The Emerging Church
Rising from
fallen foundations
The Emerging Church
Presented at:
Presbytery of East Iowa
RTA Leadership Summit
October 20th, 2007
Jim Bonewald
Emerging from What?
„ Evangelicalism
„ Liberalism
„ Protestant Exclusivism
Emerging from What?
„ Foundationalism & Rationalism
„ Hierarchalism
„ Pride of place in society
Emerging Voices
Rob Bell Donald Miller
Brian McClaren Doug Pagitt
Tony Jones Phyllis Tickle
Diana Butler-Bass Marcus Borg
The Emerging Church
One definition:
Emerging churches are communities
that practice the way of Jesus within
postmodern cultures.
(Bolger/Gibbs)
Postmodern Questions
„ The certainty of knowledge
„ The objectivity of knowledge
„ The inherent goodness of knowledge
How (not) to Speak of God
„ Postmodern Christians don’t deny the existence of truth, they
just seek to hold that truth differently.
„ “Truth is God and having knowledge of the Truth is evidenced
not in a doctrinal system, but in allowing the truth to be
incarnated in one’s life.”
‟ Pete Rollins
Emergent Churches:
1.) have a significant interest in "community," communal living,
and renewed monastic practices*
* This list is by Mark Scandrette from a chapter in Emergent Manifesto of
Hope.
Emergent Church Model
OLD MODEL: NEW MODEL:
BELIEVE BELONG
BEHAVE BEHAVE
BELONG BELIEVE
The Jesus Dojo
In Japanese, a dojo is literally, "a place where you learn the way.”
The setting where you learn to follow Jesus should be more like a
karate studio than a college lecture hall.
Emergent Churches:
2.) have an open-source approach to community, theology, and
leadership that encourages flatter structures, networks, and more
personal and collective participation.
Solomon’s Porch
Emergent Churches:
3.) have a revitalized interest in the social dimensions of the gospel
of Jesus, including community development, earth-keeping,
global justice, and advocacy‟with a particular emphasis on a
relationally engaged approach to these issues
Hope for the World
Emergent Churches:
4.) have a renewed interest in contemplative and bodily spiritual
formation disciplines that have, historically, been important
Christian practices
Emergent Churches:
5.) have a renewed emphasis on creation theology that celebrates
earth, humanity, cultures, and the sensuous and aesthetic as good
gifts of the Creator to be enjoyed in their proper contexts
Emergent Churches:
6.) cultivate and have an appreciation of the arts, creativity, artful
living, and provocative storytelling
Wicker Park Grace
Emergent Churches:
7.) re-examine and rethink vocation, livelihood, and sustainable
economics
What about us?
„ What are the implications of all this for Presbyterians?
‟ www.presbymergent.org
‟ Christianity for the Rest of Us
‟ Tribal Church