emerging mosaic

I noticed that sometimes these two words representing movements of change the church can get used interchangably. I wonder how much synergy there is between the two. Some people are in both conversations

This article speaks to some of the connecting pont beween the two. http://www.urbana.org/_articles.cfm?RecordId=993

I really appreciate the defining of the characteristics of a missional church using this wrong/tough question format.

The collapse of the church culture.

a) Wrong question: How do we do church better?
b) Tough question: How do we reconvert from “churchianity” to Christianity?

 The shift from church growth to kingdom growth.

a) Wrong question: How do we grow this church?
b) Tough question: How do we transform our community?

A new reformation: Releasing God’s people.

a) Wrong question: How do we turn members into ministers?
b) Tough question: How do we turn members into missionaries?

The return to spiritual formation.

a) Wrong question: How do we develop church members?
b) Tough question: How do we develop followers of Jesus?

The shift from planning to preparation.

a) Wrong question: How do we plan for the future?
b) Tough question: How do we prepare for the future?

The rise of apostolic leadership.

a) Wrong question: How do we develop leaders for church work?
b) Tough question: How do we develop leaders for the Christian movement?

I feel a great resonance with the tough questions. I think these are the kinds of questions I ask or need to ask as I do ministry and live  out my call. It feels much more organic that the moden church and less laissez faire then emergent stuff. For instance promoting the rise of apostolic leaders rather than eschewing any strong leadership outside of a flat leaderhsip model.

Compare and contrast with these core practices of an emerging church cited in ch 2 of Gibbs and Bolgers book Emerging Churches which I am reading right now.

1. Identifying with Jesus
2. tranforming secular space
3. living as community

 I think these three things are reflective of the mission of the faith community Iead Mosaic Life.

To live in faith - identifying with jesus and living out his patterns in our lives and faith,
be known by love - living as community drawn together and connected to each other by God’s love
and be and instrument of hope - transforming secualr space by engaging the "secular and point to God’s hope

Maybe missional + emergent/emerging church = integral church

Popularity: 23% [?]

Technorati Tags: apostolic_leadership, emerging church, missional_church, spiritual-practice, spiritual_formation