First Break

My partner Mike is arriving in town to celebrate my 40th birthday Sunday, so this will probably be my last post until next Monday or Tuesday. I've had two thoughts that I hadn't put down yet that I thought I should do so before break. The first thought has to do with the emergent movements emphasis on "community". Let me begin by saying that I truly believe community is an essential aspect of spirituality. My only concern about the emphasis on community lies in what has happened over the years in mainlines with their experience of community. I have seen many instances where community evolved into a sense of family in such a way that it actually inhibited the faith community's missional desire. The focus on community became so great that it almost insulated the worshipping community from the rest of the world. It would be great to say that this phenomena was limited to the mainlines, but I've already heard of this happening to existing emergent communities. I met with a pastor in his 40's yesterday who told of the experience of visiting an emergent gathering Sunday and was virtually ignored by the "community" since he wasn't a 20-something like the rest of the attendees. In Denver I had also talked with a pastor whose worship group could not grow past 25 since the group was so connected to one another that they had a hard time welcoming others into the community. I have yet to read anyone from the emergent community who has honestly addressed this issue. The second issue has to do with the interest in narratives or story. I was talked with an emergent worship person recently who talked about the role of story being foundational in the community's development. Here's was my question for the individual: "If you are inviting folks to share their stories, is it a safe place for them to REALLY share their story?" How would the community respond, for instance, if a person's story included elements the community might be uncomfortable with (i.e. stories that might include the coming out story of a lesbian or gay person, a continuing battle with an addiction, a story of domestic abuse, a story that included a criminal background). My concern in my initial forrays into the emergent communities is that since many come from more theologically conservative backgrounds they may not be equipped to deal with the folks they say they would like to welcome. This concern, of course, isn't limited just to emergent communities; there are PLENTY of existing churches that have the same problem. I do hold the emergent communities to a higher standard, however, because of the values they profess. I'm thinking my exploration of emerging gatherings in communities that are larger and more urban than Spokane might help address this concern. Til next time...