(e)mergent Voyageurs

This morning, while leading a baptism service at his church, University Baptist Church, Kyle Lake was involved in a tragic accident that took his life. While I never knew Kyle beyond emails, all who know him speak of his love, generousity and rich faith. We had invited him to teach at our upcoming Discipleship Training School (DTS), but he declined in order spend more time with his wife & three children.

Please take some time to pray for his family and the congregation who have lost a husband, father, pastor and friend.

This stage of my story has taken me the longest to write because it is the most important stage of life. Perhaps the current stage of ones life is always the most important. Be that as it may, it was the years following our departure from Vancouver that so much of my life seem to come together.

In the last few years in Vancouver, I had been in an undefined relationship with a beautiful Australian girl named Kim. I say undefined because, despite my attraction to and affection towards Kim, I did not commit to any relationship that could be called anything. It wasn’t so much that I was afraid of commitment, that seemingly universal male “disorder”, as much as that I feared rejection. Subconsciously, I thought that if I could keep the relationship on the lip of commitment, I would never have to face the inevitable termination.

It was when Kim allowed me to read her journal, specifically entries pertaining to my cruel casuality towards her love for me, that everything changed. Instead of the hurt, frustration and anger that she had every right to feel and express, every line was filled with grace and love. It was in that moment I knew I would marry her- and I did, only six months later. It was the first of three weddings that spanned the globe (but that is another story).

Before the rush of the final wedding had died, we packed once again and moved to our first apartment in the inner city neighbourhood of Winnipeg‘s West End. It was from this tiny apartment that our ministry, YWAM Urban Ministries Winnipeg, was born. With our dining room able serving as our “office”, my wife had to serve the first meal she prepared for her mother-in-law on a coffee table. We all loved it.

The details of establishing our ministry, while interesting, are insignificant in the light of all that we learned through making this troubled, but beautiful neighbourhood our own. No longer were the realities of urban injustice simply a part of our job, but rather part of our lives. We could not pretend to be “professional do-gooders” bringing the answers, but rather fellow “broken Eikons” whose salvation was caught up together. With the help of an amazing local church, New Life Ministries, and their work through Lazarus Housing, we planted roots to make this community our very own.

The one hundred year old duplex had been abandon for several years following a fire started by some of the former tenants. Neighbours and police knew this building to one of the most notorious gang houses in our city, where some of the worst degradations of humanity found expression. With great care, hard work and a lot of prayer, the house was transformed into a home, where we live with our friends and co-labourers. This building, known to many as cursed, now is a centre of hope and promise of redemption.

After many years of hard work with only a very small team working with us, we are now a truly missional community, dedicated living Christ as authentically as we can. We have had the privilege of introducing hundreds of peoples to our neighbours and neighbourhood, planting new seeds of understanding and possibility for what can and should be. While we have connected in the community, this is the next stage where God is calling us into greater depth and commitment.

Through this, I have been going through a personal tranformation. After 11 years with YWAM, serving in such diverse roles, I felt as though God was drawing me into something new. It began last year with the fulfillment of a life long dream when my first book “Looking Forward: Facing the Future of Christian Leadership” went to print (having been written/editted in my early twenties). I couldn’t have been more excited.

So you can imagine my chagrin when, instead of sustained joy, I was soon plunged into periodic depression and disillusionment. After much prayer, suffering and soul searching, I realized that God was calling me to step out into that which He had specifically gifted me for and called me to. By far the most challenging year in my life, it has also been extremely rewarding as I make the (often costly) choices to move in this new direction. While still in the process of defining, it includes my passion to pursue Truth through writing, teaching and building community. The deep theme of pastoring has been a constant element emerging in this process. I am both excited and somewhat fearful of all that still lies ahead.

And so I chose the picture of the lone wolf for this post. In addition to being a beautiful photo, wolves are natures most powerful example of community, deeply informing First Nations spirituality. In this way, I feel like that lone wolf, individual with identity in community. The wolf is on the look out, looking away, looking forward. As am I.

As always, much more could be said here, including the devastation of losing our first child to a miscarraige & our inability to conceive again; including the unparalleled generousity and support of family & friend; including the continued financial struggles of living by faith in missions; including the incredible diversity of our neighbourhood, representing every continent; and even including the challenges of having neo-Nazi’s move onto the block. The fact is this: the journey is not only bigger than this space can contain, but continues every day.

