An Emerging Story

“I just don’t know if I our church can handle this kind of thinking,” said the pastor to me. It was a warm fall 2004 day in the east and we were standing outside a seminar talking about the emerging church. I wanted to say something that would reassure my friend that the Church of the Nazarene was indeed a church that would embrace those who would think missionally about how they might reach this postmodern world for Christ. But I couldn’t because that statement could have come from me just as easily as from him. So we just stood there and looked at each other sharing hope and uncertainty.

Since that time I’ve found myself in the story of Ruth and Boaz. At different points in my own journey I’ve found myself in different characters in that story, but I’m continually drawn into that great narrative. Most often lately I find myself as Naomi. I’m journeying back into relationship with the Church of the Nazarene. With me I bring a newcomer, a foreigner, (those who find hope and home in the emerging church) and I’m hoping that somehow she can find encouragement, resources and protection from the established church. My hope doesn’t stop there. My hope continues that this newcomer may some day be redeemed back into the story of the established church, the Boaz.

There is a dangerous character in this story for me though. There is this older brother of Boaz who has first rites on redeeming the foreigner into the story. In the Scriptural account this brother decides that while having the profits in the end might be nice, its not worth the hassle and relationship that would come with it. Will the Church of the Nazarene be the Boaz or the brother to this emerging church?

I’ve never been as hopeful that I’m working with Boaz as I was last week. Nazarene Theological Seminary (NTS) hosted the “Missional Leaders in an Emerging Culture” workshop (?). The event’s presence alone said a lot about the Church’s involvement in the conversation. The response and the relationships told us even more.

Tim Keel, pastor of Jacob's Well, started with a presentation on Tuesday night. He talked about church, leadership and creativity. It was a great discussion by all accounts. I wasn't there because it was Jahred's birthday!

On Wednesday six presenters shared with the participants on different ways that the emerging church is interacting with Wesleyans and Nazarenes. Jay Akkerman from Northwest Nazarene shared about the “Order of Love” that he is a part of in his community of Nampa, Idaho though which they order their lives and their rhythms to more fully follow Christ. Sean Heston shared about the emerging church he is a part of in Lawrence, Kansas. Most importantly Sean told stories and invited others’ stories of how God is at work in a different way. Dean Blevins talked about “Discipleship in a PostModern World,” which was a great encapsulation of how ministry and discipleship are changing as the culture is changing. Susan Cox-Johnson also came and shared as a District Superintendent from the United Methodist Church and as one embracing the emergent movement. Her vision for the community together was a blessing.

One of my favorite reports of the day was when Hal Knight, professor from Saint Paul School of Theology (Methodist) presented a paper on “John Wesley and the Emerging Church.” His thoughts on why we Wesleyans should be embracing the emerging church were excellent. He highlighted the parallels of Wesleyan theology and the emerging church in discipleship, missional focus, incarnational approach, alternative communities, preaching and teaching, worship and a generous orthodoxy.

While the only theme that weaved the presentations together was the emerging church, the message became clearer and clearer that indeed not only is there room in the Church of the Nazarene and in Wesleyan theology for the emerging church, but it is needed. “Perhaps one of the greatest things the emerging church has to offer us Wesleyans is a call back to being Wesleyan,” Hal Knight said.

Thursday morning Jesse Middendorf, General Superintendent, and Jon Middendorf, Associate Pastor at Oklahoma City First Nazarene had a “Generational Dialogue” that was moderated by Dave Curtiss.

Jesse and Jon talked about the tension between the Church of the Nazarene and the emerging church as they see it and about the natural partnerships between the emerging church and the Church of the Nazarene that center around justice, small groups and friendships and theology. Both acknowledged the tension, but agreed that it is a healthy tension because the points of pressure revolve around re-discovering our Wesleyan roots and re-claiming what we say that we believe.

Jesse said, “One of the things I have struggled with in my ministry, one of the traditions of denominations is to say, you believe so we engage you. I want to say we engage you so you can believe.” Jon concurred that we must make friendship the end goal, not a means to an end.

The question then naturally arose, “Do you think there is room (in the Church of the Nazarene) to embrace the emerging church?” Jesse responded, “Not only room, but it would be a tragedy for us to pull out of it. I don’t think we can ever afford to not be a part of this dialogue. It is helping us.” Jon agreed and pointed out that we need to work on our language so that people see those who are emerging as “hopeless romantics”, who desire to be a part of God’s story and the Nazarene story.

The tension, they both went on to articulate, is real and will always be there, but they see it as a healthy tension. Jon went on to describe the relationship this way, “Maybe lions and lambs don’t lay down together until there is a lot of tension. When they first see each other until they lay down together there is a lot of angst, there must be a priority to lay down together that goes beyond what might even be instinct to go away from each other. In order to bring that picture to fruition, we’re going to have to choose to stay together in the midst of unbelievable tension. That’s what we started as a denomination that was a ‘big tent denomination’. That despite the tension we could remain together.

Sitting amongst the participants listening to this conversation, I could only imagine what it must have felt like for Naomi the first time Ruth returned from the fields of Boaz. I was filled with hope. Hope that we as the Nazarene church indeed protect, resource and empower the emerging church. Hope that both sides would stay committed to each other amidst the tension.

These conversations bring me hope not because they are saying things I haven’t thought or felt or even believed for years, but because they are putting words to a movement the way a good poet puts words to emotions. Our entrance into the conversation may well be a belated, but it is definitely a beautiful voice in the conversation.