Church Planting Central

What if Ken Wilber is right?

In his backbreaking effort at naming a "startling new role for religion in the Modern and Postmodern world," Ken Wilber makes some audacious claims that I believe need to be at the heart of any discussion of new ministries in American Christianity. Ken is, by all accounts, a social scientist with a prophet's sensibilities. In his book, Integral Spirituality, Ken claims that the church is best understood as being a kind of "conveyor belt" for "humanity and its stages of growth" (p. 192). He explains that religion alone can do this for the following reasons:

The world's religions are the repositories of the great myths. Since the early stages of human development (according to Piaget, Kohlberg, etc) are archaic and magic and mythic in flavor and because these myths could never be recreated in 2009, "not because humanity has no imagination but because everybody has a video camera," religion has the capacity to serve as a safe place for humanity to move through those early stages of emerging (magical and mythic) awarenesses. Precisely because the religions of the world control the legitimacy conferred on those beliefs, they are also the "only sources of authority that can sanction the (higher) stages of spiritual development in their own traditions." These religions, then, are the only systems in the world today that can act as a "great conveyor belt", helping members as they move from thinking about God as "Daddy on his best Christmas morning" to God as known in our respective mystical traditons and better.

IF (and I repeat "IF") Ken is right, then there is a real need for denominational leaders and local leaders alike to create the safe space for individuals to explore what the next stage of faith development might ask of them. There is also the need for communities of faith that are practiced in their ability to companion the faithful through the requisite faith crises that come to all of us when the faith language that once worked no longer serves us.

Of course, the deep theological exploration on which Ken Wilber relies is really James Fowler's stages of faith Development. If this is of interest to you, consider finding Weaving the New Creation: Stages of Faith and the Public Church by James W. Fowler. It is one of the most hopeful visions of the Gathered Community (and denominations, as well) that I've found recently.

Thanks for indulging my wonderings . . .

 

 

Tom

646-203-6266

Having your say . . .

The Invitation:

Over the next three months, I’ll be videotaping brief interviews with Episcopalians as they answer the follow-up questions following each of Brian McLaren’s recent claims (see below). It is my hope to combine an inspiring collection of “I dream of a church where . . .” statements with practical “next steps” statements that will offer a sense of vision to new leaders in our Episcopal Church. I’ll be wandering the halls of General Convention for two weeks, video camera in hand. 

The Process:

a.) Watch Brian McLaren’s presentation.

b.) Read through the outline below and choose follow-up questions that inspire you to take action.

c.) Make note of your responses – maybe even spend some time journaling the way that your heart came alive as you considered the possibilities of the kind of Church that Brian is naming.

d.) Contact me to let me know that you would like to be included in this videotaped interview series. Click Here to register You may also contact me at 646-203-6266 or at tbrackett@episcopalchurch.org We’ll work out meeting somewhere to conduct the interview!

Brian McLaren’s presentation to the

Episcopal Diocese of Washington

(slightly edited by Reverend Tom Brackett)

Online location of video footage: http://convention.edow.org/article.php?id=50

Brief Overview:

“The Episcopal Moment” – a moment of opportunity and possibility

-- precisely because of the challenges.

 

 

Many of us in church life are living in three worlds simultaneously:

Premodern (Table and sword),

Modern (Book and the gun) and the

Postmodern (The screen and the bomb).

Four distinct advantages that Episcopalians have in 21^st century United States

 

A "Via Media" Mindset: Many Anglicans never surrendered to the modern mindset.

 

A Celtic Mindset: We have vestiges of non-Roman Christianity in our makeup.

A Diverse Mindset: We give people space to differ in their opinions.

A Liturgical Mindset: Space to experience God, bonding to meaning, beauty of worship, participatory.

 

Four dis-advantages that Episcopalians have in 21^st century United States

 

An Upper Class Mindset: Elitist, "civilized", older, one-size fits all.

An Institutional Mindset: Centralized, controlled, change-resistant, risk averse, bureaucratic -- averse to charismatic leaders.

 

A Christendom Mindset: Parish/geography, people ought to come to us.

Christendom is the mindset that Christianity is “normative” and that people just ought to behave and come to church – it’s their job!

A Bi-polar Mindset: Cold war between Liberals and Conservatives – a horrible distraction from our higher calling to the Mission of God.

 

Here are the elements that Brian McLaren says are required for us to seize this Episcopal Moment!

1) A "bring them in" spirit (not merely welcoming within our “caste”): Diversity, innovation, welcoming all seekers (especially the young!), inviting friends, relatives, associates, neighbors.

 

Question: What would it take for you to be excited about inviting your friends to church? What embarrasses or concerns you about inviting your friends to attend a service with you?

2) A "let's experiment" spirit (not institutional): Entrepreneurial, self-organizing, evolutionary, experimental – adding experiments (for 4 to 8 weeks), adding new services, planting new congregations (inside existing?), adding new models or examples (Fresh Expressions, Mixed Economies and Anglimergent?).

Question: Who is in a position to say "yes" to new ideas in your local area of ministry? Who can bring new ideas? Are there new ideas that you believe need to be explored there in your Diocese? Who are the artists and Cultural Creatives to whom you think we should pay attention? Is there music you wish you could bring into your church’s worship service?