It is out of our own stories that our true selves emerge. Thank you for joining me on this journey.

Peace,
Jamie Arpin-Ricci

I was deeply saddened upon hearing of the death of Rosa Parks, one of the Mothers of the American Civil Rights Movement, who has always stood out as one the people who inspired me with their courage and strength and grace. Her death has had me considering other people who I have looked to for wisdom and inspiration- heroes if you will.

Thinking of this, I raise the question with a few people in our community (averaging about 23 years old, making me the oldest one in the discussion). My only rule was that “Jesus” & “my Dad” were givens. I was surprised to find that none of them really had anyone they considered a hero. While I am not an advocate of “hero worship”, I do believe that we can learn a great deal from people who have modelled that which we believe to be “heroic”.

So I am curious: Do YOU have any heroes like this? Let me know who they are and why. I will list a few of my own here, explaining how they impacted, especially in leading me into and through the emerging journey. I look forward to reading you ideas.

Here are mine:

Co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement, Dorothy Day is one of the single greatest inspirations in my life. Her willingness to serve and live with the poor, while still naming and engaging the systematic injustices of the world, challenges me to see that to battle the principalities of this age, I must be rooted in the lives of those who need the liberty. In so doing, Day models what Christ promises us- that we will discover that our own liberty is caught up in theirs. Additionally, as a writer from a long line of journalists, I love the way she used her writing gifts to effec change and express herself.

For those wanting to know more about Dorothy Day, read her moving autobiography “The Long Loneliness”. For a more accessible (if a forgivably watered down) version of her story, see the movie “Entertaining Angels”, also an excellent resource.

Dr. King was the first person who taught me that social and spiritual realities are most often one and the same. He taught me the power of a revolution of non-violence and love, even in the face of hatred, suffering and death. As I read more about his life, I also see the failures and mistakes of his life, which serve NOT to discredit him, but to give me hope that in my own flawed humanity I can do great things. It is important to remember the injustice that was done in the name of a “Christian” world, but also that there were men & women who could respond to this with true Christlikeness.

For a great exploration of MLK’s life, read “The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr”. You would also not be disappointed by reading any of his many sermons, many found online.

I bought “Return of the Prodigal Son” by Henri Nouwen on a whim, reading it in less than 12 hours. It was a book the marks a point of change in my life. Nouwen’s authority as a writer deepened after his involvement serving at the Daybreak L’Arche community in Ontario, where he was loved for himself, not his brilliant mind and served those who could never acknowledge his sacrifice. He struggled with homosexuality orientation, yet was dedicated in obedience to both his vows and his faith.

His published journal, “The Genesee Diary”, is such an honest glimpse into the heart, mind and life of the author, I think it is a must read.

In addition to being a brilliant Biblical scholar and “discipler”, Bonhoeffer lived his life authentically according to his deepest held beliefs in a time that left little room for compromise. His conflicted involvement in the attempted assissination of Hitler does not cast the shadow upon my admiration of him, but reminds me that we cannot always be sure of what is right, but neither can we stand still. He is a true martyr of the faith that I deeply respect.

Of his books, the powerful “The Cost of Discipleship” and the essential “Life Together” immediately come to mind. Also, the movie “Bonhoeffer: Agent of Grace” is also an excellent portrayal of some of the crucial events of his last years.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of the people who are inspirations to me. I can think of many others, such as Mahatma Gandhi, Peter Maurin, Medgar Evers, St. Francis of Assisi, to name a few more. You will also see that the nature of this list reflects the realities of my life & ministry in the inner city neighbourhood, where issues of poverty, race and injustice is ever-present.

I look forward to hearing from you.

On Monday, I had the opportunity to sit on a panel of “emerging church leaders” for a conference held in Winnipeg by Providence Theological Seminary. The conference, entitled “Ministering With The Emerging Church”, hosted Dr. Gary R. Collins. While the bulk of the conference centered around the concepts of coaching as counselling (with an emphasis on how this could apply to postmodern people), Monday focused specifically on the dynamics of the emerging church conversation.

Initially, I was hesitant to sit on the panel for several reasons. I am hesitant to be labelled an “emerging church leader”, preferring to say that my ministry and faith have been informed by the realities of the postmodern worldview that I came to naturally. Additionally, I did not want to communicate that my ministry with Youth With A Mission (YWAM) in Winnipeg represented the nature of YWAM International, which is not a fair reflection. However, I was excited by the prospect of connecting with the other panelists, as well as try to help others understand the emerging journey who might be concerned, suspicious or even resonating with it.

