(e)mergent Voyageurs

Since my trip to Minneapolis for the Emergent Village Coordinating Group meetings, I have been giving a lot of thought to the emerging church journey in respect to nations and cultures, as well as the challenges of organizing officially around the conversation, as EV has.  Len asked some interesting questions, which I thought I would elaborate on in more detail here:

Q: Why am I connecting with Emergent Village (aka Emergent US)?

A: More than 10 year ago, I began to realize that the questions I had about faith, ministry and life were typically not being asked in the Evangelical world I was a part of.  In my desire to find answers, not to mention others who shared my passion for the questions, I began searching websites, books and conferences.  In time I tried to contact Leadership Network, but was… brushed off… with the only reason given being that they did not really work with parachurch organizations.  Frustrated, I began to look elsewhere/

I then attended a conference in Three Hills put on by Beyond Magazine.  Here I finally connected with other people (mainly Canadians) who were on the same journey as me.  I was also excited by what Beyond was doing and wanted to get involved.  Again, my emails and calls were usually replied to with a suggestion to subscribe to the magazine (which I already had done) or left unanswered.  There was also a great deal of (what felt was) over stated and unconstructive criticism of the established church.  While this may have changed since, at the time I moved on in search of something else.

Like so many others, it wasn’t long until I stumbled across Brian McLaren‘s “A New Kind of Christian“.  From there, books led to other books, websites and eventually blogs.  I suddenly found myself embraced by a very active community, most of which were involved with Emergent Village.  Even Tony Jones, who has to be one of the busiest guys I know, consistantly and graciously responded to my emails.  In time, I again connected with more Canadians in the the conversation, with Resonate being one of the most important new communities to me, but EV had already established itself through relationships.

Much of these connects were just a matter of chance, not a reflection on one group or another.  However, as that is how it happened for me, it has been natural for me to connect with the crew in America.  That does not, of course, mean my commitment to them is exclusive.  It should also be noted that, while I have spent most of my life in Canada, I was born in the US and hold my dual citizenship as an important part of my identity.

Q: How does Emergent Village differ from “Emergent Canada”?  In what ways are they similar?

A: This is a tough question, as there is no equivelant to Emergent Village in Canada.  There is, of course, emergent.ca who raised a bit of noise for taking on the “brand” of Emergent when they formed.  However, they have developed into a great resource within the Canadian conversation.  Their intitial decapitalization of the “e” in their name, combined with the recent adoption of Emergent Village as the full name of the American organization, has helped differentiate.

The closest thing to Emergent Village in Canada is Resonate, though the latter has resisted the level of formalization that EV has adopted.  While this has helped keep Resonate a far more inclusive conversation context, it does limit some of the potential for organizing certain events, partnerships and so forth.  This is not necessarily a bad thing, but there are advantages to each approach that the other inevitable.

Obviously there are also significant cultural differences between Canada and the US, which I have discussed before.  I think this topic needs to explored further, in an environment where both sides can dialogue openly and frankly, but with a commitment to true, mutual friendship.  Many of the things that make the US great are also things that can grate against many outside of the context.  The responsibility to get past this falls to both sides.

Q: What do I believe Emergent Village offers to the Canadian context?

A: My time with the Emergent Villagers last week was very enlightening.  The Coordinating Group meetings were a unique environment.  Unlike a conference, the agenda was driven from the margins- that is, we all shaped the direction of the time with only some guidance from Tony.  What I discovered was how deeply this group was connected.  In the midst of the talking, the eating and the visiting, I would catch “glimpses” of something really beautiful- true community.  Even in their clearly articulated and intentionally practiced commitment to be frank in their disagreements with each other, there was a sense of safety and purpose.

Suddenly, the oft obstenant American conviction that anything is possible and the sometimes overbearing drive to make it happen takes on a whole new appearance.  Instead, we see a people who have truly embraced the infinite capacity of God and a commitment to see His Kingdom come  All this to say that Emergent Village offers Canadians an example of what is possible if we are willing to put ourselves fully into something.  And don’t be fooled- these people have given more than just time and passion.  They have given from their often meager, personal resources.  So many have benefitted from these sacrafices. (On a side note, as uncomfortable as I am with the idea of “becoming a friend of Emergent Village” with financial contributions, I think their emphasis on people giving is a fair one.  After all, it isn’t generousity to give back for what we receive, and we have received a great deal.)

Though many woul disagree with me, one the most important things we could learn from our US brothers & sisters is national expression.  Both within YWAM Canada and other Canadian Christian groups, there seems to be a strong resistance to national vision and action, with comments on our geographic spread and regional differences.  While there is legitimacy in these challenges, I think it is a Canadian weakness to talk ourselves out of so many possibilities.  Yes, it will be difficult and, yes, it will cost all of us a great deal.  However, it is worth the try, in my opinion.

Q: Would I recommend formal association with Emergent Village for other Canadians in this conversation?

A: For many practical and cultural reasons, the emerging church journey has often taken on regional and national identities.  While there is nothing wrong with this, we would all do well to remember that we are building One Kingdom.  If the conversation identifies to centrally with context and not this larger, global community (which, I remind you, includes the established church), we will find ourselves repeating the nationalistic, partisan mistakes of the past.  Therefore, I think the we need to see an intentionality of relationship and partnership (though not complete integration) between groups across regional and national lines.

So, while the word “formal” is problematic, I do believe Canadians in the conversation need to be intentional about relating with Emergent Village and the rest of the emerging church community in the US.  We need each others strengths, vision, experience and support.  Perhaps I am an idealist to a fault, but we could accomplish a great deal if we were more intentional about it.

Those are just a few of my thoughts, with more to come.  I’d love to hear some feedback.

 Emerging Church