twenty-three

This post is featured at Presbymergent as well. I think this is called "cross-posting" and if it’s a faux pas, I’m sorry. Deal with it and enjoy!

I’ve attempted to place a finger on the exact reason I feel called to be a part of this Presbymergent community, this emerging conversation about faith, theology, and our tradition. I’ve thought about my own background, growing up in a Presbyterian church, going through membership as a youth, and understanding the great community I was joining as something of significance and as a place where God had been active for years and was continuing to be active. I’ve also examined the way my faith has shifted over the last 5 years, as I went off to college, where my world view and perspective developed and I was challenged to reflect on what I believed, who I was. All of these things shape my engagement into this emerging conversation. I doubt my story is that unique from others out there who are starting to engage these new ideas within their own traditions.

Earlier this week, I sent some of my thoughts about this new community, Presbymergent, to my pastor and asked for his input on what I have been thinking. He responded to my thoughts and to the question of being emergent within our mainline, PC(USA) denomination by recalling Jesus’ parable of the new wine and new wineskins. He mentioned that the wine skin of the PC(USA) might have room for some new wine from the emergent movement, some room for evaluating our ideas and seeing Jesus in new and exciting ways within our communities. His caution was that we focus on the wineskins alone and forget to focus on the wine, Jesus, in light of working out all of these details.

Our conversation needs to center on Christ and how he impacts our churches in ways that shape our future and open the doors to a world in need. I’m excited to think that I belong to a church and denomination that has such a rich tradition and a strong theological base that would allow us to ask new questions and be willing to see our ways of doing church in a new light. It’s exciting to see that people of the PC(USA) are finding themselves asking "emerging" questions and being willing to honestly evaluate the way the Holy Spirit is being active in their communities with a willingness to develop new forms of worship and learning.

So, what does it mean to be "Presbymergent"? How does one practice emergence in their PC(USA) community? Clearly, from all the discussion on this site, from all the books and articles and conferences we’ve all taken in, there are many ways, many "right" ways, of engaging emergence into a new kind of community. We need to be Presbyterians who seek the best for our congregations. We need to be active in our churches and not let the "old ways" frustrate us or stifle our creativity. We also need to honor those who have founded and been faithful to our communities and teach each other how to ask questions about where God is leading our churches over the long run. And we need to exercise grace and humility as we face challenges along the road to becoming Presbymergent churches. As God leads this reformation of our theologies, our ways of doing church, and the ways our churches impact the world, there have and will continue to be hiccups and setbacks, as well as encouraging breakthroughs and exciting moments of divine presence.

I believe this dialogue that begun here at Presbymergent is a positive step for all of us. We have begun to lay out ways in which we will be faithful to our church and denomination, but also be willing to ask new questions. I really like this term "loyal radical" that has been brought up in our discussion. I feel very loyal to the people who have shaped my life in church, in the PC(USA) church. And yet, I feel a radical call by God to move forward and open wide for the new wine of the Holy Spirit’s ongoing action to flow through us and continue to make all things new. It is a pleasure to journey out in this with all of you.

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