Random thoughts on the Future, the church and you and me...

I may just be slow on the draw and everyone knows this already, but I'm going to say it anyway.

The folks who read this blog and who write blogs of their own might be able to be divided into 3 groups.

Group #1- The Loyal Transitionalists.

This group is loyal to the church as we know it and desires to see reform happen within the current church structures, (i'm specifically talking about American churches, but it may be applicable to others)
these are the folks who are spending an inordinate amount of time trying to transistion to being an "emerging church", perhaps with emerging staff and emerging generational ministries. Transistion is a key word for them. They have spent their lives transistioning. They transitioned from a traditional style of worship to contemporary. They have transitioned from contemporary worship to becoming a seeker church. They moved from being a seeker church to being a equipping church. They transitioned from pastors to leaders. They transitioned from committee's to teams. They transitioned to being purpose driven, though that only took 40 days. Transition transition, transition. To the Transition they are faithful and loyal. The emerging church is nothing more than the latest trend to transition their church too. They give lip service to being more than "coffee and candles" but that's really all it is to them. 6 years ago this was me.

Group #2- Loyal Fundamental Traditionalists
This group sends me emails regularly telling me I'm a heretic. They are dogmatic and dedicated to being a church reaching a world that no longer exists. They a relentless in thier understanding of belief and how culture is to be engaged and to this we should give them credit. But they wonder why it doesn't work, and why the younger people say things like, "This church has nothing to do with real life". They are loyal to a worldview that only exists within the church. Many of the young leaders, feeling dejected by this group become Loyal transistionalists down the road. The Loyal Fundamental Traditionalists view the emerging church as heretical. I've never really been in this camp.


Group #3 - The emerging church - who dislike the term emerging church
This group is called a heretic often by both of the other groups. They are relentless in their quest for truth and it's relation to culture, and their experiences in the world. They are no longer trying to transition the churches they are a part of. They do not believe in transition any more. They do not believe in revolution either. For to believe in revolution is to desire to transition on some level. Though the other groups say these people have abandoned them, Group #3 people feel abandoned by their former churches.

They have come to terms with this. They are no longer bitter. They are no longer angry. They simply are. they are living what it means to be the church. They don't play the comparison game. They aren't trying to set themselves apart from anyone else. They aren't trying to reform, or reimagine... They simply are doing life, creating life giving relationships, and facilitating the work of God in their lives.

They are theologians, they are joining God in the creation of beautiful and good things. The are not trying to change the church, however they are undermining the previous groups understandings of church by creating an alternative. This is not some subversive plot to destroy the other groups, but a neccesity they feel to live lives of meaning and purpose in the real world. I am one of these.

more to come...


posted by riddle at 11:20 AM | |