(e)mergent Voyageurs

I hadn't anticipated that my previous post "Redemptive Taxonomy In The Emerging/Missional Divide" would inspire so much great conversation in the comment section. Neither could I have predicted how it would have been picked up at other sites. I really appreciate many of the very gracious and constructive voices who have weighed in here. However, I have also realized that I might have failed to communicate my ultimate point clearly enough. So, here is my attempt to clarify.

My intention in writing the last post was to try and formulate an approach to the increasingly common "emerging or missional" question that could be mutually affirming while acknowledging and celebrating the very real differences that do and should exsist in the Body of Christ. If these differing categories are being used to bring division in the Body, whether through intentionality or irresponsibility, it needs to be addressed and dealt with (if and when possible and appropriate). If our differences are ignored, whether through ignorance or sentimentality, this is equally dangerous.

So let me clarify my own position:

I am Missional. While I will not try to fully define what missional is here, I would direct you to the excellent resource of Friend of Missional. This great site was never intended to divide, compete or replace anything, but is rather a very humble and generous attempt to serve the whole Body in exploring our developing understanding of what it means to be missional.

I am Emerging. The emerging church conversation and those who have been leading voices in it have richly blessed my spiritual journey. Whether it was through allowing me the say and giving me the courage to ask difficult questions or offer a network of people who shared those questions, the emerging church has offered me hope that there are many other people seeking to be faithful to God within their various contexts and traditions.

I am Emergent. While I am no longer a member of the Emergent Village Coordinating Group, and while there are aspects of that organized friendship that I have concerns with, I see this group of women and men as genuinely seeking to serve God and His Church within their given spheres of influence. Despite our differences, I have no fear identifying with them as faithful sisters and brothers in faith.

Let me put it another way.  My wife is Australian, a culture that is very different from my own Canadian/American citizenship. One of the greatest threats to our relational unity is ignoring or denying our differences. It is downright destructive for either of us to try and convert the other in an attempt to overcome those differences. The truth is that it is in those differences, in the joys and the challenges that they bring, that our marraige finds its greatest wealth. In the same way, as we resist branding, labelling or making camps that divide us, our strongest "weapon" in that battle is to explore and celebrate those differences.

In closing I want to clearly state that the emerging and missional dynamics, whether they be values, movements or conversations, are too young to close the book on final definitions. It is perhaps a North American impulse to turn general categories into definitive labels. I don't know. That being said, let's have the patience and grace to allow these and others dynamics develop naturally while mutually investing in the other.

Emerging Church Missional Emergent Village

Recently, like many others, I have been noticing an increasing pattern in the blogosphere in which people are becoming more intentional about differentiating between "emerging/emergent" and "missional". Many are even choosing to identify with the latter to differentiate (and sometimes even distance themselves) from the former. As the emerging/emergent church increasingly is more narrowly defined (often, though not always, more closely resembling Emergent Village), some feel that the larger, more general understanding is being lost, thus no longer feel as though they fit. For some it is a matter of politics, for others theological revisionism and others with national/contextual differentiation.

So what do we make of all of this? Is this a schism within the emerging church? For some, it might be, though I would suggest it is too young and undefined a movement to contemplate something of that level. Should it be resisted? Some believe so, while others think it is semantics and yet others who think it is long overdue. Regardless of where you stand on this issue, I think you will agree that it is significant enough of a trend for us to spend some time and energy exploring. Many have already, such as an excellent discussion at emergesque, as well as some interesting posts by Robbymac and The Blind Beggar. I don't want to duplicate what is being done at their sites, but I wanted to post just some of my reflections on the issue.

One question that has been raised has been whether the seemingly inevitable discussion of taxonomy when addressing emerging church topics is necessary or helpful. Without question, it is far too easy to avoid engaging the realities of this issue as we become bogged down in semantics, camps and teams. If taxonomy is being used to alienate, reject or discredit another group, I believe that it will ony contribute to the deterioration of larger Christian community. This isn't to say that we should not be vigilant and cautious, throwing wide the doors of unqualified inclusivity. However, it is too easy to use taxonomy to dissociate from other Christians because it is easier than having to answer for them.