3) A "we're beginning again" spirit (renewing, not conserving, a history): Demography, adaptive, agile--a huge rummage sale "What needs to be put on the curb?", getting rid of the junk in "cleaning house", changes in physical, social, and/or spiritual architecture.

Question: Would you rather be motivated by desperate necessity or surging creativity? What would your Diocese or Parish look like if it could seize the possibility of a total makeover? What would you be willing to put on the curb to make space for Fresh Expressions of Church? Can you name any specifics?

4) A "transcend and include" spirit (above liberal and conservative): Where is the via media? Which future do you prefer (conservative, liberal, centrist, or transcendent inclusive)? The Via Media way of being includes and it invites all to transcend!

...and

5) The Holy Spirit! People aren't seeking religion, they are seeking spirituality. You can't give what you don't have (you have to smoke what you're selling). People need to experience God, worship, transformation, belonging, participation in God's creative and healing mission in our world...

Question: How are you being called to be a "sample" of what God wants to do in the lives of others?

McLaren goes on to cast a vision for the church as a collection of individuals in partnership with God for the transformation of the world.

Closing Prayer:

Loving God, we seek the way, helping, watching, learning, leading, each step forging new links, each dialogue opening further the channels of peace and understanding. We stand poised on the brink of greatness, drawn by the Spirit into new realms of hope and trust. The barriers and crutches of past centuries are slowly crumbling. We pray the skeletons of division and discord will be laid to rest, and that the people of God will be truly mobilized. For these and all your mercies, we thank you and praise you, O God. AMEN

Surprise, surprise!

Let me tell you about one of the more exciting developments I’ve come across in weeks! It all started three weeks ago when I received an e-mail from a West Coast Community Organizer who had served her Diocese as a member of their Executive Council for two terms. She and a team of friends had identified a neighborhood with particular unmet needs and had pooled their financial resources to start an after school program for Latino Hispanic children, as well as a weekend “club” for the Asian kids coming into their area. Well, they opened their doors two and a half years ago and now have an average of 130 families showing up at their three weekly Parenting Classes.

 

Recently they asked the parents (one by one) whether or not there was any interest in starting a Sunday morning service that would be based on the Book of Common Prayer but shaped by the community’s creative responses to the Spirit’s work in their community. With the exception of two families, the response was an enthusiastic “Yes!”

 

For the last six months, they started each of their Service Planning Sessions with the sharing of a meal and samples of people’s favorite spiritual music playing in the background. They then share stories of “faith encounters with God at Work.” They then explore participant’s best experiences with God – identifying common themes that emerge. The evening session ends with prayers offered by the participants.

 

This team of service planners has named their goal as “the creation of indigenous ritual that honors the Anglican way of being in the world by adhering to the shape of the BCP forms for worship.” Everyone was welcomed to attend and participate in this process. They are now gathering commitments for an Advent “launch date.” Their Big Hairy Adacious Goal is to have two hundred and fifty in their first service! It sounds to me as though they may exceed that goal.

 

But here is the exciting part. Recently, the two co-leaders approached their Bishop with a request. They asked the Bishop to help them find a priest who would contract with them to fulfill a priest’s sacerdotal responsibilities in their weekly service, and no more. They specifically requested a priest who would honor the service as the community had planned it (and as the Bishop had pre-approved it). They will handle all of the other pastoral care responsibilities with lay leaders trained via the Diocesan School of Ministry. The priest will be “called” permanently, though contracted six months at a time and paid $150 per week for their Sunday ministry. The rest of the ministry will be managed by non-ordained leaders, primarily on a volunteer basis. The search is on for that priest.

 

Since the early 1980’s, I have participated in discussions about the future of clergy-led ministries. This, to me, is one of the more exciting examples of a creative response to a.) a community’s real needs, b.) the need for a mix of lay and ordained leadership and, c.) the rising costs of employing clergy as the priestly leaders of Eucharistic communities. It also offers a model of team leadership where the priest is a member of the team, but not necessarily the leader. Given the number of clergy I know who are excellent at Celebrating/Presiding on Sunday mornings but really struggle with managing a team, this may be a hopeful sign. What do you think?

 

I’ll let you know more as I hear it!

 

With crazy hopes and growing cheer,

 

 

Tom

646-203-6266

What might you have done differently . . . ?

There comes a moment for me – usually after I wake up from a vivid dream – when I ask myself, “What was that all about?!” The moment also comes to me when I’ve experienced something too big to take in, right then.  A friend of mine says that most of us have great difficulty recognizing the shape of the times we currently inhabit. (We seem to be a whole lot better at recognizing the shape of times past.)

 

Some of you know that, a few months ago, I spent three weeks in the UK, exploring the Church of England’s “Fresh Expressions” movement. It felt like I barely scratched the surface in my explorations!  I met so many wonderful people – sat in on challenging and inspiring conversations – I mean, overall it was more than I ever expected from this visit. I was welcomed by gracious hosts in Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, London, Devon and various stops along the way. I went there with one question on the tip of my tongue – everywhere I went. I asked that same question in pretty much the same way, each time. It went something like this . . .

“If you knew twenty years ago what you know today about the impact of secularization on the relationship of Culture to Church and vice versa, what might you have done differently to prepare the institution for those emerging realities, back then?”

