About Emerging Church

Some of my readers have asked for a definition of Emerging Church, as some of them have not heard of it before.  Here is my understanding of what, to me, is a wonderful development:

Emerging Church is a term for a very loose-knit movement coming out of the Evangelical megachurch world.  Young evangelicals who grew up in their parent’s marketing-driven megachurches are tiring of the environment, and want something smaller, more connected, more real.  They are meeting in small groups in homes or other small places, and some would rather see new small meetings form than grow into large groups or traditional churches.

They are tired of a gospel of salvation where, once saved, one just goes to church once a week and feels good, and instead are taking an interest in incarnational spirituality, how to bring the kingdom of God to earth and live it on earth, in all environments, not just church, 24 hours a day.  They reject the secular/sacred split in culture, and reject that there is such a thing as secular “space.”  All things, all space, public and private, is sacred, and they are looking for ways to express that.

They are hungry for something more connected historically, and so are looking at historical and traditional Christianity.  Some of them are experimenting with liturgical worship, or praying the Liturgy of the Hours.  They are tired of all the denominational bickering, are crossing denominational boundaries by studying the doctrines of other Christian traditions, including Catholic and Orthodox, and are very open to dialogue, with open minds and a real desire for understanding.  They are using terms such as “post-evangelical,” and even, what to me is a real historic milestone, “post-protestant.”

No two groups are exactly alike and none of them fit into neat categories.  They are very experimental; some of them very freewheeling.  They exist all over the English-speaking world (US, England, Australia) and in Europe, and look and do things differently depending on their local cultures and needs.

There is more to them than just what I say here, but this is the basic idea, as far as I have gathered.  They are somewhat controversial in the Evangelical world; some love them; some don’t.  Personally, I think they are terrific.

Any emerging types who read this and want to add to or correct what I said, please do.  You know it better than I do.