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

Although its worshipping communities are small and it's hardly a household name, few churches have been as influential in the past half-century as Church of the Saviour in Washington, D.C. Through the years, thousands of leaders from a wide variety of churches have come through Church of the Saviour's doors to be inspired, trained, and transformed for innovative ministry back in their own context, including visitors from The United Church of Canada.

With ministries based in some of the poorest neighbourhoods in Washington, Church of the Saviour was an early (if mostly unrecognized) leader in the "missional" church movement, focusing on local social justice initiatives as the living expression of their faith. Founders Gordon Cosby, Mary Cosby, the late Elizabeth O'Connor, among others, challenged church members to respond to God's call in ways that were both inward (prayer, Bible study, worship) and outward (hands-on participation in social justice ministry), transcending the liberal / conservative characterizations that too often polarize North American religious life.

Among the many ministries spawned through Church of the Saviour are healthcare centres for the homeless; one of the first residential care facilities in D.C. for those with AIDS;
shelters for women, children, and seniors; housing co-ops for low-income people; and addiction treatment centres.

Church of the Saviour also launched The Servant Leadership School, an "underground seminary" of innovative discipleship training for social justice communities; and the Potter's House, a coffeehouse which brought together people of all backgrounds for discussion of spiritual issues (for you young folks, that's like WonderCafe, but without the computers).

In many ways, Church of the Saviour is the anti-megachurch. Instead of focusing on building up the number of church members or building larger and grander churches, over the years Gordon Cosby has been systematically dismantling -- or rather, redistributing -- the ministries of the church, sending them off to become their own independent organizations, believing this was a more creative and sustainable option than building Church of the Saviour into an institution.

Now at age 91, Gordon Cosby is ending his days at the pulpit, though he will continue his ministry in other ways, such as visiting those in prison (the man can't be stopped!), and the future of the orignal Church of the Saviour is unclear. "This form is dying, and whatever new form will happen is vague," Cosby told the The Washington Post. "We are wary of people who say they already know what that will be."

It is striking how many churches today, both large and small, find themselves in a similar position of uncertainity about the future. And even as its light is waning, Church of the Saviour continues to offer valuable lessons, this time about letting go and trusting God.

Read more:

"Activist D.C. Church Embraces Transition in the Name of Its Mission," The Washington Post, Jan. 6, 2009 (free registration may be required)

"Mission: Possible," Sojourners' Jim Wallis interviews Gordon and Mary Cosby on the 50th anniversary of Church of the Saviour. Sojourners, November-December 1997.