Sabbatical Visits:Midcourse report

As interesting as my travels have been to me, I find that I'm not someone who lives very well out of a suitcase. Among a list of resulting goofups (don't ask about my losing my camera on a bus!), I drafted a progress report in mid-June -- and forgot to post it. Ooops. For those more interested in the report than in the timing, here it is.
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It’s mid-June as I write this. I’m a third of the way through my sabbatical study, and frankly astonished by how interesting and intense this first month has been. The best way to describe it would be to imagine cramming a master’s program into one summer.

So far I’ve read a half dozen books, visited ten congregations, and interviewed leaders in North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pittsburgh, New York and Washington. About half of these congregations are Episcopal. All vary greatly from one another in worship style, demographics, culture, setting and vision. Two are extensions of older, existing congregations intentionally trying to reach out to people that were not part of their traditional congregational mix in earlier days. Two are older congregations, once on the downward slope of the “congregational life cycle,” but have found new vitality by “reinventing” themselves. The rest are new church starts, launched in the last ten years.

Although each of these congregations are very different from one another, they appear to have a number of things in common:

• They are all growing.
• They view growth not as a goal, but rather as a strategy for transforming themselves and the world.
• Their membership is a lot younger than traditional congregations.
• They view ministry relationally. (They feel that loving your neighbor is authentic only if you know your neighbor.)
• They view newcomers relationally. (Newcomers are seen as new friends who change the community in unexpected ways, rather than as additional assets support the institution in ways that are pre-established and unchanging.)
• They are dispassionate about “brand loyalty.” (Members are primarily interested in Jesus, secondarily interested in their congregation, and are not particularly concerned about what happens or doesn’t happen on the wider denominational level.)
• They freely use the culture in which they find themselves, rather than worrying about or worshipping the culture.
• They are dispassionate about their buildings. (They are the church and they use buildings.) They view their community experience as important, and evaluate their rental, ownership, or even borrowing of buildings by how well those buildings support or stand in the way of their community experience.
• They are dispassionate about money. (Money is seen as a tool for community building and ministry rather than something to be acquired, protected or hoarded.) They are not afraid to talk about, raise and spend money to enhance their community experience and ministry effectiveness.
• They spend most of their money on staff and communications.
• They have a lot of fun together.
• They are so clear about their values, identity and vision that they are dispassionate when people, both newcomers and established members, choose to seek a different congregation that differs in values, identity and vision.

It will be interesting, as I continue to read, visit congregations, and interview leaders this summer, to see what other commonalities or differences appear. It will be even more interesting to discuss these with you after I return. I hope your summer is as interesting and stimulating as mine has been.

The Lord be with you.

Something to learn from Emergent Leaders

I'm still working on my study of emerging churches. Unfortunately, I am still way behind on reporting my impressions. Nonetheless, in my Great Cloud of Denial, I still maintain my delusion that I will have a powerpoint presentation available by mid-September to share what I've seen, read and learned.

Also, I'm trying to finish writing an article on intergenerational worship, requested by one of the worship periodicals. Fortunately, the hot humid and windless weather prevents me from resenting the fact that I've had absolutely no time for sailing this summer. But I'm running out of time. My sabbatical will soon be over. So I've got to pick up the pace!

Not to mention the fact that last August, the sailing weather was unseasonably wonderful. Heaven forbid I miss any good sailing days in the next few weeks because I'm writing!!!!

In the meantime, with far more resources than I have available (wouldn't it be cool to have a team of writers and producers available to me?), PBS's "Religion & Ethics Newsweekly" has put together an interesting report on Emergent. Although it hasn't gone into the philosophical and practical aspects that I find most interesting, the report is a good, brief introduction, mostly to the Evangelical side of this and some of the key players. Unfortunately, it's easy to miss the significant Mainstream side of all this. So pay special attention in Part One to the comments of Diana Butler-Bass, an Episcopal scholar at Virgina Seminary. Her book, The Practicing Congregation, is terrific, and well worth your time.

Links to the PBS Report and interviews:
Part 1
Part 2
Interview: Diane Butler-Bass
Interview: Don Carson
Interview: Scot McKnight
Interview: Doug Pagitt
As you view the report or read the transcript, you'll hear some of the controversey and criticisms of the movement. This controversey and criticism has not been ignored. A well-written response by Tony Jones, Doug Pagitt, Spencer Burke, Brian McLaren, Dan Kimball, Andrew Jones, Chris Seay can be found here.


One of the things I like best about these people is their humility. For example, in their responses they things like this: "we regretfully acknowledge that in our thought, writing, and speech, we have at times been less charitable or wise than we wish we would have been. Whenever possible we will seek to correct past errors in future editions of our books; when that is impossible, we will make other forms of public correction."

That's a far cry from the infuriating statements we often hear from so many other political or other religious leaders after some outcry. Rather than admitting any culpability at all, we so often hear something that sounds like blaming. So often, these other political or religious leaders say something like, "we regret that you found our statements or actions offensive." That is not an apology for having been offensive, but rather, an accusation. Rather than admitting error of any sort, such a response blames the offended for having taken offense.

If nothing else, I hope our world can move more toward the reconciling stance of humility modelled by these Emergent leaders.

The Lord be with you.

Well said: Johann Christoph Arnold

“Dozens dead, hundreds injured” scream the headlines all over the world. But it seems to me that amid all the tumult, we are missing the most important thing. If 9/11 really changed us (as so many people claim) then why are we once again seeking protection in heightened security and military might? If we have really seen enough bloodshed and violence, then why aren’t we turning to God for help?

Biblical history shows us that whenever we think we have the answers and try to take world events into our hands, God withdraws from us. It was only when the children of Israel realized that their own strength had come to an end, and cried out to God, that he intervened and helped them. If God led the children of Israel out of Egypt, how much more will he help us today?

Anyone who is familiar with the Gospels knows that this message shines from every page: “Fear not; I am with you to the end of the age.” If we claim to be followers of Jesus, shouldn’t it shine through our lives as well?

-- Johann Christoph Arnold

Habitat Mission Trip

We just returned from our 2005 Habitat for Humanity mission trip. 80 missioners (about 50 from St Mark's with another 30 from Ascension, St Peter's, and Trinity Episcopal Churches) traveled to Belen, New Mexico (Valencia County), to completely build TWO Habitat homes!

For a glimpse of our trip, click here for a photo album or click here for a slideshow.