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

Sojourners has posted a provocative article from their May 2010 issue asking, "Is the Emerging Church for Whites Only?" The discussion about this article on Sojourners' website, as well as on several other blogs, raises important questions and insights about diversity and the emerging church. Through these conversations, roiling at times, some potential new directions and areas of growth are beginning to emerge. And as they do, more attention is being given to the reality that the emerging church is much bigger than just what is happening in North America or the handful of well-known writers and speakers who are associated with the movement.

"Is the Emerging Church for Whites Only?"
By Soong-Chan Rah and Jason Mach, with responses by Julie Clawson, Brian McLaren, and Debbie Blue.

Sojourners has also posted a number of additional responses on their God's Politics blog, including Shane Claiborne, Soong-Chan Rah, Jarrod McKenna, and Julie Clawson.

Other blogs dicussing the article:

Tony Jones: Emergent's White Problem.

Tall Skinny Kiwi: The Future

This originally appeared on Faith & Leadership, an offering of Leadership Education at Duke Divinity. To go to the original article, click here.

As the Christian landscape changes, Faith & Leadership says leaders must ask and answer a new question: What's the future of denominations? This is part of an occasional series that offers the thoughts of people across Christianity on this vital issue. To see the entire series, including the video interviews, click here.

Denominations are important because they embody an ethos, provide connection and are able "to see and solve problems," said Brian D. McLaren,  an author, pastor and public speaker.

But denominations must turn from a "problem focus to a goal focus" if they are to remain relevant, especially to young people, he said.

 In "The Fence-sitters: How real is the hope?" (Observer, Nov. 2009), author Richard Wright questions the role of research numbers in church growth efforts, including The United Church of Canada's Emerging Spirit initiative. Since data formed part of the Emerging Spirit research we had to make some decisions about their use and authority.

Wright raises the question of whether the 77% identified by Environics as "Potentials" is a valid statistic. We believe it is. In addition to Bibby, a 2006 Ipsos-Reid survey collaborates what many church leaders know - a significant interest in spiritually and faith exists "out there."  The Potentials identified in the Environics quantitative research are just that-those with a potential interest in a church with the attributes of The United Church of Canada. There was never any guarantee that these people would become members of the United Church according to the definition of the last century.