Emerging Church

I had a busy couple of weeks. My hope is that we can get people posting and keep this blog moving on its own despite a busy week here and there. Three things I wanted to post on.

1. Michael Martin in the CGGC office is going to set up a listserve so we can email posts and comments from the blog to those interested. You will still have to go to the blog to post or comment.

2. Rob posted about "Teaching Old Dogs New Tricks". I thought Dan's response was fantastic. For the very, very few churches that have made that transition, hundreds have been torn apart. Even when I left the traditional church I was at, without forcing the transition, it still left a lot of pain. Either invest twenty years and love and disciple the people you have and hope for a transition, which may or may not come OR plant a church. And understand that planting a church has it's own problems.

As for some advice on where to go, again I loved Dan's reference to don't make them drink, try to make them thirsty. Reggie McNeal talks about this church bubble, which seems to be made of iron, that the people inside the church don't even realize exists.

I haven't read the article, but Christianity Today has Rick Warren even popping out of his own purpose driven bubble into the African AIDS problem. He's catching up with Bono.

Also, as I think about it, the we'll have to wait for some funerals strategy doesn't work either. The children pick up where the parents left off.

But on the other hand, the fact that Rob's church changed their name... You might want to convince the church to hire an outside consultant. Sometimes an outsider can have more luck convincing them. It has been my pride that has stopped me from bringing in a consultant.

3. Dan asks about McLaren's Generous Orthodoxy. In the Midwest with church planting, we are often having potential planters read the book. It isn't that we want them to agree with it (though we tend to agree with more than we don't). It is that a planter today absolutely has to be able to dialogue with people on a broader base than coming in with all the answers. It is the ability to embrace a bit of mystery that we are looking for.

Much more than Generous Orthodoxy, I enjoyed (and would encourage people in the church... at least our church) reading books 2 and 3 of his trilogy A New Kind of Christian. I thought the second book was the best, but am finding people truly are seeking some answers (or at least the questions) that are found in the third book.

I haven't read Don Miller's stuff, but there is a great post on Doug Pagitt's blog about it.

4. I just want to change the world because I believe that is what God has called us to do. There is a general tendency to blame the people that surround us for limiting our ability to change the world. It is not their fault. It is the fault of Satan. I honestly believe he lures us into fighting with those who should be fighting with us, rather than staying focused on fighting him and glorifying God.