For example, I am part of the international Christian missions organization Youth With A Mission (YWAM). Much has been done and continues to be done by YWAM that I would not want to be identified with. Whether it is the larger mistakes in the early years of our mission or more current allignment with partisan and nationalistic politics, the name YWAM carries with it a burden of mistakes, failures and even bad theology. So why do I remain a part of the organization? Because it is also responsible for representing some of the most beautiful and powerful aspects of the evangelical tradition I have ever encountered. It is, despite it quirks, innovatively missional. We have affirmed indigenous leadership and women in leadership for nearly half a century, despite the criticism and rejection it earned us from much of the Evangelical world.

But more than this, I have to consider that far more has been done under the name and banner of Christianity. I cannot deny the part the Church has played in so many horrific deeds throughout history. Can I deny the title of Christian as a result? No more than I would expect anyone else to take the name on the merits of my own faith. To that end, we must affirm our unity, even when it means standing alongside mistaken sisters and brothers. Unless we are ready to denounce their salvation and place in the community of faith, we cannot and should not seek to better our own position by taxonomical distance.

However, that being said, neither should be dismiss taxonomy as distracting or divisive. Rather, it is an important role that God has mandated humanity to from the beginning of Creation: "Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name." Genesis 2:19 (NASB). By our nature, God calls us to share with Him in understanding and defining the beauty and diversity of His Creation. In the same way, I believe that redemptively, the differentiation within the emerging church conversation has the promise to help us recognize the intended and essential differences that make up the Body of Christ, offering mutual accountability, support and celebration.

Notice how Adams vocational role of naming the animals came within the larger context of seeking a mate? Here I see God affirming that, above and beyond our diversity, our unity must be forged upon our sharing the image of God. Diversity is never meant to alienate or fragment us, but rather to allow for a greater capacity to celebrate the broader vocational purpose of His Church to all Creation.

To that end, I have little problem affirming the emerging/emergent church conversation, even identifying with it. I also affirm Emergent Village and their important and significant role in the movement. While I increasingly find greater resonance with those who lean towards the "missional" taxonomy, this is not a move of distancing or judgment, but rather an affirmation of my own place within the larger and necessarily diverse community of faith.

UPDATED: 6:34pm, Sept. 26 - It should be noted that I did not intend to suggest that "Friend Of Missional" was trying to be divisive. Quite the opposite. I see it as intended to unite and compliment. Further, I think Robbymac & emergesque are also responding to this very responsibly. In no way did I intend to suggest anything specific of anyone. Hope that clears things up.

Emerging Church Missional

"The truth that many people never understand, until it is too late, is that the more you try to avoid suffering the more you suffer because smaller and more insignificant things begin to torture you in proportion to your fear of being hurt."  Thomas Merton

It is amazing the time and energy we consume in our lives trying to avoid suffering of all kinds. We get a headache, we pop a pill. We get a little hungry, we buy a candy bar. We feel tired and sluggish, so we drink that extra cup of coffee. Each of these seemingly insignificant choices reflect a deeper impulse that often guides our choices in more critical dynamics- relationships, faith, vocation and more.

I am not advocating that we look for suffering, seeking it out in some kind of masochism. Nor am I saying that we should allow needless suffering for its own sake. Rather, I wonder at times if have lost something important in our understanding of Christ's identification with and incarnation of humanity by giving it to our culture of comfort and self-protectionism.

Caught up in the "importance" of theology, ministry and truth, some of the most important seeds of hope, peace, grace and love are lost or ignored as the mundanity or inconveniences of everyday life. In fact, every moment holds within it the potential of divine purpose should our hearts and minds we fertile and willing soul to receive them. As you go into the rest of the week, make it a matter of spiritual discipline to be aware, not dismissing the seemingly unimportant, mundane or insignificant.

