Posts Tagged ‘Connecting with the Community’

The Emerging Church has gradually become a major theme in missional minded circles. I recently visited a church that is cited by others on the web as an example of a emerging church experiment in Geneva. The group operates under the name Shema. Two of the key leaders, a Dutchman – Lammert and an American – Scott, steer clear of such a descriptor. I wanted to know why.

They spent a good deal of time explaining their core strategy for planting a church in Geneva. From their perspective, postmodernity represents an open table to which all are welcome – except for Christianity. Lammert used the picture of a naughty boy who has been told that he can’t come to the table, he must stand in the corner. That perceived “naughtiness” has a great deal to do with how the church has used power. That is a huge issue across Europe but especially in Geneva, the city of Calvin, where heretics were once executed. The Christians of that time behaved more like the Taliban. So how might Christianity come out of the naughty corner?

Shema have begun their time in Geneva by developing a concept called Engage which is essentially a framework to allow anyone to make a positive contribution to the city. That initiative has gradually earned them an invitation to speak in a whole variety of situations. For example, this Christmas they are running a series of events in a pub – Mr Pickwick – called Pub Noel: Christmas for Everyone. The themes are amazing – The owners of the pub normally charge £400 a session to rent the room but for this event they are charging nothing. “We can’t charge you guys, you do such great things for our city.”

One of the projects that Engage has assisted is a battered wives hostel. They asked Shema, “Will you hold a carol service for us?” The reply was obvious. And they then said, “And would you be willing to read from the Bible for us?” Again it was easy to say “yes”. “And would you also preach for us?” This last request was made in such a hesitant way that Lammert wanted to know more. This was the story he heard. “We have had other Christian groups want to hold carol services for us before but because we did not know them we asked them not to preach. We got two kinds of reactions. They either refused to come or they came and found ways to get around our request. We have noticed that you guys only do what you say you will do and so we trust you. Please come and preach to us.”

These stories reveal that Shema are in the process of changing the dialogue between a group of Christians and the city of Geneva such that Christianity can come out of the naughty corner. For Shema, the emerging church is simply that which emerges from the context of doing mission rather than coming with a “cookie cutter” version of church which is dropped into the context from outside. Emerging church is not however a single model, solution or ideology. They worry about those who sometimes associate themselves with the term emerging church because they have noticed that those who have wanted to join Shema only because they are an emerging expression of church are clear about what they are against but not so clear about what they are really for.

How would you define emerging church?

Together in Mission has developed a partnership with the Australian College of Ministry (ACOM).  The primary basis for this partnership centres on a B.Th in Mission.  Two key features of this course matter to TiM.  First, the course teaches everything – Bible, Church History, Practical Ministry, from the perspective of Mission.  That critically includes the insight that personal spiritual formation is as important as knowledge and the two need to developed alongside each other.  Second, around one third of the course centres on a practical placement. That could be in a youth ministry or some other expression of ministry.  Doing and learning also belong together.

Randy Edwards from ACOM was in the UK this week to cement the relationship and sign the partnership agreement with TiM.  Apart from teaching at ACOM, Randy practices what he teaches.  He and his wife have spent the last 7 years working with a simple church experiment.  Beginning in their home and working with those who had not found a church home or who were struggling in their church context, they have developed a home based expression of church that significantly connects with unbelievers.

Since its inception the group has divided as it has grown and now has 4 groups with some 40-50 adults and around 18 children.  They only ever meet in their small groups apart from one annual get together in a summer camp setting.  Amongst the group of 40-50, around 5 have become Christians in the small group setting and another similar number are those who have yet to become Christians and also meet regularly for study, discussion, prayer and some worship.

Randy does not claim that this way of doing church is the blueprint for the future.  In fact some who were part of their group system have since found their way back into traditional churches.  What he does claim however is that they are training the participants to be disciples in terms of their own lives and to connect significantly and regularly with non Christians.

Perhaps it is the case that until the church learns to connect outwards on a regular and natural basis, that we will need a whole series of provisional, experimental and temporary structures that will help the church to re-orientate its life and witness.  As we learn to respond to the “new mood” of spiritual interest and enquiry, local churches need to learn how to listen to and connect with their local communities in ways that used to happen in times past but have not happened regularly for some time.