UPDATE: Good review at A-Team Blog (ORIGINAL POST) I read a GREAT book in the bath this morning: The Out of Bounds Church?: Learning to Create a Community of Faith in a Culture of Change, by Steve Taylor of Emergent Kiwi Blog. Steve is a baptist pastor, and has completed a PhD in postmodern worship,…
Read MoreEmergAnt.:4 New Media Fluency
The minds of the emerging generation are being shaped by the computer screen more than the television screen. We see things in layers and loops and links and labyrinths. We do not see new things replace old things (like video clips in a linear movie) but we see them find their place in nested layers.…
Read MoreAn Open Blog Post for Don Carson 1.1
[1.1 update: I wish I had chosen a better name and genre for this. An open post should only be used after interaction, and i did not get any email response from my requests in Sept 2004 – a better and less threatening post title would have been “Some questions I Would Ask Dr Don…
Read MorePerks of Preaching in Em. Churches
Who said there are no perks in preaching at emerging churches? I had such a good time at Kubik church in Germany last week, that i want to offer their example of how to treat an emerging church preacher as a benchmark for other churches. 1. The best seat. They have a comfy armchair up…
Read MoreThe Espresso Machine is the New Organ
Its the most expensive piece of equipment that many emerging churches in the coffee shop genre will buy. Kubik, Germany? Yes Soul Cafe, Texas? Yes Think $6000 for a new one or more likely, $2500 for a used one. Sounds outrageous, but a lot cheaper than the old pipe organs. Youth Blog picks up the…
Read MoreGermany: Speakg 2nite at Kubik
I will speak tonight at another emerging church. This one in Karlsruhe, Germany is called Kubik – They meet every Friday night for church in their underground coffee shop. Same old thing, not much different from others – the typical set up – modular couches everywhere, coffee shop, the DJ spinning, no pulpit, blank walls…
Read MoreAre We A Threat to the Gospel? (Restored)
UPDATE: This is getting a little unwieldy. Can we keep in mind that this is not a matter of baptist church VS emerging church but rather Mohler VS McLaren. And remember that Mohler does not speak for all Baptists, just as McLaren does not speak for all in the emerging church. See a really good…
Read MoreEmergant.:3 Postmodern Sensibility
The emerging church is a response to a culture sometimes characterized as 'post-modern'. I hesitate to use the word, again, since so much fruitless discussion has happened in the church as a result of hyper-academic interpretations of the word. Although there is value in looking at post-modern literary theory (start with Ferdinand de Saussure, the…
Read MoreEmerging Church in News x2
1. Mike Morrel gets mentioned today in this article on the Atlantic Journal Constitution, which is only available without registration today. I could tell you that you should read this because its about emerging church, in particular, Australians who are starting their churches in USA (Christian City Church, Atlanta) but the real reason for me…
Read MoreEmergAnt.:2 Countercultural History
The emerging church has fermented on the fringe of society. Over the past 40 years, and around the world, the alternative counterculture has been the context in which new forms of ministry have been birthed. Today, the movement is less alternative and increasingly mainstream, as a wider strata of young people adopt the new cultures.…
Read MoreSoftware, Sites and Stuff
– Dan Hughes of TheyBlinked blog created a wicked cool social networking software piece called SmartCommons.com. He released it at the beginning of the year. I havent had time to really kick it around yet – but it seems like it has huge potential. HUGE. – Fuse Factory has released their DVD – These guys…
Read MoreEmergAnt.:1 Emergent Vocabulary
[Here is the first in a week long series on the understanding the emerging church around the world. Let me know if you think it sucks. You may recognize bits and pieces from my blog- I am trying to capture it all and aggregate it here.] 1. An Emergent Vocabulary “Emergent” is a popular name…
Read MoreEm. Leadership and the Grid Blog [updated]
[UPDATE]: Bob Carlton of The Corner is suggesting a Pentecost Grid Blog “So this Pentecost – how about we set our sights on trying to link at least 120 bloggers encircling the globe in a grid blog to post, cross comment and chat about how what Jurgen Moltmann calls ”the shy member of the Trinity“…
Read MoreMixing Our Wineskins?
Can emerging churches survive traditional top-down systems of governing? What do you think about this? Emergent systems have a self-regulatory, mutual accountability system that enables everyone to participate and keep the system healthy. Which is why no one is insisting that someone organize and govern the internet – better to have the whole system work…
Read MoreBloggers and Bischoff at Basel
The image is a part of Mike Bischoff’s excellent teaching on Emerging Church. Mike is a photographer, as well as a teacher at the IGW (Institute for Church Growth and World Evangelism), so dont feel unworthy when you see his graphcs. Take a look at his other powerpoint slides on his blog. Some of you…
Read MoreWillowFreak
WillowFreak: Thats the name of the yearly leadership meeting for the Jesus Freaks International, a ministry network that was birthed in the German alternative culture. Mirko is one of the founders and leaders. He came over for lunch in Frankfurt when i was there a few days ago, and we chatted about Jesus Freaks and…
Read MoreEmerging Church Events: B there
The Emerging Church Seminar in Basel, Switzerland with Mike Bishoff is coming up, an I have already mentioned our input at the DAWN Convention in Wilderswill, Switzerland. Cant make it to Switzerland??? What a shame! You are really going to miss out. But don’t worry, we are entering the Conference Season and there are plenty…
Read MoreWhat is Emergent?
Today is the deadline for me to answer 3 questions asked by a popular magazine in USA. OK, I lied. Yesterday was the deadline and i wanted to sleep on my answers. Today I decided to forget what I had written and just answer the questions in a straightforward and honest manner. 1. What is…
Read MoreMeasuring Emergentness by Smilies
Smilies, of course, were one of the most familiar symbols of the "happy" 1980’s rave culture, which gave birth to the British alt. worship movement. But the Americans want to know . . . . Are the British really so far ahead in Emerging Church? I have been getting comments from Americans that show they…
Read MoreEmergent Wisdom For Churches #1
(Click to enlarge). A network with many weak links is stronger than a network with a few strong links. Multiple nodes enable greater communication which enables faster emergence. Predicting which will new projects will survive or succeed is almost impossible in our present chaotic world, but planting many seeds and allowing multiple projects is a…
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