Emerging Spirit @ The United Church of Canada Emerging Spirit @ The United Church of Canada

Issue 3

December 2005

WELCOME

Church: The New Reality Show

"After their first experience of church community, a lot of them are like, 'Wow, this isn't like 7th Heaven at all!'"

—an Emerging Spirit Impact Team member on welcoming 30- to 45-year-olds with little or no previous church experience to the United Church

Making Impact

by Lesley Harrison

"Expectant waiting," "waiting as if," and my favourite, The Parrots of Telegraph Road, were the words and phrases that got me to thinking as I sat in the pew on the first Sunday of Advent.

"Advent," "expectant," and "waiting" are all words to which Emerging Spirit's target demographic, those aged 30 to 45 with little or no connection to the church, might say, "Huh, what you talkin' 'bout, Willis?" Or perhaps they might raise an eyebrow and engage in a brief conversation about their few memories of Sunday school, their distrust of anything institutional, or their suspicion of what they would experience at church: guilt, judgment, and instant membership on a committee.

The mention of The Parrots of Telegraph Road, however, might create an entirely different reaction.

[read more...]

Best Practices And Other Good Ideas

Each of the Emerging Spirit Impact Teams recently brainstormed about qualities of "welcoming" congregations. Below are some of their thoughts.

A welcoming congregation is one that…

• I can see myself in
• offers ways to be involved without having to commit all of one's time
• makes me feel at home
• has worship that is gripping, authentic, and powerful
• has people who value the past but are not afraid to think about the future
• calls you to be different and is not just a place that makes you comfortable
• needs me, not just another warm body
• is affirming in the broadest sense of that word and has made a decision to be open to those who it finds socially challenging
• seeks to know each person as an individual
• is inclusive and authentic

[read more...]

THE BUZZ

by Aaron McCarroll Gallegos

In our discussions, consultations, and surveys with people between the ages of 30 and 45, as well as with others, we have heard some anxiety about the great gulf that many see between the United Church and people in this age range. Some feel that the life and traditions of the church are out of touch with the day-to-day realities they face. Others blame the culture of consumerism for keeping them too busy to take part in Sunday morning worship or community.

It can be daunting and more than a little discouraging. Yet we are also hearing many signs of hope.

Almost everywhere we go we encounter people with real enthusiasm and excitement about the effort of the United Church to focus anew on its relationship with people in their 30s and early 40s.

[read more...]

WELCOMING MINISTRIES TOOL BOX

The following tools may be helpful to you as you consider the current context of the church and how your congregation can be more welcoming to people in their 30s and early 40s.

Bound and Free: A Theologian's Journey
by Douglas John Hall (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2005)

In this thin volume, Douglas John Hall uses the story of his own vocation as a theologian to frame a reminder to the Protestant church about the importance of remaining rooted in the theological traditions from which they grew.

With the fading of Christendom, the mainline church in North America has gone in the last 40 years from a position of power and influence in society to a place that is increasingly on the margins. Yet, rather than seeing it as a time for despair or mourning, Hall sees this moment as presenting one of the greatest opportunities in the history of the church to commit itself to a renewed engagement with theology.

[read more...]

The Church on the Other Side: Doing Ministry in the Postmodern Matrix
by Brian D. McLaren (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000)

Books on the changing nature of the church are like diet books—they come thick and fast and it sometimes proves difficult to sort out what rings true from what sounds like a hollow gong. More well-known waves included the seeker-driven church symbolized by Willow Creek, the purpose-driven church led by Rick Warren, joined by the permission-giving church, the resurrected church, the 21st-century church, the metamorphosed church, the new apostolic church, the missional church, and others. The emergent church movement does not fit any of the above, although it gladly takes whatever it can use from any.

Most broadly defined, emergent refers to an initiative that seeks roots in the historic faith of the church but attempts to respond creatively and faithfully to the challenges and opportunities of this postmodern time (e.g., www.emergentvillage.com) Brian D. McLaren has become one of the key figures in this stream.

[read more...]