I asked this seemingly rhetorical question of nearly seventy people there in the Church of England. Some lay folks, a scattering of bishops and a whole lot of active clergy agreed to talk “for the record.” I filled a notebook with their responses – it was marvelous! There were a few who objected to the question and a few more who cautioned me against asking such a question from Church leaders engaged with a very different culture.

Nonetheless, I’ve been carrying that notebook around with me for the last three months, reading and rereading the responses. A few weeks ago, I began sorting what I’d written into major themes – sort of categories of answers. It was no surprise that the most powerful answers I encountered centered around the following paraphrased response:

Twenty years ago, we were actively pushing our young people out the doors of our churches and Dioceses. We didn’t mean to – it’s just that we wouldn’t make room for them in our activities; we didn’t include their voices in our public conversations; we didn’t ask them for stories of their encounters with the good news of God as known in Jesus Christ. As a result, we lost them. They went elsewhere to find expression for their gifts. Today, there is little likelihood of attracting them back into our Church. In their absence, we lost sight of the huge gap growing between the insider language of the Church and the realities of the Culture we are called to serve. Now that’s a huge loss, but it’s not the biggest loss we’ve experienced, subsequently.

The greater loss is that we forgot how to nurture the prophetic voice in our midst. We’ve forgotten how to foster new young leaders in nurturing and mutually-shaping communities. Today, we are working on bringing new young leaders into our churches but that’s not the same as nurturing the prophetic voice in community – training new leaders to cultivate community with a hoe instead of directing with the Verger’s mace. That takes time to develop! It’s an art of “being in community” that very few have ever experienced, nonetheless mastered.

 

So, (several of them concurred) if we could go back – if you could learn from us – we would encourage you to take action now; do not wait until you have it figured out. Invite faith-filled young leaders into your communities. Listen. Try on new ideas. Experiment. Be willing to fail – often and early. “Fail away” until patterns of meaning start to emerge from your communities in discernment. Listen for the Fresh Expressions of the Spirit in their sometimes awkward and clumsy offerings. Especially listen and observe the way they use ritual and music to make sense of the insanity of our lives.

(I’ll stop there – I think the point is clear!)

 

Like many of you, I am preparing for General Convention. It’s a big deal to so many of us Episcopalians. This time, though, I am attending (and working at) GenCon09 with a different perspective. I’m wondering how to move away from the drama of the tired old wrangling and rhetoric that seems to dominate our gatherings. I’m wondering how we might clear our heads of the institutional anxieties that fog our conversations, lately. I mean, how do I personally say “Yes!” to the advice I so carefully collected from the leaders of a Church further down this Road than we are?

 

I think I’ll spend my time looking for those young leaders on the edges of our beloved Church – you know the ones – those with the look on their faces that asks, “Is there still room for me in the middle of all of this institutional earnestness?”

 

I think I’ll mischievously Twitter my way through the hearings and legislative committees in the hopes of drumming up some fresh courage that will call us back to the “gathering and scattering” that Jesus’ followers learned at the “fierce whimsy” of their Crazy Rabbi.

I think I’ll bring my video camera and interview participants with questions like, “How are you saying ‘Yes!’ to what Brian McLaren calls ‘the Episcopal moment’ that the Spirit has opened for us in our Culture?”

I think I’ll be there, looking for you and pressing you for your stories so that, in twenty years, I don’t have some foreign priest asking me the same question that I now offer you … “What might you have done differently . . . ?“

 

 

With crazy hopes and growing cheer,

 

 

 

Tom

646-203-6266

Springtime . . .

Angelus Silesius (German mystic and poet) wrote, "Springtime is at hand. When will you ever bloom, if not here and now?"

Not many days ago, Brian McLaren delivered a clarion call to followers of Jesus in the Episcopal Diocese of Washington. (You can watch it here: http://convention.edow.org/article.php?id=50) I found his invitation timely and his imagery provoking -- especially the bridge over nowhere! He claimed that this is our moment -- that we have gifts to offer in a time such as this. Or, to quote Frederick Buechner, this vocation of ours is "the place where our deep gladness meets the world’s deep need." The point is, the moment is now -- in this time and place we inhabit as a Church! Brian challenged all of us -- not just the participants present.

Here's what I wonder today: How might we support each other courageously? Or, put another way, "How might we support each other as we each say a new "Yes!" to the Spirit's leadings? This is Spring in the House of God -- how are we to bloom? Let me tell you about some of the stories I've heard, recently! These are stories of new ministry developers who are blooming, right where they are.

I just heard from a couple who are incredibly gifted as Church Planters. They've been called to something new, but they don't yet know what that "something new" is. They wake up in the night with cold sweats of fear about how they're going to make it -- just like the rest of us. Two nights ago, God spoke to them and said, "Get ready -- I'm about to show My hand!" They wrote me to ask for prayers as they stretch out their rod over their own Red Sea to "see" what opens up. I have a strong sense that their long Winter is about to end!

Yesterday, I spent an hour with a priest who recently left her secure post to answer the call of the Spirit to plant a new ministry on the East Coast. She and her partner have struggled with whether or not to move because he has a great job. Last night, he woke her up to say that he felt God leading him to consider her possibilities -- that if she needed to them to move, he would. This morning, she received a call from a Bishop who asked her to consider planting in their diocese. The position is fully funded. Believe me, Springtime is at hand for these two! I've never heard them laugh so much!

