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 In. Out. Together.
No, they're not random words from the dictionary, or even lyrics from "The Hokey Pokey." They're actually key ideas from the current church conversation. Answers, perhaps, to the often nebulous "What's it all about?" question.
I don't know about you, but I've spent a great deal of time this year trying to figure out, yet again, just what a church is supposed to be—and more specifically, what characterizes the emerging church.
Let's face it. There are a million rabbit trails one could walk in the emerging/postmodern conversation—everything from worship styles to theological beliefs. And yet, to be honest, I'm not sure agreement—or lack of agreement—in these areas is what necessarily makes a church "emerging." While deconstruction is valuable, it's important that we press on to the next stage of the process—the point where we can say, "Here's what we are," not just, "Here's what we're not."
So back to the three words. It seems to me that the essence of the emerging church movement, and even the essence of the church itself, can be expressed in three ideas: an inward journey, an outward journey and a journey together. Everything else about our churches—their sizes, shapes, structures etc.—is secondary, and maybe even irrelevant.
An Inward Journey
A few years back, I had the privilege of going on a silent retreat with Brennan Manning. During that time, I had no choice but to face my fears. Unable to distract myself with the business of pastoring, I came to see just how much I had been hiding from God and how often I had recoiled from taking the inward journey. Alone in the quiet that week, I began to wrestle with God. Possibly for the first time in my life, I was truly honest with my Creator. I let the real cries of my heart be known and through that time, came to experience the love of Christ in a way I never had before.
In the emerging church, we're seeing a renewed interest in things like contemplation, prayer, meditation and spiritual direction. I'm encouraged by this trend because I think these "inward" practices can go a long way in helping us become the people God has called us to be. The more we can do to encourage people to take the inward journey—to wrestle with God and face their fears on a daily basis—the better off I think we'll be. We
need to help people get "unstuck" whether through contemplation, intensive healing prayer or something else. And the reality is, growing through the inward journey is a lifelong struggle. A retreat or two is good, but true discipleship means working out our faith over the long haul. It is, after all, a journey.
An Outward Journey
As in a labyrinth, the inward journey is followed by an outward journey. For me, facing my fears and experiencing intimacy with God has given me a greater freedom to live out my calling. Being in a real world, with real people, in real time. I no longer have the desire to be at the top of some church hierarchy or corporate ladder, but instead, to become a servant. Through some mystical process, my heart is changing. >From time to
time, I'm actually able to embrace not only my own brokenness, but the brokenness of others as well. I can now come alongside people and travel with them. Rather than wanting to fix them, I can simply be with them and allow God to work through me.
A Journey Together
Community is a big deal in the emerging church. We're desperate for authentic relationships and a sense of belonging that extends beyond a Sunday handshake at the door.
The present incarnation of Christ is the church. We are not alone in our struggles, nor are we the only ones walking the "labyrinth." Whether we are part of a house church or a mega church, we are ultimately part of THE church. Budgets, formulas, programs—they're incidental. If the focus of the emerging church is just three things: the inward journey, the outward journey and journeying together, we have a common, unifying bond.
Just the same, many of us need details. We can accept the "in, out, together" idea at a high level, but we need to know what it really looks like in everyday life. I'm not exactly sure. But here are some ways the inward and outward journeys might come together in your world.
Acts of Contemplation and Compassion
Acts of contemplation can be anything from silent retreat and meditation, to lectio divina and small group participation. Counseling and spiritual direction also fit here. The focus is on studying God's word for life change more than academic enrichment.
Acts of compassion, meanwhile, are a natural balance to contemplation. They encourage us to not just reflect on truth, but also live it. As we allow God to change our hearts, we begin to live differently. Acts of compassion may be as simple as going down to a local park with a meal and inviting those who are hungry to join us, or as complex as responding to a world infected with AIDS. Each act is about going into the wider community and meeting a real need.
Theology and the Arts
We need to rediscover what it means to think AND to feel. A fresh look at theology may mean asking deeper questions and re-examining the words of Christ. What was Jesus really trying to say through the kingdom parables? Is there more to the story of Jesus than just atonement? Perhaps a missional calling that has been overlooked?
The arts, meanwhile, encourage us to learn through other means—to know by using our senses. The arts—whether high or lowbrow—speak to us at a soul level. We embrace the opportunity to learn about life from film, novels…all kinds of creative expressions. We're open to both experiencing these art forms and create pieces of our own.
Community and Personal Stewardship
As the emerging church, we can also look for ways to build healthy communities. We may concern ourselves with issues of social justice, mental and physical health or even the environment. Perhaps it's time we took a hard look at the definitions of poverty and gluttony, for instance, and challenged the principles that guide our daily lives. Could our world really sustain itself if every nation embraced North American rates of consumption? Stewardship means learning how to care for the people around us—in our neighborhoods and around the world.
Our interest in community is balanced by personal stewardship. We take a holistic approach to health and sexuality. We don't divorce the body from the soul or compartmentalize aspects of our lives. Instead, we look at the whole person and consider the complexities of what it means to be human. We not only care for others, we also care for ourselves.
So what do you think? Is the "in, out and together" concept a good definition for the emerging church—or even the church as a whole? Is it something that we can rally around no matter what our particular religious stripe?
I invite you to share your thoughts. Drop me an email Spencer@TheOoze.com or stop in at TheOoze message boards http://www.theooze.com/forums/index.cfm. Let's keep the conversation going.
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I think the "in, out, together" motto is great! Our church (a Baptist church) has their own version... "Inward, Outward, Upward" ... they're developing community and strengthening that through the "inward" bit... growing as a church. The "outward" bit involves reaching out to the community... being disciples. And, the "upward" bit means developing our relationship with God.
I especially liked the end of your article where you mentioned North America's consumption levels... gluttony.... This fits right in with the Christian program I've been using called, "Thin Within" (http://www.thinwithin.org ). It's relearning how to listen to your God-given signals of "hunger" and "fullness" in order to eat in moderation.... calling on God to help in times where you'd rather eat for emotional reasons than for true hunger.
More and more I'm thinking that God is leading me down the path towards the "Emergent Church"... I only just found out about it yesterday, but already I'm convinced that it's great!
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I think the "in, out, together" motto is great! Our church (a Baptist church) has their own version... "Inward, Outward, Upward" ... they're developing community and strengthening that through the "inward" bit... growing as a church. The "outward" bit involves reaching out to the community... being disciples. And, the "upward" bit means developing our relationship with God.
I especially liked the end of your article where you mentioned North America's consumption levels... gluttony.... This fits right in with the Christian program I've been using called, "Thin Within" (http://www.thinwithin.org ). It's relearning how to listen to your God-given signals of "hunger" and "fullness" in order to eat in moderation.... calling on God to help in times where you'd rather eat for emotional reasons than for true hunger.
More and more I'm thinking that God is leading me down the path towards the "Emergent Church"... I only just found out about it yesterday, but already I'm convinced that it's great!
Posted by mizbooks | Posted at 08/04/2006 11:09 AMasda asdfr dsj hasdb adhkjnb hasjdkanm Posted by ??? | Posted at 12/25/2008 7:21 PM