Brother Maynard posted an excellent couple of posts on the conference, the first here and the second here. In his first post you can find a list of the other panelists and their blogs or bios (with the exception of Tom- anyone have his info?). Take the time to check these posts out, along with the comment sections following.

For myself, I was somewhat encouraged by the response we received. Inevitably, there were/are many in attendance who still conceive of the emerging conversation as a stylistic or methodological trend- a kind of “seeker sensitive remix”. To disspell these misconceptions sufficiently would have required more time and, perhaps, less “conference”. However, I suspect that many were challenged to give it a second thought, and perhaps many found resonance (and hope) in what was shared.

I was also very blessed by the generous, friendly and willing spirit of Dr. Gary Collins, who was able to offer a perspective of the conversation that was fair, affirming and nonthreatening. While we differed with him on many issues, he was always willing to stand corrected, ask questions and encourage further dialogue. I hope to continue developing the relationship with him.

Thank you to Providence for hosting this event and inviting me to be a part of it.

Several years ago, when I first came across the Emergent conversation (though it was not called Emergent then), I was excited by the what I saw as the promising possibility for the future of faith and missions. As I attempted to engage the budding dialogue I found it extreme difficult. I continued to press in, but soon realized the core of the difficulty: being part of a (so called) “para-church” organization, I was kindly told that this was a discussion for pastors & churches. I was frustrated, but settled from exploring from a distance.

Much has happened since, with many relational and organizational doors opening for involvement (namely the support of Resonate.ca and many other local emergent voyageurs), but there still remains an unfortunate distance for those of us outside of the “traditional church” groups. It has, however, challenged me to explore what place groups such as ours has in this emergent journey. Throughout this process, my conviction that we have an essential and unique role to play has only strengthened.

While the larger issue of the non-congregational expressions of the Church in the emergent journey is an important one to discuss (perhaps a future post here), I want to explore one specific aspect. For those of you who are unaware, my wife & I are the founding Co-Directors of Youth With A Mission Urban Ministries Winnipeg (YWAM UMW) a “missional community committed to purposefully and passionately training, involving and serving people in our pursuit of Christ-likeness, both locally & globally”. Our homes & ministries are located in the inner city neighbourhood of Winnipeg’s West End, our emphasis guided by the realities of communities- justice, racism, development, community, etc.

Like many others, I first came across Scot McKnight as I explored the emerging journey. His was (and remains) a voice of reason, balance, and passionate vision for what could be- not just for those in the “emergent conversation”, but for the whole Church. His excellent book, “The Jesus Creed” (recently named Christian Living Book of the Year by Christianity Today- with good reason) continues to both challenge and inspire everyone who reads it.

With his new book, “Embracing Grace: A Gospel for All of Us”, Scot has outdone himself, laying out a generous and engaging foundation to exploring the question: What is the Gospel? Starting with the premise that “the Gospel is the work of God to restore human beings to union with God and communion with others, in the context of community for the good of others and the world”, this Gospel of embracing grace reminds us of our true identity, Eikons- created in His image, broken by sin.

Recently, Scot has been posting a series of blogs on this very question of Gospel (starting Here). In the comment section of a different blog, someone criticizes him for depersonalizing the Gospel. While taken alone and out of larger context, I can see how someone might come to this conclusion, I believe the opposite to be true. In addition to the personal embrace of Christ to individuals, Scot unfolds a richer, broader and deeper understand of the Gospel that, instead of reducing the personal, gives it true meaning. Through a wider reading of both his blog and his books, combined with his remarkably friendly and approachable personality, one cannot help be see how this very personal Gospel has touched his life (and his family).

Though representing a very small (perhaps under developed) aspect of the book, the emphasis on God’s & humanity’s relationship to Creation was an unexpected, but necessary dimension. The restorative work of God is an extension of his Love, through which He seeks to embrace His whole creation. “For God so loved the WORLD (Gr. kosmos)…” . This has been too often neglected from the core discussion of the faith, making its place in the book promising.