A new church planter in the Northeast was struggling to discern the focus of her mission in their community. She had knocked on doors and interviewed countless folks -- all to no clarity. Last week, she and her Diocesan Liaison discerned that the mission needed to start with the families of the many teens who daily use their parking lot for a skating rink! She started approaching parents and is already finding welcome and a new energy and focus for her work. Springtime is turning for this church plant, as well as for the families they are about to serve!

This is but a sampling of the stories I could share. To me, they are evidence that the Spirit is breaking in on our Winters and nudging us through to bloom -- not tomorrow, but today!

352 years ago, Angelus wrote, "Springtime is at hand. When will you ever bloom, if not here and now?"

With crazy hopes and growing cheer,

Tom
646-203-6266

What would it take for you to feel safe enough to . . . ?

Over the last few days, the e-mails coming into my Inbox regarding the role of the institution in supporting emergence in faith communities and networks has been so confirming. They have confirmed for me that this is an important moment in the long history of our Christian dialogue. I have come to believe that, in our relationships, there is always more potential than we realize. What is it that we say in Eucharistic Prayer C -- something about “Open our eyes to see Your hand at work in the world around us . . . "?

Most of the time, the only real obstacle to moving into new life is our fear -- nothing else! Fear of the unknown, fear of the known, fear of giving up control, fear of the hidden motivations of the institution, fear of __________ (please fill in the blank!). In the story of 2 Kings 7, there were four lepers hanging out at the city gates, in fear because their city was under siege. They couldn't find a home in the city and they were terrified of the enemy outside the walls, as well. Mind you, they'd never actually encountered the enemy – just heard about it. Finally, the storyteller quotes them as saying, "Why stay here until we die? So let's go out . . ." Well, the story goes on to confirm that the threat we are familiar with may actually be worse than the one we're imagining!

As I respond to some of the fear-filled correspondence, I'm learning that asking, "What is it that you fear?" only makes things worse. People can expand on fear, forever. Lately, I've started asking, "What would you need in order to feel safe enough to try . . . ?" Now, instead of expanding on their fears, they are working toward a plan, an approach, a venture -- even new partnerships!

Much of what we fear exists where there is a lack of love. In our Christian Scriptures we have the assertion that perfect love casts out all fear. I often wonder, when feeling fear (even institutional anxiety), "What (or who) is it that I need to love, right now?" I can tell you that, when the answer comes to me, and I follow the Spirit's leading to Love, it's actually OK to feel insecure, rather than fearful. I can live with not knowing; I cannot, however, find life through fear. Rudolf Bahro (German activist and iconoclast) explains that “When the forms of an old culture are dying, the new culture is created by a few people who are not afraid to be insecure.” Imagine us leading – loving but insecure with asserting Truth – “insecure” enough to stay curious and loving enough to stay clear of the sticky web of fear.

Postmoderns are sometimes critiqued for too glibly denouncing that which smacks of modernity. Reading religious ‘blogs lately convinces me that most of us could spend the rest of our days apophatically asserting our various realities. If we’re to prepare ourselves for the “not yet” Kin-dom of God, though, we have to gird up our loins to walk in that in-between place where the old language is inadequate and the new language is still coming to us. We’ll daily be humbled by recollections of the certainties we used to herald. We’ll more freely admit that, well, we just don’t know (yet!). All we’ll have is the Holy Visions that wake us in the night and a longing to be a part of what the Spirit has been birthing for millenia – right in our collective midst. Some of us will paint our memories of those visions; others will put music to them; fewer still will design buildings and sacred spaces and most of us will try language – old wineskins for new wine!

I imagine that when the original drafters of the 20/20 vision first came together with their love and hopes for the Episcopal Church and all that it has to offer, they shared a passion not too dissimilar from what we share on this virtual community. They were afire with visions of what might happen if we were to open our hearts and hands and churches in new ways to new possibilities. They too were concerned that the “same old – same old” might subsume their Spirit-led ventures and they were cautious not to limit the Spirit’s work with small expectations. They prayed and they hoped and they shared, tirelessly. I know, because I’ve been blessed to hear their stories. Many of them are now watching and praying and listening to this conversation regarding Angli-mergence – hoping from the sidelines that the baton they passed will be cherished, regardless.

Here are the questions that shape my conversations, these days: “How might we choose love over fear? How might we get comfortable with insecurity in this strange place we presently traverse? How might we honor the Episcopal Church we’ve inherited while preparing ourselves to offer ancient gifts to new cultures? And most of all, how might we do that, TOGETHER?” I think that courageously answering that question may be more important than many of us realize.

With crazy hopes and growing cheer,


Tom
646-203-6266

Letting go . . .

This last weekend I spent nearly two hours talking with a devout Jewish woman who has devoted her life to bringing peaceful ways to the young people of Israel and Palestine. Over the phone she told me of her heartbreak at the bloodshed and violence experienced in Gaza over the last several weeks. She shared how that this fighting proves to her, once again, that our old ways of relating to each other no longer work, that there is a part of our human story that is dying and falling away. When I asked her how she maintains her courage for this work, she said that she believes, with all her heart, that we are being called into a new way of relating to each other – that of listening and honoring and reverencing – and that this is her part.

