I Missed Gathering

This past week was the Emergent Gathering in Glorieta, New Mexico. I wasn't there. Lots of friends were. bummer. So I'm living vacariously through some others as they have recorded their thoughts on blogs and such. One good blog on it is by Will Samson here. I share in his encouragement and hope for the future for this great group of people.

Perhaps some of this is due to my recent loss of church family and consequent search for a new one, but I'm more passionate than ever about this conversation. Perhaps I'll post some more of my specific experiences and thoughts in the future here, but I'm really realizing the need for the church to engage culture and seek out where God is already working.

Had I been at the Gathering, I would have tried to host a conversation entitled, "Needing another Boaz: the future of existing churches and the need for shepherds". The focus would have been on the relationship between those in existing church structures (playing the role of Boaz) and those who are doing new things (playing the role of Ruth). For more on this read the book of Ruth and see whose shoes you think you better fill in the story - Ruth - the newcomer, outsider; Boaz - the older established person who is an advocate for Ruth; or perhaps the rest of the town - who aren't quite sure what to make of this new one and her role amongst them.

There are some thoughts to be harvested on this conversation in my specific context of the Nazarene denomination as well.