Reminiscent of Richard Foster’s essential “Streams of Living Water”, the book introduces examples from the Biblical, historical and contemporary spheres to highlight and “flesh out” the ideas. As always, he is fair, but honest in his exploration of ideas and experiences from a broad range of sources, providing a surprisingly thorough AND accessible read.

While this site has been largely dedicated to the ideas and challenges of the emergent journey, for which Scot McKnight has been a wise and important commentator, this book should not, by any means, be limited by being claimed as anything less than message for everyone. I would as soon recommend this book to the pastors of my very conservative childhood church as I would to my very skeptical, “unbelieving” uncle (and I am careful with both).

Certainly this book cannot begin to contain the fullness of the Gospel, especially as a central theme in the book is the need for us to discover of the embracing grace of God in the context of community. And while I might take exception to a few points (namely his seemingly unwavering rejection of satire), this is only to be expected.

That being said, it has been a long time since a book so deeply challenged me- in the ideas and articulations of my faith; in the compassion and passion for God, others and all Creation; in my willingness to make choices towards this embrace, this gift, this grace. Too often I find believers (myself included), even those in “full time ministry”, who do not really know what the Gospel is. Or perhaps more accurately, we fail to recognize the implications of the Gospel. “Embracing Grace” offers both a solid foundation and framework to build on from which, together, we can see God’s “Kingdom come, on earth, as it is in heaven”.

When I read about Doug Pagitt‘s upcoming book “Preaching Re-Imagined: The Role of the Sermon in Communities of Faith”, I was intrigued. While an infrequent guest preacher at a few churches, I have long struggled with how effective the traditional sermon is. Additionally, I was excited by the possibilities this proposed new approach might offer other areas of spiritual formation.

To this point, I have a read a few other reviews on this book, the best being by Scot McKnight & Brad Boydston which can be found Here. I would encourage you to read the entire series of dialogical reviews these guys post on this topic. That being said, I wanted to offer my 2 cents.

Doug makes a plea for a more progressional dialogue to replace the more common sermon model- what he calls “speaching”. I believe that Pagitt’s ideas offer an exciting opportunity to “re-imagine” how we engage in spiritual & missional formation by embracing the need for the openness and humility that comes through communal learning. He wisely affirms both a need for embracing a multiplicity of perspectives while committing to truly being open to have ones mind changed, convinced, “converted”. The thesis of the book is one that I heartily agree with.

That being said, I was extremely disappointed with the actual material presented. The book might have been called “Preaching Deconstructed”, as the vast majority of its content was focused on a critique of current preaching models. And while the critique was warranted, I found that Pagitt often overstated his arguements, citing some historical roots to the problem that were over simplified at best and untrue at worst.

Though I affirm the need to explore these issues, even critiquing “older” methods, I found that so called “speaching” was given a raw deal. At one point, Pagitt says:

And yet, throughout the book, he presents critiques that seem to go much further. In fact, in the same paragraph as the statement above, he also calls speaching “dehumanizing”. In my view, dehumanization is a serious upgrade from “low-grade fever”. I still believe that there remains a place for traditional preaching/teaching. What is hardly addressed in the book are the larger issues surrounding the way we “do” church- issues that would greatly mitigate some of the challenges of so-called “speaching”.

Finally, when I got to “Section 6: How to Make the Move” (which represents just under 70 pages of the 248 pages), I was eager to finally explore this new model. However, even this section is significantly dedicated to deconstructing the “old” rather than exploring the “new”. This isn’t to say that the book doesn’t offer helpful tools and ideas. In fact, there are several very important elements explored. But I felt they only whet the appetite, leaving the reader wanting more, with few options of where to turn.

Again, I want to reaffirm my agreement with and commitment to this new approach to spiritual formation. In fact, believe that the implications of Doug’s book extend beyond just pastors & sermons, but hold promising possibilities for people on all levels of discipleship. I believe it also speaks to the dysfunction of our current educational models in the larger culture. The intent of this book is both valid and necessary.

The book offers a fair apologetic for those questioning the current model and wanting to explore other options. However, I am not sure those who most need to read this book will pick it up, and if they do, won’t be convinced by it. Nor that the majority of those people who will read this book need convincing in the first place. I am not sure if Pagitt delivered on the promise the title suggests, but I hope he has started a dialogue in which all of our voices will take it the needed extra miles.

