of exchange. This consumer culture of exchange has created the consumer church of modernity. The emerging church seeks to turn the consumer church on its head by serving others with a spirit of generosity. It is not just human activism or the social gospel of the 1920's. It is kingdom activity that must never be divorced from its roots and nourishment in the gospel. There is also an avoidance of programs. Serving is a way of life and many serve through their vocations rather than church administered program.
Ch 8
To participate as producers in the emerging church means to follow what John Howard Yoder has called “the rule of Paul.” This means that everyone in the gathering participates. Emering churches view church as an egalitarian kingdom of priests. This is the way forward in not catering to consumeristic demands. The leaders are there to faciliate and the only way to receive from the gathering is through participation. In order for this practice to be realized meeting need to be small. Full participation for every person becomes a challenge when the group gets larger.
Ch 9
The emerging church holds strongly to the practice of creating as created beings. The worship gatherings include more than just an orator and a band playing a narrow genre of music. It incorporates Djing, dance, writing, poetry, videography and many other creative expressions in order to fulfill the mandate to create in imitation and honor of the Creator God. This is one way the emerging church fights against the Mcdonaldization of society. The art is not ego driven but arises out of personhood and community identity. At the same time creating as created beings is a way to communicate spirituality publicly and offers those who are visitors in the gathering space to experience God.
Ch 10
Leading as a body means that there is no one leader. Emerging churches eschew hierarchy for a leadership that is more fluid and flexible. The leadership of emerging churches do not use modernity’s primary leadership tool: control. Leadership tools are non-coercive and there is more emphasis on consensus building. Some emerging churches even desire to have a leaderless group. While others have experimented with this concept they have had to change and morph because being leaderless gives rise to unspoken leaders which can be toxic to the group. Most emerging churches do not have staff because of the pragmatic reason that there is not enough money to support staff salaries.
Ch 11
Merging ancient and contemporary spiritualities give the emerging churches a unique blend of old and new. Many of the older forms are reshaped or reinterpreted for this generation. Many pray the fixed hours of prayer and participate in liturgy. A lot of the spirituality of emerging churches is based on Celtic spirituality. Emerging church spirituality also has roots in the Third Wave Charismatic movement and the practice of John Wimber (founder of the Vineyard Association of Churches) who invited the presence of the Holy Spirit as opposed to commanding a particular manifestation. Emerging churches also engage the culture with spirituality and invite others into experiencing God through connecting with aspects of contemporary culture.
Ch 12
Bolger and Gibbs book was difficult to write because it was a snapshot of a rapidly changing scenario. Emerging churches are changing and morphing and some are dying. They do represent a new form of church expression that is impacting the Western world. This book is composed of the emerging church leaders in their own words and is a record of what is going on within this movement.
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