As usual, I was humbled to hear her speak so passionately of this life calling she has claimed. These are not empty words for Sara! I know because three years ago, I stood with this lioness at the Kalandia checkpoint, outside of Bethlehem. I watched her put her life on the line as she gave out flowers and bottled water to Israeli soldiers and Palestinians alike. She prayed for both in Hebrew as well as in Arabic. She begged Israeli soldiers (average age 19) not to lose their souls in hatred. She demonstrates daily what it means to long so deeply for a peaceful future that she is willing to give her last breath to this calling.

As I sat there listening to Sara, my eye caught a note that I have taped to my computer monitor. In 1948, Gandhi wrote, “Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man [woman] whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him [her]. Will he [she] gain anything by it? Will it restore him [her] to a control over his [her] own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to swaraj [freedom] for the hungry and spiritually starving millions? Then you will find your doubts and your self melt away."

In that moment, for some strange reason, my mind jumped to the myriad posts I’ve recently read on the Episcopalian list serves that I follow for my work. I felt such heaviness and even “fed-up-ness” with the thought. My imagination then lined up images of my friend Sara’s browned face, Gandhi’s words and then the heated and weary debates dominating most of our public religious conversations – I lined them up side by side and I sat there with them. It was like one of those newspaper pages in the Harry Potter movies where each of the images is actually a video running through a loop. I heard and saw Sara pleading with soldiers; I watched Gandhi calmly sitting cross-legged on the sidewalk; I heard accusations of apostasy and heresy and sabotage and dishonesty – all side by side. It was a cacophony of emotions and, to be truthful, too much to bear.

In the moment that Sara and I said our “Goodbyes,” a flash of red caught my eye, just outside my window. I was startled to see a bright red cardinal sitting on a branch, not four feet away. He was looking right at me. We held each other’s gaze for almost a minute when I remembered that cardinals show up in my life as a sign from God to reconsider what I’m thinking in that moment. ‘Sounds crazy, but I took it as Divine intervention and sat up a little straighter. I thought, “Where is the hope in this? What am I to carry forward with me in this work of planting churches and birthing new ministries?” I remembered some of Otto Scharmer’s recent words and rolled back in my chair to find his book on the shelf behind me.

Highlighted for easy reference, the letters nearly jumped off the page at me from page 5 of his book titled, “Theory U." Allow me to quote him directly. He claims that “… as the crisis and call of our time begins to unfold, proponents of three distinct positions can be heard:

1. Retromovement activists: “Let’s return to the order of the past.” Some retromovements have a fundamentalist bent, but not all of them. Often this position comes with a revival of an old form of religion and faith-based spirituality.

2. Defenders of the status quo: “Just keep going. Focus on doing more of the same by muddling through. Same old same old.” This position is grounded in the mainstream of contemporary scientific materialism.

3. Advocates of individual and collective transformational change: “Isn’t there a way to break the patterns of the past and tune into our highest future possibility – and to begin to operate from that place?”

Scharmer goes on to encourage the reader with this claim, “I believe that the current global situation yearns for a shift of the third kind, which in many ways is already in the making. We need to let go of the old body of institutionalized collective behavior in order to meet and connect with the presence of the highest future possibility.”

So, right then and there, I made a commitment to God with that cardinal watching as my witness. You might call it a covenant; it’s a pact that I don’t mind making public. I committed myself to seek life, to forsake cynicism, to open myself to what Verna Dozier called “the dream of God.” I committed myself to “let go” of the old ways that no longer serve us. I committed myself to look for and support others who are living into that commitment, as well. In my public life, in my work, it is my dream that we plant and nurture new ministries that are willing to let go of the old behaviors and ego-driven squabbling so that we might embrace God’s call – that Kin-dom that longs to emerge through each of us!

Would you join me in this high adventure? Would you join Sara and Verna and Gandhi and that homeless Rabbi from so long ago in the High Calling that each named so beautifully for all time? I hope so. I also hope that you will let me know, in your own way, when the time is right.

 With growing gratitude,

  

Tom

646-203-6266

Scharmer, O. 2007. Theory U. Cambridge MA: Society of Organizational Learning.

What have we here ... is this really "emergent"?

Ides of January, 2009

 

Over the last few weeks, I have received eight requests to create an online list of “Emergent” and Anglimergent communities so that folks know of what’s happening around “the church.” As you might imagine, I am hesitant, especially in my new role, to create such a list. There is the strong possibility that I would leave folks out and add folks that others would not consider to be truly “emergent!” Instead, if we need to make lists, it seems better to pose this to the larger Anglimergent community and ask folks to self-identify. After they ante up, we might ask, “What are the qualities and characteristics of your ministry (or the one of which you are a part) that beg the label ‘-mergent’?” What does the term mean? Now that’s a great question! Here’s my old “saw,” for what it’s worth . . .

 

Lately I’ve struggled with the idea of calling a ministry “emergent.” There seems to be a whole lot of fascination with anything “new” in Christianity right now and it leaves me a little wary – especially when it comes to big events and the world of promotion. Here’s what gives me life, lately. Instead of using Emergent as an adjective, what if we get really clear about what it is that we say is emerging? What if we treat the conversation as a description of a “way of being”? What if what we’re naming as “emerging” is not the church or churches or denominations or movements? What if, instead, it is the work of the mothering and birthing and nurturing Spirit that is emerging? And what if it is our chief purpose (all of us – Jewish, Muslim, Christian and ALL) to partner with the Spirit in the high calling of co-creating and midwifery?