During my last few years of high school, my mind was busting at the seams to explore new ideas and ask real questions. I am eternally grateful for my family during this time. Few parents in rural evangelical churches would be happy that their child was devouring the entire collection of M. Scott Peck. However, they cautiously encouraged. My father would patiently listen to me share the new ideas I’d “discovered”, then remind me not to accept every idea I read. Once the reading started, nothing could stop me. Literally, within 2 months my bedroom had become a library bulging with books.

Inevitably, my growing worldview was colliding with the (somewhat arrogant) Evangelicalism that I had been taught to embody by the Christian community. This is not to say that it was all bad, but rather incomplete, especially when embraced as the whole. So, instead of making life long decisions for education and thus career, I knew that I needed to take some time to do something different, to figure things out. Having graduated not long after turning 17, a year off would do little harm.

I decided to attend a Discipleship Training School (DTS) with Youth With A Mission (YWAM). Specifically, I joined YWAM Cambridge – Academy of Performing Arts, in southern Ontario. While the centre offered up its fair share of cheesy skits, it was also home to many very gifted artists- dancers, choreographers, graphic artists, playwrights, etc. While I had a deep love for Creation, it was here that I began to see a practice of faith of beauty. In engaging this realm, my highly propositional, intellectual faith was introduced to the importance of the heart- the emotional center of the soul.

While I had experienced this through my time with the Pentacostal youth group, those experiences were riddled theological extremes and controversies. With art, I began to realize how important and authoritative role of emotions. This can be a threatening revelation, as it presents encounters with Truth that cannot be systemized and categorized. To understand a bit more about what I mean, read my post “Recovering Iconoclast”.

My role at the ministry was administrative with the plans of working with the DTS in years to come. I wouldn’t get the chance as, within a year, the ministry was being shut down. The experience of shutting down, not only a ministry centre, but an intentional community, was a devastating and life defining event. What should have convinced me to walk away to a more secure lifestyle instead drew me more fully into this journey. I knew then that YWAM would be my community for years to come.

When the ministry centre was closed, I joined another YWAM centre, where I spent several years. I won’t go into detail except to say that the first few years there were wonderful. The people I lived and worked with are wonderful people I love to this day. However, in the last year or so, I experienced a devastating “wounding” from the leadership there that rocked me to the core of my faith. It was the closest I came to rejecting my faith, taking years to heal. The wounds still “ache” in bad “weather”. For a powerful series on this kind of experience, visit Emerging Grace starting Here.

From there, I moved to YWAM Vancouver, BC where I joined this small team of urban missionaries in one of Canada’s most beautiful cities. I used to jokingly say that it would take fiery letters in the sky written by the hand of God to convince me to move to a city, but I am glad I followed His call. My years in Vancouver are among the happiest I have in memory, a place I will always consider home.

It was in Vancouver, and specifically in the Downtown Eastside, that I was confronted with the realities of poverity, racism and systematic injustice. For several years previously, I had begun to explore these realities, influenced deeply by Dorothy Day & Peter Maurin, co-founders of the Catholic Worker. Ideas and stories became harsh reality in Canada’s poorest neighbourhood. It was my years here that I realized the need for my faith to have hands, to put the ideas & knowledge together with the zeal & compassion, inspiring purposeful and passionate action. It demanded a praxis beyond handing out tracts and convincing people to believe what I believe (and disbelieve their own beliefs).

Since that time, I have tried to live my life according the lessons learned throughout my life. Specifically an intentionality of my mind, my emotions and my will- in short the Head, Heart and Hands. A friend told me this concept- what my staff have affectionately dubbed the 3 H’s- has been around in the church for centuries. For me it has been revolutionary. If I have right understanding and right emotion, but wrong or no praxis, my well intentioned and passionate actions or inaction could do more harm than good. If I have right emotion and right action, without the in-formation of right understanding, my service lacks purpose- lacks its missional core. And if I have right understanding and right action, but lack right emotion, I become a “sounding gong” and a “clanging symbol”.

Again, much more could be said here, including the significance of sharing a house with an amazing family with great kids; including the healing and passion from my inclusion on the centres leadership team; including the mentorship from amazing men, like Paul Martinson and Randy Parizeau. As I have said before, not everything can be said here, though I would love to share it all.

My next post in this series will talk about getting married, pioneering an inner city ministry and pursuing my identity.

So here is my question to all of you:

Please add your input into the comment section. I look forward to what we can all learn together.

[emerging church]