Wonderings & Wanderings

The Gathering: New Mexico in October

I'm just leaving Emergent's "Gathering" near Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Gathering is the Emergent community' s family reunion. This is a time of great friends, innovative ideas expressed in a setting devoid of microphones and harsh critics, great food, stunning landscapes, and one of those tastes of the kingdom that Jesus insists is forming in our midst. It is truly a unique event, or non-event more specifically. There is no registration cost. No ideas are shared for an honorarium. In fact, we schedule our meetings (really conversations) after we arrive. These conversations are formed by the interests, questions, visions, and concerns of those who attend.

Some thoughts from this week —
• We had a great conversation of why church plants fail, why our evaluation of church plant failures could be entirely wrong(!), and the hope that the home church movement brings to the greater church.
• Other conversations included money, family life in the way of Jesus ethic and mission, life decisions and a life rule in following the way of Jesus to name a few.
• Doug Pagitt raised the idea of how the scientific transition from Newtonian Physics to Quantum Physics (don't snicker) can alter, refine and redescribe our Christology, notion of the Trinity, perceptions of past and future, the organic and spiritual union with Christ that we call salvation, and can truly shed light of the mysterious tension of the past, present, and future kingdom that Jesus announces! I haven't been more excited about reading a work of science in many, many years! Thanks to Doug for always living on the edge of exploration and mystery.

Don't get me wrong — there's a place for large events. Our convention (done in partnership with Youth Specialties) is an excellent large event and serves a critical role. But, nonetheless, the Gathering is special and I hope that some of you consider joining us next October. By the way, there are few places in the world more beautiful (or fun) than New Mexico in October.

I'm off to Seattle to see my brother's family (who we love and miss dearly) and the Harbers (wonderful friends who moved from Chapel Hill. After these visits, I'll have a couple days meetings at Mars Hill Graduate School. Mars Hill is a school that I believe can help revolutionize preparation for life and ministry. I'm excited about the opportunity to share in this vision.

Peace —
Tim

• BTW — Harry's Roadside Grille in Santa Fe has the best breakfast I've ever had, anywhere. The staff is as nice as the food is good.

"More Christ"

A Personal Update: My mother-in-law, Charlene, has been able to leave Duke Medical Center for possibly a couple weeks until the next round of chemo. She will be in Tennessee living with Mimi's older sister. We're so thankful that she is getting this respite from the hospital and constant treatment. Thanks so much for all the help, friendship, prayer, and kindness we've received from so many. Understanding and experiencing our place in community has been one of the true gifts of this season.

As I've written throughout the summer, I have been leading an emerging culture initiative for our church. This initiative is now moving into a much higher gear. Our vision community had a wonderful time presenting our dream to the Chapel Hill Bible Church's Elders. As an initiative leader and as an Elder, I've been able to listen in on both sides of the conversation in regards to these plans. I have been so encouraged to see how enthusiastic our church's leadership has become for the possibilities of this mission. In short, the leadership has encouraged us to not only continue dreaming but to take action.

Our plans now call for the formation of a missional community in downtown Durham. We have not closed the discussion on whether this community should eventually become a separate church. But, for now, we hope to development a mission that is distinct from the Chapel Hill Bible Church (authencity requires it) AND uniquely connected to CHBC. We hope to continue to in partnership with CHBC. We will have so much to learn from the many of years of ministry experience of this unique fellowship. We will need their love, support, and blessing to truly address our calling. We also hope to help shape and influence the future of CHBC by stepping a bit faster down the path of cultural change. We truly hope that our exploration, mission, and embodiment of the gospel will be an act of blessing to CHBC.

One of my dreams for the church as it moves into the emerging culture is an explosion of diverse partnerships. The Christian community has been marked by separation, competition, and a broken communion. Much energy has been exerted as fellowships seek to replicate themselves in new (and often distinctly different) contexts. What we need, I believe, in the emerging postmodern, post-Christian, post-individual, post-rational, post-Evangelical, post-liberal, post-Reformation, post-consumer (to name of a few of many relavent "posts") culture is a new manifestation of community among those who follow the way of Jesus. I am excited about the opportunity to express this in a small way in our own community. I will look forward to many opportunities to hear how others express this need in their own communities.

In regards to this dream, I want to share a great sound-byte. To shape and guide this mission, a community of friends have begun to gather on Sunday evenings to pray, dialogue, dream, and share communion. For our first time of communion, I had asked my son, Keenan, and another 4th grade friend (Morgan) to help distribute the elements. After everyone had been served, my son was left with a still full of platter of warm bread. Instead of setting it down, he (with a flair for the dramatic, don't know where that comes from....) bowed in the center of our group and held high the plate over his head and exclaimed, "More Christ!" We laughed and immediately realized that this blurb had the potential to become both a rationale and organizing principle of our mission. Isn't that what we need? Seriously, anyone, "more Christ."