"Every moment and every event of every man's life on earth plants something in his soul. For just as the wind carries thousands of winged seeds, so each moment brings with it germs of spiritual vitality that come to rest imperceptibly in the minds and wills of men. Most of these unnumbered seeds perish and are lost, because men are not prepared to receive them: for such seeds as these cannot spring up anywhere except in the good soil of freedom, spontaneity and love."  Thomas Merton

Missional

Of all the influences in my faith journey that have shaped the way I approach ministry, leadership and missional community, there is one I rarely mention, simply because I did not always make the connection. However, upon reflection, I realize that studying in the area of organizational learning and development, as well as systems thinking (as it was being explored in business leadership) has played a significant part in my missional formation. I am not referring to the Donald Trump power types, but rather authors and practitioners like Peter Senge (of "The Fifth Discipline" fame) and the late Peter Drucker. They often articulated a future for organizations (both for-profit and non-profit) that inspired me to believe that the there was some deep wisdom, integrity and hope in these fields. I thought I would go over just some of the lessons I have learned from them, especially as they apply to being communities of faith in an age of liminality.

While many people in the church acknowledge that change is inevitable, most still cling to the current state of things as though it is sacrosanct. Many even see this inevitable change as the fruit of their already negative eschatology- the world is heading for destruction, so change is proof of that movement. Often this is due to a perceived threat against the foundational truths or doctrines of faith that they believe must remain unchanged. However, too often, due to unexamined worldviews that integrate cultural or sociological values with the formational values of our faith.

If we are able to be more intentional about examining these dynamics, not only would be lose the sense of fear that this change brings, but suddenly it becomes an opportunity. Further, we need approach our missional and even ecclesiological models with a commitment to try and predict and adapt to that change. We spend so much time, energy and resources into sustaining and maintaining old strategies and models as though there is a "right one" that we must seek to find and perfect, rather than intentionally being embraced the inevitable wave of change that has not stopped since Creation. This is not to say there is not a risk of being driven by every passing fad or trend, as this can be and has been a problem, especially in some who have jumped into the "emerging church" stylistically.

Throughout history, those people who have most significantly shaped the ongoing journey of the Church have not simply responded to change, but have often been the agents of change- making change, not just managing it. This process, which includes what Drucker has brilliant called "systematic planned abandonment", requires that much of our resources and emphasis needs to be free to organically move away from those areas that no longer serve toward that which is more essential. Again, this is not say this can be done easily, as novelty and popularity can be poor measures of what deserves our attention. However, if we are intentional and careful about change, to the point where we embrace even "planned abandonment", this process could revolutionize our missional expressions.

This requires, however, that we be willing to regularly and even brutally evaluate every aspect of how we do things. Even in doctrinal issues of signficance, we should be willing to openly wrestle with them, challenging ourselves to engage them. While many of them may never change, we cannot but be strengthened in the process. Another challenge, even for those who are committed to this approach, is that we do not let go of things soon enough. If we wait until something is largely irrelevant or unfruitful, we allow crisis and necessity to shape the alternatives rather than vision, creativity and intentionality.

The Western world is so entrenched in problem solving that we often allow it to define our worldview, stopping us in a pattern of mechanistic maintainence rather than organic conception. Creativity and innovation invite us to actively look for change with excited anticipation as we seek to find opportunities to exploit that change for God's greater purposes. This isn't just a fanciful idea, but a call for organized, intentional commitment which will require hard work. Drucker points out in several of his books that we learn to be mindful of the following in the all arenas of society: unexpected successes and failures; disparity between expectations and actual results; changes in worldview or values in the surrounding culture; change in demographics; new knowledge/discoveries (scientific, non-scientific, etc.).

Every circumstance, both positive and negative, must be taken very seriously, even those that may seem insignificant. Not all will be the seedbed for change, but none should left unexamined and processed. Again, novelty may be paraded as innovation, but so to might innovation be dismissed as novelty. Many people reject the emerging church (or at least misunderstand and thus dismiss it) due to the assumption that it is a passing trend or generational phenomenon. While there are elements of truth in this critique, it represents a minor fraction of the greater potential. Therefore, we can't be afraid to risk experiments, requiring a humility to get things wrong and try again. This will require more than just commitment, it will require resources, some of which may be lost as a result. However, we cannot afford not to.

