The "Emerging" Church
The "Emerging" Church. Why do I put "emerging" in quotes? Because I have a reflex response to buzzwords. I avoid them if at all possible without even trying. The term "emerging" refers to the current outreach movement, mostly by the evangelical part of the church, to those that the standard church service doesn't reach.
Aside of my distaste for the term "emerging", every time I read about a new way that some church or even group of believers reaches out to the unchurched and non-believers in some non-traditional way, I get very excited. Groups are having non-traditional church services and Bible studies in coffee houses, local pubs, even the occasional Hooters. I seem to have some deep passion for this, and I don't really know why. I've never felt called into any type of professional ministry role, yet every day I find myself trying to figure out a way to start some kind of church service or Bible study at the new local coffee house that opened up. I haven't figured it out yet, but I think about it daily.
Maybe this is due to the lack of success I've had getting my friends to go to my church with me on Sunday morning. I go to a "contemporary" service, using modern instruments, praise songs, and a much less formal atmosphere. But it is surrounded by the bastions of tradition (read: stuffy) and that just may be what scares people off.
A good friend of mine has a theory that Sunday has become the only real "day off" left in the world today. Working a traditional work week, then having a Saturday packed full of soccer games, baseball games, shopping, hobbies, etc. leaves just Sunday for resting. If Sunday was your only true day off, and you weren't yet part of the body of Christ, would you really want to get up at (or before) 8:00 am just to rush off and go to a church service? I really don't think I would.
There is also the bubble factor. We all go to our Sunday morning/evening/Wed evening church services and activities, and maybe even invite our friends, but what are we really doing to reach out to those that are literally dying to hear the Gospel? Did Jesus just hang out at the Temple, or did he go out where the sinners were? What should we do?
I need to find some way to get more invovled in reaching out to those that the traditional Sunday morning church doesn't reach. Suggestions welcome.
What inspired me to write about this? This post that Mark Lee's weblog pointed me to.
Aside of my distaste for the term "emerging", every time I read about a new way that some church or even group of believers reaches out to the unchurched and non-believers in some non-traditional way, I get very excited. Groups are having non-traditional church services and Bible studies in coffee houses, local pubs, even the occasional Hooters. I seem to have some deep passion for this, and I don't really know why. I've never felt called into any type of professional ministry role, yet every day I find myself trying to figure out a way to start some kind of church service or Bible study at the new local coffee house that opened up. I haven't figured it out yet, but I think about it daily.
Maybe this is due to the lack of success I've had getting my friends to go to my church with me on Sunday morning. I go to a "contemporary" service, using modern instruments, praise songs, and a much less formal atmosphere. But it is surrounded by the bastions of tradition (read: stuffy) and that just may be what scares people off.
A good friend of mine has a theory that Sunday has become the only real "day off" left in the world today. Working a traditional work week, then having a Saturday packed full of soccer games, baseball games, shopping, hobbies, etc. leaves just Sunday for resting. If Sunday was your only true day off, and you weren't yet part of the body of Christ, would you really want to get up at (or before) 8:00 am just to rush off and go to a church service? I really don't think I would.
There is also the bubble factor. We all go to our Sunday morning/evening/Wed evening church services and activities, and maybe even invite our friends, but what are we really doing to reach out to those that are literally dying to hear the Gospel? Did Jesus just hang out at the Temple, or did he go out where the sinners were? What should we do?
I need to find some way to get more invovled in reaching out to those that the traditional Sunday morning church doesn't reach. Suggestions welcome.
What inspired me to write about this? This post that Mark Lee's weblog pointed me to.
posted by learningtowrite | 1:22 AM
1 Comments:
Hi, just dropping by and thought your post was interesting. I'm seventh day adventist so Saturday is my "sabbath" and I spend it at church. I've taken on so many church responsibilities that when Sunday comes around I'm tired and kind of depressed about the coming week. However, i would not give up church. I guess I'm in it for the people. It's like an extended family for me.
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