It seems to me that there is a question that should be on all of our lips, regardless of our age, creed, liturgical tradition, sexual preference or race. That question is “What of the Spirit’s work is longing to emerge in my life, right now?” (The follow-up, for me, is “How do I come alongside the Spirit as a partner in ministry to celebrate what’s going on in me and out there?”)

 

In my humble opinion, the rest of the usual conversation so easily turns to hubris and self-congratulatory posturing. I guess I would go so far as to claim that the church (not even our beloved EC!!) cannot contain anything that is “emerging” in this sense. It can support/encourage/resource/celebrate/name and hold up, but it cannot contain the new ministry that is “crowning” and even emerging right now! It happens out there – wild and free of our machinations and predictions. It defies our polity and shrugs off our institutional anxieties. It “blows where it will” and we are called to follow – to go out – to meander in search of!

 

If that’s the Emerg –ent –ing we are talking about, then count me in!

Maybe the question is not, “Do you consider yourself Emergent?” Maybe we will find life abundant by hosting a conversation that answers the question, “Where do you see the work of the Spirit emerging in this kairos moment?” I’m eager to hear … and I’ve been dreaming about that, a lot, lately!

 

I’ll stop now, or I’ll be apologizing, next!!

 

 

With crazy hopes and growing cheer,

 

 

 

Tom

 

 

PS., here are some resources for those of you interested in pursuing this thread, further.

 

What is the role of the priest in this work of midwifery? Start with Urban T Holme’s “Ministry and imagination.” Move through Maggie Ross’s “Pillars of flame” and revel in Driver’s “Liberating rites.”

 

How do we live in a way that readily spots and then embraces the work of the Spirit? You might read Ed Leidel’s “Grassroots spirituality” or D. Soelle’s “The silent cry”, or Scharmer’s “Theory U” (in order of complexity).

Why don't we combine the two?

First, Happy New Year to you! It’s been a wonderful Advent Season – time with family in Asheville and away from the commercialization of Christmas. I arrived in Manhattan this afternoon, just in time to join the celebration of the Sacred Union of two incredible friends at the Cathedral of St John the Divine. The music was grand; the preaching was good and the liturgy was just right for the Cathedral. After receiving communion from two of the more remarkable clergy I know, I took a breather on the front steps before heading back to my pew for the “PC Prayer” as my daughter calls it (post-Communion). Just as I turned to head back in, a person of the street called out to me from the steps and asked, “Is there any food in there?” I told him, “No” but then asked him why he inquired. He told me that his church “back home” always had a meal after their Saturday night service. When I asked him where home was, he told me “Atlanta” and then turned away.

Some of you know that I served a homeless ministry in Asheville North Carolina for four years. What you don’t know is that those four years gave me some of the more humbling experiences a priest can survive in public service. There was the time that we were meeting outside on a perfectly still day and offering communion to about sixty-five people. For some reason, the candles kept going out. I’m not exactly sure why, but keeping those candles lit was really important to some of our folks! Every time the candle would blow out (even without wind), one of our front row members would quietly and ceremoniously get up and relight the thing! Finally, after two or three episodes, a couple of them got up (as if on cue) and relit the candles, picked them up off the table, turned towards me and then cupped their hands around them to keep them wind-proof. I finished off the Eucharistic Prayer with two homeless men standing there like Honor Guards at Arlington Memorial. They each told me later how important it made them feel to help in this way.

That story is actually tame compared to the one I want to share, though. On one of our “packed out” services, we had nearly 80 people show up. It was freezing outside and, as the service came to an end, even more people showed up. They’d been waiting outdoors, cued by others to wait for the words, “Go in peace to …” After we’d fed nearly 120 people, one of the new guys sidled up to me sort of sheepishly and mumbled, “Would you care if I asked you a dumb question?” I turned to him thinking, “Alright, what is it, this time?” Without missing a beat, he asked, “Why do we separate the Communion from the meal we serve afterwards?” I know, I know, you want to give me the theological reasons and the history of the Eucharistic traditions developed through the ages! That’s not what I’m asking though. I’m asking a homeless man’s question, and I want to ask it in the light of the parable I recounted a few weeks ago. You can find it here.

Here's the question I've been thinking through! What if our Eucharistic Celebration IS the modern day equivalent of the liturgical lifeboat in the parable? I mean, what if what we call a “Eucharistic Celebration” is really supposed to be a real sit down meal? What if God’s flesh and bloodedness is made known in the (real) sharing of our food and resources in a (real) meal where everyone has enough? Is it just the intentional ingestion of thin little communion wafers and bad Port that makes for God among us? Is it the priest performing her sacerdotal functions in just a certain way? Or might it be that our souls are actually converted only when we sit down next to a person we might not normally even look at and then share our abundance as evidence that the Kin-dom of God is near? Speaking from my own experience, I know my soul is being redeemed just a little bit more each time I share my meal with the “other” and isn’t that all I (or anyone else) knows in that moment?