When we are able to embrace this culture of change and liminality, willing to do the work, take the risks and pay the price, we will also be free to extend that freedom and expectation to more people, people who, under current systems of protectionism, might not be considered. Suddenly the opportunities present themselves as widely as the people represented in our communities, sharing the work and potential of innovation with many more.

Is there a place for continuity? Of course, especially where people are involved. People are not so much afraid of change as they are at how that change is introduced, as they most often bear the brunt of the realities as a result. Therefore, commitment to community, relationships, open communication, trust, mutual responsibility and our formational values/beliefs/vision must never be sacraficed in the name of innovative change. Rather, by strengthening these areas, people will have the safety and confidence to step out in other areas, knowing their place is secure and that they won't be "left behind" in the process. Therefore, in our pursuit of community, we must always celebrate unique individuality and group diversity. That which is to offer the security and predictability that our communities needs must be value based, not form or model based.

Overall, those who find themselve in leadership roles in this process must always work to maintain this two-fold emphasis: welcoming, embracing and exploiting change, while always valuing, serving and investing in the people within our communities. We must be intentional about examining our assumptions and models, planning for change with positive anticipation. We must organize for improvement rather than sustaining static systems. We must find opportunities and release people into them rather than be distracted by putting out fires. We must protect and promote the formational vision and values of our community as beakon of continuity amid the change. We cannot manage change, we can only try to be ahead of it, exploit it, meet it. Creating this kind of community will be difficult and costly. However, we cannot afford the price that is being exacted for not pursuing.

These are just a few of the core lessons that have deeply shaped my approach to ministry, leadership and missiona community over the last few years. I'd love to hear what you think, so let me have it!


Emerging Church Missional

Last month, I shared here about my vision and plans to open a used bookstore in our neighbourhood, as an expression of our YWAM ministry here, in an attempt to create a missional third space. It has been an exciting whirlwind since the announcement, so I thought I would bring everyone up to date as to what's been happening.

First, as you can see from the image above, we have tentatively settled on a name for the store - The Dusty Cover. My first design for the logo had the subtitle "Used Books & Coffee" until my wife mentioned the fact that people might not be keen on drinking used coffee. As for the logo, it was just me playing around. In fact, at the moment, my brother and a friend of his are kindly designing a logo for us. I'll post it when I get it.

I have already started collecting books, encouraged by the generosity of so many people who have donated some great titles. I have around 500 titles entered into my database, with many more boxes set to be entered this week. One of the most encouraging events in the hunt for books was from Coles Bookstore at City Place here in Winnipeg. They contacted us after I sent out a letter, offering to give us a box of books. It then turned out that we were given access to thousands of books to choose a few boxes of whatever we wanted. After six large boxes, they told us to return later in the month for more. If you are at City Place, give this VERY generous store your patronage.

We are still working out the much bigger picture of what it takes to set up such a venture- collect shelves, consider layout, find and secure location, etc. This has been helped greatly by the discovery of an excellent e-book by Stephanie Chandler, "How To Start And Run A Used Bookstore: A Bookstore Owner's Perspective". This work has been priceless to us in the process. For those in business, I would encourage you to check out her other publications at her website: www.stephaniechandler.com

I still need your help. In addition to collecting titles, I would also love to hear any and all ideas and insights that you might have to make The Dusty Cover more than just another used bookstore, but a truly creative, missional third space. I'm all ears!

Emerging Church Missional Third Space

Discipleship Training School

January 8th - May 25th 2007
(also see exciting DTS & College opportunity)

Social Justice

Our Discipleship Training School (DTS) is a five month intensive in spiritual and missional formation. The first three months concentrates on engaging students in a holitistic discipleship experience that challenges the mind, heart and body in a praxis oriented program. Offered in the heart of Winnipeg's West End, students will integrate in one of the city's most culturally diverse, inner city neighbourhoods. Our emphasis on urban missions means that as part of the community, students will engage the realities of poverty, injustice, racism and much more, all the while have the opportunity to respond in exciting new ways.

Missional Community

The next two months are spent on an international, cross-cultural missions service outreach, where students will begin to explore the implication of what they have learned beyond simple application. Again with an urban emphasis, students will participate in "preaching" the Gospel with their whole selves- in word and deed. Our last school served in restoring the tsunami devastated community of the famous Phi Phi Island in southern Thailand, while this school is planning on working with IDP camps and other opportunities of northern Uganda.

