Göran Landgren - ordförande för Credo (!) har skrivit en intressant uppsats vid Lunds Universitet om Emergent Church. Han gör ett väldigt bra jobb i att låta olika röster komma till tals och lyckas bättre än någon annan jag läst beskriva EC:s plats på den kristna kartan. Uppsatsen är i hög grad beskrivande.

David Fitch reder ut begreppen i ett välmatat fullkornsinlägg här.

Graham Cray, författaren till vår bok "Postmodern kultur och ungt lärjungaskap" har varit ordförande i den arbetsgrupp Fresh expressions inom anglikanska kyrkan som arbetat fram materialet "Mission shaped church". Det är tänkt att användas av anglikanska kyrkan för att införa ett missionellt tänkande och vända sekulariseringen. Och det ser ljust ut! Tänk om SvK kunde göra något liknande! Rapporten finns att ladda ner här.

David Fredin har skrivit en uppsats som kombinerar missional med Bo Giertz. Det är lite som att sätta en jetmotor på en Ferrari tycker jag. Den finns här eller här.

Härifrån

Ett fantastiskt inlägg av Bill Kinnon som jag tycker fångar väldigt mycket av det jag tänker och känner inför den moderna församlingen och vart jag vill någonstans.

"We are people - flesh and blood - image bearers of the Creator - eikons, if you will. We are not numbers.

We are the eikons who once sat in the uncomfortable pews or plush
theatre seating of your preaching venues. We sat passively while you
proof-texted your way through 3, 4, 5 or no point sermons - attempting
to tell us how you and your reading of The Bible had a plan for our lives. Perhaps God does have a plan for us - it just doesn't seem to jive with yours.

Money was a great concern. And, for a moment, we believed you when you
told us God would reward us for our tithes - or curse us if we didn't.
The Law is just so much easier to preach than Grace. My goodness, if
you told us that the 1st century church held everything in common - you
might be accused of being a socialist - and of course, capitalism is
a direct gift from God. Please further note: Malachi 3 is speaking to
the priests of Israel. They weren't the cheerful givers God speaks of
loving.

We grew weary from your Edifice Complex pathologies - building
projects more important than the people in your neighbourhood...or in
your pews. It wasn't God telling you to "enlarge the place of your
tent" - it was your ego. And, by the way, a multi-million dollar, state
of the art building is hardly a tent.

We no longer buy your call to be "fastest growing" church in
wherever. That is your need. You want a bigger audience. We won't be
part of one.

Our ears are still ringing from the volume, but...Jesus is not
our boyfriend - and we will no longer sing your silly love songs that
suggest He is. Happy clappy tunes bear no witness to the reality of the
world we live in, the powers and principalities we confront, or are
worthy of the one we proclaim King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

You offered us a myriad of programs to join - volunteer
positions to assuage our desire to be connected. We could be greeters,
parking lot attendants, coffee baristas, book store helpers, children's
ministry workers, media ministry drones - whatever you needed to
fulfill your dreams of corporate glory. Perhaps you've noticed, we
aren't there anymore.

We are The People formerly known as The Congregation.
We have not stopped loving the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Nor do we
avoid "the assembling of the saints." We just don't assemble under your
supposed leadership. We meet in coffee shops, around dinner tables, in
the parks and on the streets. We connect virtually across space and
time - engaged in generative conversations - teaching and being taught.

We live amongst our neighbours, in their homes and they in
ours. We laugh and cry and really live - without the need to have you
teach us how - by reading your ridiculous books or listening to your
supercilious CDs or podcasts.

We don't deny Paul's description of APEPT leadership - apostle,
prophet evangelist, pastor, teacher. We just see it in the light of
Jesus' teaching in Mark 10 and Matthew 20 - servant leadership. We
truly long for the release of servant leading men and women into our
gifts as apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. We
believe in Peter's words that describe us all as priests. Not just
some, not just one gender.

We are The People formerly known as The Congregation.
We do not hate you. Though some of us bear the wounds you have
inflicted. Many of you are our brothers and our sisters, misguided by
the systems you inhabit, intoxicated by the power - yet still members
of our family. (Though some are truly wolves in sheep's clothing.)

And, as The People formerly known as The Congregation, we
invite you to join us on this great adventure. To boldly go where the
Spirit leads us. To marvel at what the Father is doing in the
communities where He has placed us. To live the love that Jesus shows
us."

"Constantinian churches don’t like being surprised. They like being in control, and so their engagements with the “other” and the “unknown” tend to look more like colonization than open exploration. ET [Emergent Types] are willing to give up the need to predict the outcome of every encounter with absolute certainty. In fact, they kind of get a kick out
of the shocking discoveries that emerge during the journey itself. Allowing for deconstructive moments within philosophy and theology is one way to open oneself to such surprises, and even to delight in them as they facilitate real transformation."

Via.