Deep in the Heart of Texas

A week or so ago I spent several days, Thursday though Saturday, in Fort Worth Texas. Had the privilege of speaking to a group of young adults; leaders, students, church planters, and people interested in the 'emerging conversation.' They asked me to speak on 'emerging' church/worship as part of the regional assembly for the denomination Missiongathering is associated with: www.disciples.org.

Besides having a chance to see my friend Scott along the way, who I haven't seen for WAY too long... The gathering was truly a conversation, and a good one at that... Lots of questions from young people wrestling with their faith in a culture of transition....

Great band, and leadership from Suzanne Castle-Roland and some of the folks from The Search- an emerging gathering at TCU. Got to finally meet in person several memebers of our denomination's Young Adult Commission: www.disciplesconnect.com,
www.docya.org ... as well as many more good people... Also went to an interesting break-out session on 'Emerging Evangelism.'

One of those who helped organize this event is starting to blog on it here: www.disciplesx.com


And then there were the inevitable (friendly) challenges from some who asked, 'what's so bad about church as we currently know it?'...

And, 'how can we reach the increasingly large segment of people outside of 'church culture' with the message of God's grace, but not change?'

My answer, predictably, was... 'you can't.'
Change is inevitable.
If we truly are in dialogue with the people, ideas, and culture of our context... we will change. Some want the results of change without the pain of change. But it just doesn't work that way.

As our faith communities learn to become more and more incarnational we will affect, and be affected by our culture. Sure we could close ourselves off, and never experience the danger that that entails... but wouldn't we just be trading the changes of today for the changes (now institutionalized) of a previous time?

As long as there are humans involved, communities will shift and evolve.
...And being a community that builds it's identity on not changing isn't the same as remembering and celebrating the good of the past... and then discovering a community identity in the life giving, sending and expanding, mission of the Kingdom.