Are We Emerging?

"Last Sunday, our church, Quest, was celebrating their 3 year anniversary. The pastor asked for those who had been attending during various phases of the last 3 years to raise their hands. From the show of hands, 95% of the people had only been coming in the last year and I would be skeptical that an attendance boom could account for a percentage that high. I just wonder if emergent churches will be perpetually young."

This is part of a posting from the Yahoo faithmaps group that I just recently joined. The text below is my reply post in to Jennifer's comment on the Emergent Mystique.

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Jennifer,

i understand your view all too well. My wife and i spent about two years as vagabonds in the emerging cultural landscape. Given that the church has been emerging for the past 2,000 years i find the current "Emergent Church" emphasis to be somewhat short sighted. As previously noted in the conversation, the Emergent Church seems to be degenerating into a fad or style of evangelical church as it gains popularity.

Will "they be perpetually young?" i don't think so. Those that last will experience change as their people age, have children, and get into all the social experiences of parenting. There is an evolution of church bodies that carries them from the initial formation to a place where they must have a full compliment of programs to care for their members.

In 15 years these churches will have established youth groups, children's ministries and ministries to reach their aging members. Sounds like your typical evangelical church doesn't it? Look at the current trends:

We have "Emergent Convention"
We have "Emergent Authors"
We have "Emergent Personalities" (We all know who the "big names" are.)
We have "Emergent Publications"
We have "Emergent Worship CD's"
We have "Emergent Workshops"
We have "Emergent Seminars"

Just name an activity on the Evangelical circuit and there is an Emergent Church counterpart. This sounds a lot like your typical Evangelical approach to me. Are these things necessary? If they truly promote an honest engagement with our emerging culture then I'd say yes. This is not anything new, it is simply what the evangelical church did 20 years ago and continues to do today.

Who will the next generation break from when the Emergent Church becomes the New Evangelicalism? We will be just as much of an eyesore to them as current Evangelicalism is to those of us in the Emergent Church. Today's "Emergent Church" will become what we are now leaving behind. The way to avoid this cycle is to continually be open to the transformation of the church as culture changes. It is this openness that i am referring to when i said that the church has been emerging for almost 2,000 years.

In an emerging cultural landscape we need more than a young church. We need a multi-generational Church that will engage the real issues of cultural transformation and not just get caught up in what is stylish and ultimately shallow. We need a church that shows deep theological convictions combined with practical application to our emerging cultural landscape. It is a church that continually emerges into the future.

Are there any "Emergent Churches" that fit this bill? Of course there are. i've found one in Western Washington. It is a Church that has been progressing through the fads of the "Emergent Church" and is now focusing on whatever it takes to model Christ to the world. They are emerging.

Comments

[Luke]

Know of any in the Sherman, TX area? My wife and I are moving there in December.

I definitly argree with your analysis. Soon this will just become something else. Seems like by trying to avoid what they hate so much, they are becoming exactly like it. But different of course.