administrator, Bureaucrats, bureaucrats, checkuser, editor, emailconfirmed, move, Administrators
122,009
edits
Changes
Added information on defining the emerging church
{{quote | text="Emergent" is a loosely knit group of people in conversation about and trying experiments in forwarding the ministry of Jesus in new and different ways, as the people of God in a post-Christian context. From there, wide diversity abounds. "Emergents" seem to share one common trait: disillusionment with the organized, institutional church as it has existed through the 20th century (whether fundamentalist, liberal, megachurch, or tall-steeple liturgical). Its strengths: creative, energetic, youthful, authentic, highly relational. Its weaknesses: somewhat cynical, disorganized, sometimes reckless (even in the theological ideas willing to be entertained), immature. [[Todd Mangum]]}}
{{Infobox_Contents |
topic_name = The Emerging Church |
The "emerging church" describes a difficult-to-define movement of the last three decades that has moved away from traditional, institutional styles of worship and church hierarchy. Proponents of this movement often call it a "conversation". Members of emerging communities often are disillusioned with the organized and institutional church and may support the deconstruction of modern Christian dogma. The movement often favors the use of stories and narratives. Members of the emerging movement place high value on good works and social activism.
The movement is sometimes also referred to as the "emergent church" although in recent times there has been a shift in the understanding of some people where "emerging" refers to the wider, informal, church-based, global movement and "emergent" refers to an official organization, the [[Emergent Village]]. ===Defining the Emerging Church=== Defining the emerging church is difficult and there is no clear consensus in meaning.<ref>Stuart Murray, Church After Christendom, (London: Paternoster Press, 2004), 73</ref> [[Todd Mangum]], the associate Professor of Theology at Biblical Theological Seminary in Hatfield, Pennsylvania in the United States has described the emerging church in this way: : ''"Emergent" is a loosely knit group of people in conversation about and trying experiments in forwarding the ministry of Jesus in new and different ways, as the people of God in a post-Christian context. From there, wide diversity abounds. "Emergents" seem to share one common trait: disillusionment with the organized, institutional church as it has existed through the 20th century (whether fundamentalist, liberal, megachurch, or tall-steeple liturgical). Its strengths: creative, energetic, youthful, authentic, highly relational. Its weaknesses: somewhat cynical, disorganized, sometimes reckless (even in the theological ideas willing to be entertained), immature.''<ref>"[http://www.c4ml.com/wandering-off-course/10/ Catlyst 4 Mission Leadership: Q & A with Todd Mangum]" (2007-10-06).</ref>
{{stub}}