Spiritual Formation

The cost of the Lecture Phase for a single person in $3500 Canadian Dollars, plus a $50, non-refundable registration fee. The cost of the Outreach Phase will be an additional $2500 - $4000 Canadian Dollars, depending on location. This will cover airfare, applicable taxes, cancellation insurance, ground transporation, living expenses, etc. Personal expenses (i.e. laundry, visa costs, etc.) are the applicants responsibility. We encourage applicants to work with their church community in fundraising prior and during DTS, believing that God will provide for you to meet these financial requirements.

Lecture Phase = $3500 CDN
Outreach Phase = $2500-$4000 CDN
TOTAL COST = $6000-$7500 CDN
*Please note the $50 CDN registration fee is not listed

Please feel free to contact us for more information.

Emerging Church

Over the last few years, largely due to the influence of Catholic writers, I have been drawn deeply to the person of Mary, mother of Jesus.  Perhaps out of a reactionary impulse, many people outside Christian traditions such as Catholicism or Orthodoxy, especially Evangelical, Protestants, have often left this powerful saint outside of the realm of reflection and consideration.  Such books as Henri Nouwen's "Jesus & Mary: Finding Our Sacred Center" or more recently, the powerful novel "Christ The Lord: Out of Egypt" by Anne Rice, have drawn me into the depth of the very human and very important person.

Therefore, I was thrilled to hear about the new book by theologian, author & blogger extraordinaire, Scot McKnight, "The Real Mary: Why Evangelical Christians Can Embrace The Mother Of Jesus", available from Paraclete Press in December (guess what's going on my Christmas list?).  Here is a description of the book from the publishers:

Mary, the mother of Jesus—who was she, really? What kind of woman would compose a song as powerful as the Magnificat?

The real Mary was an unwed, pregnant teenage girl in first century Palestine whose response to the angel Gabriel shifted the tectonic plates of history. Far from the saccharine caricatures so often seen today, the Mary of the Scriptures was a woman of courage, humility, spirit, resolve and guts. By meeting this Mary, the first disciple and teacher of Jesus, we are brought even closer to her Son.

In his warm style, backed with biblical scholarship, Scot McKnight travels through the contours of Mary’s life as she struggled to come to terms with the mission that her son would accomplish.

Paraclete is also making two sample chapters, along with Table of Contents available here.  Check them out, as well as the special deal Paraclete is offering as well.  I will review the samples in a seperate post, but I will say in advanced that this is an exciting project.  Take the time to read the samples here:



Emerging Church The Real Mary Scot McKnight

Moments ago I finished watching the last half of ABC's increasingly controversial drama "The Path To 9/11". While initially promoted as an accurate docu-drama of the events leading up to 9/11, ABC was forced to re-define the two-part miniseries as containing fictionalized content, composites, dramatizations, etc. Despite last minute editting by the network, the resulting controversy has set the blogosphere ablaze.

In my last post, I reacted to the ridiculous and often groundless conspiracy theorists who made the connection between the film's director, David Cunningham, and the Christian organization, Youth With A Mission, which his father Loren Cunningham founded, as proof of a hiddenright-wing agenda. I am thankful that very few news agencies have made this very shallow mistake, but am still astounded by how many bloggers have jumped on this sinking ship of theories. However, I shouldn't take it too seriously. When someone calls YWAM a right-wing mind control, fundamentalist cult, sourcing a website(s) run by known fundamentalists who often reject YWAM for their liberality, is a joke. Strangely, by some definitions of "fundamentalism", many of these bloggers fit the bill- uncritical and dogmatic acceptance of shallow ideas with no regard to actual proofs.

In the end, one thing should be clear- David Cunningham has never hidden his Christian faith, his relationship to the organization Youth With A Mission nor his desire to see Christian values influence the world of film and television. While he & I might disagree with how that is done and what that might look like, I know him well enough to know his intentions were good, not convertly subversive. Anyone with Google could find out any of these facts. There was not conspiracy. Further, as the film's director, he had a script to work with, having very little content control. When facts were questioned, he referred to the experts hired by ABC. In fairness, he had no reason to suspect the answers he received from this expert was questionable. Again, leave David & YWAM out of the argument and focus on who had the power- the writers, the network and the hired experts. Enough said on that.

