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

Sally hasn't gone to church much since she started university. Away from home, Sunday morning is more about sleeping than attending a church near campus. She still attends when she goes home-maybe once a month-but doesn't find the service "upstairs" very engaging. She is a veteran of every aspect of children's programming: nursery, church school, junior youth, youth group and even a year or two as one of the youth leaders. The one thing she has little experience with is worship: particularly everything after "Children's Time."

"Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone?" -Matthew 7.9

Okay, I have a need to offer confession before proceeding! First of all, I am looking at that crazy calendar that is a life in Accountable Ministry and realise I have two similar tasks that are pending. Both are sitting in my Outlook calendar and require me to write something that is reflective and, hopefully, also useful and meaningful. One is text-based, the other digital ... and I think they are similar enough that I have decided to put them together! Now, as for the second confession, it is that this ruminating piece is heavily influenced by an article from the Alban Institute that has taken hold of me with its clarity and import.[1] I hope, therefore, that the following is inspired and not plagiarised ...

We are, at UCiM, currently in our Annual Stewardship Campaign. It is a rich time - a time to review where we have been and continue to imagine where we might go. Such a time, in the church year, can be an intentional opportunity to hold up needs and realities in a way, which hopefully, highlights the year long work of discussing what Stewardship means. One of the ways we have been framing Stewardship is to think of it as ‘caring for someone else's stuff' or ‘caring for someone else's child' (yes someone = God). Part of my reflection with the Finance & Stewardship Group has been the reality that no matter how much money comes in, if we do not have clarity as to why we need it, there is no way that we will be able to inspire people to offer their time. And, without commitment, one's mission cannot be lived out. Without the people, Discipleship is simply expressed by a bank account number - not so bad as a metaphor, not so good as a gauge of living out our call.

I wonder, as our congregations "emerge" - that is become more "emergent" and spirituality becomes more personal and authority more democratized - will there be a place for classically educated, former seminary students now ordained ministers?

I wonder about this a lot.

Not just because my pension depends on it.

In my congregation all manner of folk sit side by side, not disturbed by the fact that the woman sitting next to them does not have a developed Christology, the guy behind feels more comfortable with an "Eastern" expression of the Trinity, the woman taking up the offering doesn't believe in the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ and the fellow pouring coffee considers the day that he was "born again" to be the most important day of his life.