I’m not a big fan of labels anymore. I used to be a big fan of the word emergent, as in the emergent church. But this weekend I went to a conference and I asked this church planter who was leading a seminar what he thought about the emergent church and he responded by talking about Willow Creek and Saddleback. Then my professor in class tonight was talking about a church she visited that billed itself as emergent all over it’s website, but in all reality it was a contemporary church that just happened to use art in its services.
I used to want to take our church down the road of the emergent church, not any more. I think there is something much deeper and radical we are called to.
6 comments:
Good stuff Kevin...really good.
Come on, but it's so easy to live by labels... Contemporary... Emergent... Conservative... Liberal... Poor... Rich... I mean, we live labels and don't have to think. Wait a minute, most of us already to that anyway. I still love you Kev, even if you don't return my phone call. Thought I'd slap on the guilt as much as possible.
By the way, all the Kearn guys love you.
That last anonymous was me Hof... Sorry.
I wish "emergent" meant "we're poor, we borrow a church building and we're trying some unorthodox ways of reaching the folks those larger seeker churches and cozy comfortable hymn-singing churches left behind", because I'd be all over it. In reality, I had used this word before to describe our church, but now I try and play it down as just "a gathering of people who are trying to figure out what it means to be Children of God" (not that we are or act like it often), but we're "trying."
I too am fed up by how broad the term has gotten and the heroes who have been made from wearing this label (especially those in charismatic large churches who think they're "emergent" and in reality they're Dream-ing that they're in the Center of Los Angeles) - but not anyone in particular. haha
Anyway, I agree with you, and our churches are reaching somewhat different audiences, but we often are going about reaching them with the same philosophy - Jesus, love, grace, notalotamoney.
oh, also, was that church your prof mentioned Mosaic in Los Angeles (or one of the Mosaic branches?)
Kev,
I don't particularly like labels
either. After Jesus showed me His
love in such an amazing way, I
couldn't put a label on it. Some of my friends told me the Lord
sanctified me. And, that is probably true, but all I knew was that my life was changed completely becauseHe showed me His love in such a tender, loving way and I've not been the same
since. He didn't put a label on it; He just showed me through His
word that I should,"Be still and
klnow that I am God." No label
there. It has been a struggle for me to get away from labels somtimes, though, because they have been such a part of my life for so many years. Now I just want to live for Jesus whatever the cost.
Love you always,
Mom
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