Having watched the film, I will say that the film had a clear bias towards conservative politics. With a topic as important as 9/11, ABC clearly failed to treat the work responsibly. While this is no excuse, I will say that the degree of inaccuracy was not as extreme as many have represented, having seen far greater bias on FOX News at times. Much of the bias was represented, not in blatant misinformation (though there was some of this with no question), but by creative omission. While the network claimed the piece represented failure in both the Clinton and Bush administration, the prior received far more attention and far less balance. The results were clearly biased.

Should the film have been dumped completely? I don't think so. Does it offer anything worth viewing to the public? Probably more than some would like to admit. The public stir and conversation around this film is likely enough to inform the uninformed. In the end, many of those who lean right will likely accept it uncritically and many of those who lean left with reject it uncritically. Hopefully, somewhere in midst of it all, we can walk away with at least some real dialogue and healthy debate about the issues, perhaps even make our way past the unhelpful, back-biting partisanship that so many on both "sides" have engaged in. Here's hoping.

Now play nice!

P.S. On a sidenote, for those who watched the movie, the blonde flight attendant on American Airlines Flight 11 was my very talented sister-in-law, Jennifer Ricci. Well done, Jen!


path to 9/11 YWAM

The blogosphere has recently exploded with news about the upcoming ABC mini-series "The Path To 9/11". Decrying it as shameless Conservative propoganda, where outrageous accounts of Clinton's culpability for 9/11 (as a result of his affair) were so blatant that ABC has now called it a fictionalization, people are livid with the network for allowing it to go forward.

To add fuel to the fire, people cite the film's director as proof of its hidden agenda. Director David L. Cunningham is the son of Loren Cunningham, founder of the Christian missionary organization Youth With A Mission (YWAM) International, of which I am a part. While it is enough for the critics that the dominate expression of YWAM is a fairly strong Evangelical American voice, they go farther by digging up every real and perceived fault of YWAM's throughout its 46 year history (and the accurate ones are enough to get many YWAMer's concerned). It is a blood bath.

Let me start by clearing away any assumptions. While I am a memeber of YWAM International, that does not mean that I agree with everything it does or has done, just as I don't agree with everything that is and has been done in the name of Christianity. However, I identify with both regardless. Neither does my affiliation with YWAM or acquaintanceship with David Cunningham mean that I will agree with everything he represents or suggests in his film. I haven't seen it, but having heard a great deal through people who were on the cast and set of the film, I suspect I will be frustrated by some of the takes. It won't be the first time either. After the initial emotional impact, I found the highly partisan and imbalanced portrayal of events of the film "United 93" somewhat offensive.

That being said, I am frustrated by the responses I am reading online. First, few of the harshest critics have even seen the film. I have little doubt that many of their criticisms will be valid, but there is a tacit assumption that the political leanings are part of some nefarious conspiracy. This is a a ridiculous claim, one that anyone who knows David Cunningham would reject. You may disagree with him (as I do in some areas), but his intentions are genuine and upfront. If he is guilty of misrepresentation, it is of no greater degree than the creative, but clearly imbalances perspectives of Michael Moore.

Further, the portrayal of YWAM has been completely unfair. I can't help but see the irony of the critics accusing the film of representing an exaggerated and falsified version of the truth, bolstering their arguement by- you guessed it- representing an exagerrated and falsified version of the truth about YWAM. YWAM is a big organization that has been around for almost a half century. It is a decentralized organization with centres all over the world. The fact is we have made mistakes- big ones. There are things that happen still that make me uncomfortable. However, dragging YWAM through the mud to pump up an already extreme attack is petty and asinine.

I plan on watching "The Path To 9/11" this weekend and will review it then. I am nervous about what will actually be in the film, as I know there will be fall out one way or the other. I'll keep you posted.

path to 9/11 YWAM