Resources from The United Church

Exploring Faith Questions: Journeys of Spirituality and Discovery
Exploring Faith Questions invites new Christians, those returning to the church, and anyone who wants to deepen their faith to join in a reflection process on 13 central questions of Christianity and faith. Questions are presented in ways that encourage prayer, reflection, and discussion.

Advent Daily Devotions: 2005 Advent Gift
The United Church website offers written and audio Advent devotions prepared by Karen Dale and Rob Dalgleish while in team ministry with the congregation of Westminister United Church, Mississauga, Ontario.

Tell us what you think!
Post your own comments about these resources.

Do you have suggestions for resources that can help congregations strengthen their welcoming ministries to people between the ages of 30 and 45? Let us know!

All book titles are available from UCRD.

Pulsetaking

Below are samples from some of the e-mails Emerging Spirit has received. Go to the PulseTaking section of our website to see the complete versions of these letters and more.

from Dave Pollard, Airdrie United Church, Airdrie, Alberta
One big reason why I am excited about Emerging Spirit is because of its potential to do something new, to invite people to start thinking of the church as something more than a static institution, but rather a dynamic movement to propagate the gospel, build the kingdom, proclaim Christ as Messiah, and share the love of God. To do all of this under the guise of proclamation (the media campaign) and invitation (the congregational welcoming piece) models "Christian best practices." Jesus proclaimed the kingdom has come very near and he invited not only Jews but Gentiles, women and men, foreigners and outcasts, the sick, and the list goes on.

from Christine Nicholls, www.creativekidsathome.com
I posted the link to your questionnaire to one my homeschooling lists. Most of them do not attend church regularly, but they are in the right demographic. I got this note back from someone who did fill out the questionnaire: "No problem at all...but I liked some of what I said so much that I copied it all to a txt document before I submitted it <G>." Knowing the person who sent in the answers, it should make for interesting reading!

from Barbara Cope, Otterville, Ontario
I've been so pleased to learn of [Emerging Spirit], first in the Observer and much more from the website. As a parent with sons approximately in the target demographic, I am so disappointed at their non-involvement in church, even though they were baptised, and went to Sunday School and church for awhile. Other than their weddings, they've had no adult contact with the church. Two of my three Toronto grandsons have had some contact through a Vacation Bible School, so perhaps there is a glimmer of hope in that direction.

Viewing the videos on the website, I was totally shocked at the lack of knowledge in the sample chosen for the questions. My sons would have known about the United Church, even though they have "fallen away." Best wishes for the success of the Emerging Spirit initiative.

from Kathy Platt, McCreary United Church, Manitoba
I find the questions in the Emerging Spirit questionnaire very good and I am going to keep at it—hopefully asking [the parents who started a Sunday school at the rural charge where I am minister] for more input. I have also tried to share with our board that we need to think carefully how to welcome these folk when they are here—there is this underlying whisper that now we can get back to the way it always was with a very active Sunday school in this place. We have not had a Sunday school in the five years I have been here.  How do we welcome families when they come, as they come, however they come? That is a long round-about way of saying that the Emerging Spirit work is intriguing and I will do my best to stay in the loop.

from Grant Williams, St. Andrew's United Church, Georgetown, Ontario
I just checked out the website and this looks like a great idea. It's too bad it has not happened sooner. I hope the Emerging Spirit campaign will provide ideas and resources to help congregations raise the awareness of the church among the 30–45-year-old age range. I watched the video clips of the street interviews and I was not surprised at the lack of knowledge about the United Church. I recently did a similar exercise in our own community asking about our church and we found the same result!

from Nancy Mojica-Fisher, Heritage United Church, Bloomfield-Musgravetown Pastoral Charge, Musgravetown, NL
Emerging Spirit is indeed good news! Just like any other congregation in The United Church of Canada, our church here at Bloomfield-Musgravetown Pastoral Charge, Newfoundland & Labrador Conference, is also struggling to invite young adults 30–45 years old to be involved in the life and of the church. At the present time we are in the process of organizing a young adults fellowship in our church. I have encouraged some lay people who are actively involved in the life and ministry of our congregation to start doing ministry with young adults. They are excited about it, but we need helpful tools to enable us to pursue this ministry. Any helpful suggestions or materials from you will be appreciated. Blessings to you and your ministry.