Emergent Brethren

I’ve really enjoyed this blogging experience.  I have wanted to do one for a while now, but never thought I could keep up the discipline… then Jeff Glass asked if I would contribute to this one and I said yes.  Obviously, you can see that I enjoy this and can keep the discipline up.  I stumbled upon a book The Blogging Church and discovered LOTS of helpful hints about how to do this and encouragement to do it as a way to connect with my community.  So that this blog doesn’t become solely mine…!  I started a blog of my own today.  Check it out at www.martinhutchison.blogspot.com . 

 Here’s an interesting blog on the topic of why pastors should be blogging…. http://www.ifjesushadawebsite.net/index.cfm/module/story/story/01102007-Why-Your-Pastor-Needs-To-Blog

This past week, I attended the National Pastor’s Convention (its only 7 miles away). I miss the emergent convention, but there are still some great opportunities at the pastor’s convention, too. I have some notes that I’d like to share with you in coming weeks from the sessions I attended.

At the convention, I’m always impressed by the young adults who are there and their passion for ministry. While I rejoice and enjoy the fellowship with these 20 somethings, I mourn the loss of this age group in the Church of the Brethren. How many do you have participating in your congregation? How many do you have contacts with? Have you done anything which has drawn-in new young adults?

Today, at the Christianity Today website, I read the following article,

Leader’s Insight: What Disillusioned 20-Somethings Want.

I really enjoyed the article! If you’d like to take a peek, here’s the link: http://www.christianitytoday.com/leaders/newsletter/2007/cln70212.html

Also, if you are ever interested in attending the convention (there’s about 2000 clergy there each year from all denominations), please let me know. I can help you find free housing through the San Diego congregation or lower priced motels within walking distance.

Blessings to you!

Jeff

The other night I was reading the book “Emerging Churches” by Ryan Bolger and Eddie Gibbs. I don’t have the book in front of me but from what I remember they were writing about context. That to pastor missionally we need to know the context in which we find ourselves in, the changes that are taking place in our culture (postmodernism, etc..), but also to know the inside context of the church that we are in. I agree with them 100% but my question to them is…how…How do we begin to understand the culture and context where we are? So my question to you all is…. what things have you done to know your local context, the culture that we find ourselves in, and the inside the church context?

Something else that I am struggling with is this….how do you know if the context in which you are ministering is fitting with the content of your ministry? How do you know if the person you are called to be is fitting the context of where you have planted yourself. A member of Veritas (www.veritaspa.org) our emerging generations ministry said to me… you need to figure out your calling and is that calling to the context of where you have planted yourself. And then he went on to say, “you have a few options… develop a ministry where you are currently planted that takes into account the local context, or move into a context that would connect with the type of ministry you want to develop.”

would love any and all replies.

Thanks,

Ryan Braught

I was at one of my favorite third places today… Barnes and Nobel, and was reading the epilogue to Marcus Borg’s new book Jesus: Uncovering the Life, Teachings, and Relevance of a Religious Revolutionary and was struck by something he said. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a piece of paper to write the quote on… so as best I remember I will summarize what he said. He was talking about how the decline of the mainline Christian church in USAmerica gives him cause to celebrate because the remnant that is left will be intentional not conventional in their approach to ministry and mission. Which then led him to high praise for the emergent church and where we are leading those who follow Jesus.

And I thought wow… what a perspective. To be intentional and not conventional is a great concept/reality. But never thought about the remnant factor and what that will do or cause the church to do to make course corrections. Thoughts?

As I suggested in a previous post concerning small groups — a response to Kate Spire’s request for resources, I find myself wondering if we will soon see the re-emergence of Sunday School (or whatever you want to call it). Not so much in an effort to “grow” the church numerically, like Wendy McFadden suggests in the latest Messenger Editorial. But as a part of the disciple-making process.

Here’s why I am wondering about this re-emergence… the demands on our time are ever increasing and the small group model mostly expects that participants gather together a second time each week. One time being for worship and one time for small group… ofcourse this is in the more traditional church approach…not the house church approach. I believe that small groups facilitate spiritual growth and are vital for maturing Christ followers…however, I am finding that it often becomes hard to get people to give that extra time to gather together on another day/night each week. So, I am wondering if this will push us to bring back something like Sunday School in conjunction with worship. I should say here, that our church doesn’t do Sunday School but has cell groups that meet during the week. Others who have sunday school may re-visit it’s purpose and enhance it’s role in disciple-making.

Along with re-visiting Sunday School’s purpose or seeing it re-emerge as a part of the process of making disciples of Jesus, would be creating an outflow of sharing Christ’s love in the community and inviting others to join the journey of following Jesus and being his hands and feet in the world.

Any thoughts?…