Nature of Church
Ch. 2: What is the Emerging Church?
What drives the Emerging Church is God’s Mission to reconcile the whole world to Himself, and His call for people to join Him in seeing the Kingdom come. The Kingdom of God, as expressed in Scripture, defines the nature of the Emerging Church. They are particularly interested in what it means to be a community of Christ-followers in Western postmodern culture. Nine practices in particular flow out of this definition: identity with the life of Jesus, transformation of the secular realm, highly communal living, and from these three things flows welcoming the stranger, generous serving, active and creative participation, consensus leadership, and spiritual living.
Liturgy/Sacraments
Ch. 8: Participating as Producers
“Worship arises out of a response to the grace of God at work in individual lives, their corporate experience, and the signs that God is actualizing his kingdom both among themselves and in the communities they are called to serve” (p. 172). Worship, for the Emerging Church, implies an active response to God’s grace. God is both the audience and participant in worship, and the community responds in praise and thanksgiving in forms varying from ancient liturgy to spontaneous contemporary forms. Where modern worship has adopted secular consumerism, Emerging churches seek to move towards a model where everyone participates creatively in ways that are unique to the way God has created them.
Ch. 11: Merging Ancient and Contemporary Spiritualities
Spiritual expression during worship gatherings is eclectic, drawing from a mixed bag of worship practices. Gatherings often embrace ancient liturgies, draw from monastic spirituality, place the Eucharist at the focal point, and integrate both tradition and contemporary culture. Ancient traditions and practices are chosen not simply because they are old, but because of the way they integrate body and spirit in worship. Flexibility and a value for worship that is indigenous also marks corporate worship and safeguards communities from being locked into a particular format.
Community/Service
Ch. 5: Living as Community
For the Emerging Church, the community is the church, and they see their role as participating in preparing the way for the Kingdom to come. Corporate life, they believe, should reflect the practices of Kingdom living exemplified in the life of Jesus. The church is therefore a family, not an institution, and a community rather than a meeting. Relationships are marked by mutual accountability and are fueled by God’s Mission. Their nature necessitates meeting in small groups and often reflect liquid qualities (they function as networked communities). Emerging churches thus create community that creates space for the Kingdom of God to enter in.
Mission/Witness
Ch. 6: Welcoming the Stranger
Emerging churches are orthodox in their beliefs, and affirm the uniqueness of Christ, and in that seek to welcome those who are different in their midst, as Jesus did. Hospitality is not a “Christian extra” but a central practice of Christ-followers. Welcoming the stranger takes several different forms. It means creating space that is “safe” for the pre-Christian. It means a willingness to welcome those who are different. It means embracing a position of humility in interfaith dialogue. It means apologetics through actions, not words. Finally, it means allowing the Holy Spirit to set the agenda. The Emerging Church’s view of mission is that it is not primarily verbally communicated, but demonstrated through radical generosity and authentic friendships.
Organization/Leadership
Ch. 10: Leading as a Body
The Emerging Church tends to embrace a consensus and team-based model for leadership. Leaders should model the servanthood of Jesus facilitate ministry. Such a leadership style calls for a relational approach that creates space for individuals in a community to realize their full potential as vital members of the Body of Christ. Leadership, therefore, is based not on willingness, but on gifting.
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