So, here is what I would ask you to consider. What if we have over-theologized that Last Supper moment? What if we’ve back-peddled so many years of theological ruminating on this amazing moment of redemption that we’ve retired that lifeboat onto a museum display while outside, “most of the people drown?” Might it be that we are being signaled to return to a meal? I mean a meal where people actually have to sit down with the poor, the “lepers,” traitors and the not yet converted tax collectors, just to catch a glimpse of what Jesus was really up to? You know, I’m a priest; I am paid to celebrate and I love it. I’m not sure how I feel about giving that Celebrant role up, to be honest! At the same time, I know that on any given Sunday we serve thousands and thousands of wafers at our Episcopalian communion rails across the country while the world around us is just longing to sit down to a meal where, in the sharing of real food, the real Presence is made known.

From the parable, here are the words that haunt me as a person called to serve the Church: “if you visit that sea coast today, you will find a number of exclusive clubs along that shore. Shipwrecks are frequent in those waters, but most of the people drown.”

How would you have answered my homeless parishioner’s question?

With love and wonder,

Tom

Emergent Episcopalians gather in Memphis

This last weekend, dozens of Episcopalians came together in Memphis for a unique conversation about some of the new realities emerging in our Church. In well-organized fashion, Emergent Village and roughly 20 presenters, 10 sponsors and several organizers brought them together with 200 more attendees in a gathering advertised as “The Great Emergence.” At least 23 denominations and movements came to the Cathedral of St Mary in Memphis to explore what it means to be part of “Emerging” Christianity in the United States.

From the start, the event modeled a “both/and” approach to a wide spectrum of theological and liturgical sensibilities. Instead of reacting to the polarities presently plaguing American religions, participants were invited to well-planned events marked by a generous inclusivity, a celebration of differences and a commitment to focusing on what is working in (dis)organized religion. The organizers offered a multi-sensory approach to learning and sharing – calling on presenters and participants to move, to breathe, to turn towards each other and to take plenty of breaks. In fact, the whole event was a big “break” from the usual conference format! The leaders demonstrated a genuine ease with unanswered questions and unfinished dialogue.

During the conference, roughly twenty practitioners were invited to share what it meant for them to offer emergent ministry in their contexts. Presentations included video and Powerpoints followed by a speed dating style of Q and A where practitioners hosted a rapid rotation of small groups in interactive sessions. Much of the Conference’s energy was focused through the lens of Phyllis Tickle’s recently released book, The Great Emergence. Phyllis (and her husband Sam) added a sense of hopeful curiosity to plenary sessions exploring key questions such as, “Where now is our authority?” and “How do we partner with the work of the Spirit in a world no longer wedded to Modernity and its assumptions?” Phyllis repeatedly called on Bishop Mark Dyer’s image of the church hosting a giant “Rummage Sale” every 500 years – a sale where that which no longer serves the work of the Spirit is cleared away to make room for fresh expressions of ministry. Participants were invited to explore what the church might be letting go of, for the sake of new life. They were also invited to name their experiences of the dizzying chaos that such “letting go” has produced in their own particular contexts. Remarkably, the denominational disillusionment typical in these discussions was overshadowed by an energetic and creative exploration of new ministries and opportunities, within existing structures. Seminarians and their professors were simultaneously invited to explore dynamic theological education for the church of the future.

Instead of the usual exchange of business cards and passing of paper notes, there was a live Twitter feed on a screen near the Cathedral’s lectern so that participants could share their comments and responses publicly. Several presenters uploaded their presentations to websites for instant sharing with those who could not attend. Dozens of participants followed the live feed from around the world, joining into several of the Q and A sessions remotely. There was even the token Rummage Sale in the Cathedral’s Parish Hall where participants contributed kitsch ranging from vintage T-shirts and crystal “Praying Hands” to Elvis memorabilia! It was a fine match for the good humor underlying all of the conference.

Even though only seventeen visitors from around the country had registered for the “Mind the Gap” session that prefaced the conference on Thursday, almost 60 showed up on time and another 15 joined us later in the weekend. It was clear that there is growing an intense interest in stretching our denominational structures to make space for new expressions, especially among the largest contingency present – the Episcopalians.

Once again on Saturday, a loose gathering of these same Episcopalian Emergents gathered in the nave and committed themselves to spreading the good news of what is happening, especially in our Episcopal Church. They began plans for another national gathering in 2009, as well as regional gatherings in the meantime. For more information on the content and intention of this Anglimergent conversation, as well as to learn how this movement is gathering momentum, visit the online community at www.anglimergent.org.

Reverend Thomas Brackett

Program Officer, Church Planting and Redevelopment

tbrackett@episcopalchurch.org

646.203.6266

 

What's a church planter look like?

Thanksgiving week, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving to you!

Because of the strange and wondrous calling I have, I am often asked to talk with Church leaders who are planning new ministries in their region. Sometimes they are planning a homeless ministry and, at other times, they may be talking about a new Campus ministry at a nearby university. More infrequently, folks are planning to start a new church and they’re in search of just the right leader. Somewhere in that conversation, I’m usually asked, “What does a new ministry developer look like?”

It seems like this might be a good time to go “public” with the list of characteristics that leaders have looked for in new ministry developers (sometimes referred to as “Church Planters”). Of course, what I’m about to share with you is not new – this inventory has been used by most mainline denominations in America for almost twenty years.

