[new update] - great post on the gathering, concerns and conclusions from Matt of hOME
[update] - the comments over at Andrew's are beginning to show an interesting side to the whole ECC... one which I for one think we need to be acutely aware of... if we don't listen to all voices regardless of 'significance, 'credentials' etc. we are serious danger of repeating the mistakes of our 'Fathers'!
So... last week I was elitist ...now I'm a grunt!... along with around 30 others ('pioneers, 'leaders', 'behemoths' or maybe even 'dinosaurs' of the EC???) I am at '24 hours of Emerging Church' get together... the time has two aims 1) to engage with Ryan and Eddies Book (Emerging Churches) Ian Mobsby and Doug Gaye responded to the text from a UK perspective... and 2) a conversation about the nature of the/an 'Emerging church Leaders' network... what is the nature of networks (Steve Collins presented an excellent breakdown of Network Theory (which I hope he will make public on Small Ritual soon!), how much do we need an intentional network etc. etc.
Andrew bemoans the lack of concurrent posting on the conversation... everyone waiting for everyone else???... in a conversation with Jonny; about the need for one person to be a 'grunt', to be the blog voice... etc. Jonny seems to have suggested me... I don't know how I feel about that, especially as one of Andrews thoughts were that it needs to be a person with "no credentials"! The other perspective (the one I prefer ;-) ) is the one where Jonny regards me as a content creator... I'll leave it up to you to draw your own conclusions!
Anyway... I'm not going to blog re. the content of the gathering, because; it would be out of context, it would only be my view of the conversation and many of the folk reading this will have connected with Ryan and Karen on the Blah tour, etc. etc. Suffice it to say I have really enjoyed spending a few days with our US cousins... Karen is an inspiration; so many ideas and so humble - willing to share, committed to the 'gift economy' (or as Jonny calls it 'the theft economy', Ryan has also carried himself with a huge amount of humility; he is a very wise fellow... and has an incredible spirit of humour... neither of them come across as 'up themselves' or their 'credentials' ! Thank you to you both for giving of yourselves, and thanks to Jonny and Ben for the organising etc.
My concern about any 'network', more specifically a 'named network' is that it become elitist and about kudos not about the 'Emerging/Missional' conversation and not a place of learning/struggle... I sense there is no will for this, but honestly I think it will be a struggle not to become exclusive in the wrong way. I am personally struggling with the whole idea of a professional class of ministry in the Church per-se... even more so when it comes to 'Emerging/Missional church'! The other danger for me is that we fall into the trap of defining a 'movement' for the needs of others...they need to capture E/M church in order to quantify/qualify etc. to set a position that they can judge/orientat themselves in relation to.
... just the thoughts of a 'grunt'!
Technorati Tags: Blah: Church: Emerging Church
I meant to post this a while ago... busyness got in the way! Anyway, if Drum&Bass is your thing (and even if it isn't) go and check out Chris Killers' Mix over at Kaizen records (click 'DJ of the week' in the sidebar)... some real tunes and a great mix!
Talking of the BBC, BBC2 starts screening the second series of the awesome 'Tribe' tonight (I have blogged about the programme previously) There are three episodes each an hour long on successive Sunday evenings at 9pm! 
: comments :