• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Building Faith

Building Faith

A Ministry of Virginia Theological Seminary

  • HOME
  • ABOUT US
    • Who We Are
    • Our Writers
    • FAQs
    • Contact Us
    • Subscribe
  • ARTICLES
    • ARTICLES BY TOPIC
    • MOST RECENT ARTICLES
  • EN ESPAÑOL
  • WEBINARS
  • RESOURCES
    • Episcopal Teacher
    • Choosing Curriculum
    • Vacation Bible School
    • Signs of Life
    • Meeting Jesus in the Gospel of John
    • 5 Marks of Love
    • Growing a Rule of Life
    • It’s Time To…
    • #AdventWord
  • SUPPORT US
  • Show Search
Hide Search
Home/Ministry Leadership/Ancient Future Now: The Roots of the Emergent Church

Ancient Future Now: The Roots of the Emergent Church

“Mainline church folks and evangelicals find a common language to sing, pray and become disciples in love with Jesus and his calling to embody and serve the reign of God.”

 

What is the Emergent Church?

The words emergent, mission-shaped, and fresh expressions are all part of today’s conversation when talking about new movements in the church. But what are we talking about?

  • It’s grounded in emergent theory: movement happens when people build relationships and share passion in ever-widening networks (think grassroots and circles, rather than ladders and top-down).
  • It’s led by generations and cultures emerging from the margins and partnering with the center.
  • It’s a different kind of Christian community emerging from the rich soil of historic traditions.

“If ‘church’ is what happens when people encounter the risen Jesus and commit themselves to sustaining and deepening that encounter in their encounter with each other, there is plenty of theological room for diversity of rhythm and style, so long as we have ways of identifying the same living Christ at the heart of every expression of Christian life in common.” The Most Rev. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury (from the Church of England report Mission-Shaped Church)

A Brief History

In the mid-‘80s, English church leaders realized their congregations were dying and/or alienated from the communities around them. This crisis freed them to imagine fresh ways of being church: a church connected to emerging generations; a church yearning to return to Jesus’ radical calling and teachings; a church rooted in ancient traditions of worship, community, spiritual practice and evangelism; a church capable of expressing God’s eternal truth in a language un-churched generations could hear and claim.

By the early-‘90s, a parallel movement had kicked up in the United States. Post-baby-boomers were jaded with polished mega-churches looking like shopping malls and promising one-size-fits-all truths for complex lives. These young leaders want to sit with deep questions, listen to wise Christians from generations past – saints, early church mothers and fathers, Orthodox, Catholic traditions, Anglicanism. They began digging into the treasure chest their boomer parents tossed out, and discovered a fresh approach to being church.

Variety in the Movement

It isn’t just evangelicals emerging here. Leaders are taking creative, spirit-filled risks within liturgical, historic churches, loving our traditions enough to bring them to new life in today’s culture. We’re crafting fresh expressions of church that make God’s mission real in our own neighborhoods. We’ve taken some cues from England, but we’re building indigenous churches on American soil.  It’s a grassroots revolution springing up in all kinds of places, and it connects people in surprising ways. Mainline church folks and evangelicals find a common language to sing, pray and become disciples in love with Jesus and his calling to embody and serve the reign of God.

There’s a lot of variety in the emerging church, but there are some common passions and commitments: to context and to relationships. That commitment plays out in four areas contextual worship, collaborative leadership, radical community and serious discipleship … stay tuned to my next article to learn about these areas.

 


Stephanie Spellers is lead priest at The Crossing, the emergent community based at the Cathedral of St. Paul in Boston. An acclaimed preacher, she is the author of Radical Welcome: Embracing God, the Other and the Spirit of Transformation and co-editor of Ancient Faith, Future Mission: Fresh Expressions in the Sacramental Tradition.

 

Print PDF

February 1, 2011 By Stephanie Spellers

Filed Under: Ministry Leadership, Welcoming & Evangelism Tagged With: adults, Christian formation, Christianity, diversity, emerging church, hospitality, spirituality, traditions, worship, young adults

Primary Sidebar

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • RSS

Subscribe to Building Faith

You’ll get new articles, plus free weekly updates in your inbox.

We respect your privacy. View our privacy policy here.

Search Our Site

Search by Topic

New Articles

New and Recent Lent Resources for 2023

If you’re busy organizing children’s, youth, adult, or parish-wide programs for Lent and Holy Week, …

Continue Reading about New and Recent Lent Resources for 2023

Black History Month Resources for 2023

February is Black History Month in the U.S., and the theme for 2023 is “Black Resistance.” According …

Continue Reading about Black History Month Resources for 2023

Resources to Learn, Pray, and Act This Martin Luther King Day

Every third Monday in January, around his birthday (January 15), we commemorate the life and work of …

Continue Reading about Resources to Learn, Pray, and Act This Martin Luther King Day

Footer

Keep In touch

  • Email
  • Facebook

Upcoming Webinars

Eventbrite Registration

Building Faith

Lifelong Learning, Virginia Theological Seminary
3737 Seminary Rd.
Alexandria, VA 22304

Copyright © 2023 · Building Faith · A Ministry of Virginia Theological Seminary

Design by Blue+Pine Creative, Inc.

Subscribe to Building Faith

Get Articles and Resources by Email

Privacy Policy