I offer it this to you as a way of provoking discussion. I’d like to ask of you to think of a recent church plant of which you are intimately aware. Think of the person (or persons) who lead this new endeavor and then look this list over. Does this list of characteristics describe that leader? What would you change, take away or add to each of the characteristics on this list with that answer in mind?

 

Of course the language used in this description will not work for everyone but the list is meant to serve as a starting point. It’s used as a starting point in the assessment of a prospective church planter’s suitability. As you write in with your feedback, I will organize your comments under the characteristic you are addressing. Let’s have some fun with this!

13 Essential Characteristics of a Successful Church Planter (as compiled by Charles Ridley, Ph.D., professor of Counseling and Educational Psychology at Indiana University)

Here is the short list. Scroll down to see an explanation for each.

1. Visioning capacity

2. Intrinsically motivated

3. Creates ownership of ministry

4. Relates to the unchurched

5. Spousal cooperation

6. Effectively builds relationships

7. Committed to church growth

8. Responsive to community

9. Utilizes giftedness of others

10. Flexible and adaptable

11. Builds group cohesiveness

12. Resilience

13. Exercises faith

13 Essential Characteristics of a

Successful 

Church

Planter (with explanations)

1. Visioning capacity

• being a person who projects into the future beyond the present
• developing a theme which highlights the vision and philosophy of ministry
• persuasively selling the vision to the people
• approaching challenges as opportunities rather than obstacles
• coping effectively with non-visioning elements
• not erecting artificial walls or limits either overtly or subconsciously
• establishing a clear church identity related to the theme and vision
• believing in God's capacity to do great things

2. Intrinsically motivated

• having a desire to do well and a commitment to excellence
• stick-to-itiveness and persistence
• having initiative and aggressiveness without the negative connotations
• having a willingness to work long and hard
• being a self-starter with a willingness to build from nothing
• having a high energy and vitality level; physical stamina

3. Creates ownership of ministry

• helping people to "buy in" and feel responsible for the growth and success of the church
• gaining commitment of the people to the vision
• establishing a congregational identity
• avoiding stereotyping of congregation by imposing unrealistic goals for which it cannot claim ownership

4. Relates to the unchurched

• communicating in style that is understood by the unchurched
• understanding the "psychology" or mentality of the unchurched
• moving and functioning in the "personal space" of the unchurched without fear
• quickly getting to know the unchurched on a personal level
• breaking through the barriers erected by the unchurched
• handling crises faced by the unchurched

5. Spousal cooperation

• having an explicit agreement regarding each partner's respective role and involvement in ministry
• having explicit rules regarding the use of home as an office
• evaluating the consequences of ministry demands upon the children
• functioning as a team through individual and collective action
• having a strategy for dealing with strangers
• modeling wholesome family life before church and community
• agreeing upon and sharing the ministry vision
• deliberately planning and protecting private family life

6. Effectively builds relationships

• responding with urgency to expressed needs and concerns of people
• displaying Godly love and compassion to people
• getting to know people on a personal basis
• making others feel secure and comfortable in one's presence
• not responding judgmentally or prejudicially to new people
• appreciating and accepting a variety of persons
• spending quality time with present parishioners without overstepping them for new people

7. Committed to church growth

• believing in church growth as a theological principle
• appreciating steady and consistent growth without preoccupation with the quick success factor
• committing to numerical growth within the context of spiritual and relational growth (more and better disciples)
• recognizing that non-growth is threatening and self-defeating
• establishing the goal of becoming a financially self-supporting church within a specific period of time
• not prematurely falling into a ministry of maintenance
• seeing the church project within the larger context of God's kingdom

8. Responsive to community

• understanding the culture of the community
• identifying and assessing community needs
• responding to community needs on a priority basis such that resources are most efficiently used
• determining successes and failures of other organized religious attempts to respond to community needs
• not confusing what the community needs with what the church wants to offer
• acquiring and understanding of the character and "pulse" of the community
• adapting the philosophy of ministry to the character of the community

9. Utilizes giftedness of others

• releasing and equipping people to do the task of ministry
• discerning of spiritual gifts in others
• matching the gifts of people with ministry needs and opportunities
• delegating effectively in areas of personal limitation
• avoiding personal overload by delegating effectively
• not prematurely assigning ministry assignments before people are adequately equipped
• not placing unwarranted restrictions on other's spiritual giftedness

10. Flexible and adaptable

• coping effectively with ambiguity
• coping effectively with constant and abrupt change
• adapting oneself and one's methods to the uniqueness of the particular church planting project
• shifting priorities and emphasis during various stages of church growth
• doing "whatever" is necessary "whenever" necessary

11. Builds group cohesiveness

• developing a nucleus group or groups as a foundation
• quickly incorporating newcomers into a network of relationships
• engaging others in meaningful church activity
• monitoring the morale of people
• utilizing groups effectively
• dealing with conflict assertively, constructively and tactfully

12. Resilience

• experiencing setbacks without defeat
• riding the ups and downs (i.e. attendance)
• expecting the unexpected
• rebounding from loss, disappointments and failure

13. Exercises faith

• possessing a conviction regarding one's call to church planting ministry
• believing in God's action
• having expectation and hope
• having a willingness to wait for answers to specific prayer requests

(Dr. Charles Ridley is one of the pioneers in church planting assessment)