Nuts & Bolts of Starting an Anglimergent Ministry & Working with a Diocese

[Carol Bradsen]

I'm eager to learn how other groups educate and work with their diocese/bishop in the actual work of starting anglimergent ministries on the ground. What have you found helpful, what's not?

Do any U.S. dioceses have plans in place, or are you working on specific ways to nurture and support new ministries (especially ones that don't look like traditional churches).

Yes, I know a lot is happening in the U.K. which is great. But how is that being best translated into action here in the U.S.?

Thanks.

[Karen Ward]

Our diocese (Olympia) has a 'Commission for Emerging Mission.' We have outlined a wholistic way for nurturing emerging mission across the diocese. We are just six months old. If you want to have me come out to talk to your diocesan staff about this let me know. This is much more exciting than any email can convey!

[Carol Bradsen]

Thanks great to hear, Karen. I'd love to read what the commission has outlined. and to talk with you more after. thanks. Is your diocese the only one in the U.S. to do this so far?

[Karen Ward]

As far as I know we are the first diocese in the Episcopal Church with a Commission for this. Here is our website with lots of info on what we do. http://www.emergingmission.org

[Wendy Johnson]

Great conversation, Carol. I have been in the ear of my bishop for 8 years now - of course, a good bit of this dialogue was happening before we had the tag Anglimergent. I have to say that persistence, time, the generative nature of this movement, and the crisis of all sorts of #s in the church have all been factors working toward change. Our bishop has moved from being completely skeptical to actually funding our trip to The Great Emergence and offering seed money for a new start.

Frankly, we don't ask for anything in particular from our bishop. I'm not convinced that a diocesan committee or organization is necessarily appropriate in MN. I would advocate for us to stay outside of the system in order to both inform and create the necessary tension within. We stay connected through our local Anglimergent cohort, which I facilitate. We support each other, talk through new ministries, and organize advocacy campaigns within the system (such as at our last diocesan convention).

[Carol Bradsen]

Also good to hear, Wendy. Thanks for sharing about the evolution in MN. It is a tricky thing to think about putting a committee in place. For committees and movements of the Spirit don't always go hand in hand. I hope we can find ways that new ministries aren't controlled and managed as much as nurtured.

It seems in Olympia/Seattle the diocese is coming along side people (under 35, with a distinct call). It's a long-term, relational approach. And that's what I hear you saying too: 8 years, dialogue, some change of heart.

Emergingness (what ever you want to call this whole mind set/sea change) probably won't be served very well if dioceses try to control it. On the other hand, most of the groups, ministries, and communities that I know about have/had some kind of support (financial, encouragement, general "yay! go do it!") to get going. And so, in the short-term (without those things) that might mean continued marginalization, and ministries shriveling on the vine.

Anyway, It's bigger than any of us. and I'm glad to be part of the long-term, relational network of like-mindedness here online.

[Karen Ward]

It can be a new day for 'diocese control' when the head of whatever diocesan thing is a postmodern Gen X or Gen Yer.

Ask my diocese about how much of a stir I can cause ;-)
'They can be us' with postmoderns in key positions, just as Barak Obama is bringing change to the nation, postmoderns in positions in diocese can bring change there. This is a sea-change in the making, when somebody like me can 'head' a diocesan Commission and folk like +Andy Doyle and +Sean Rowe can become Bishops. LOOK OUT!

Believe me, I am as skeptical about modern systems as anyone, as I have been burned (and am still being burned) as a church planter by them. This makes me (and people like me) ideal diocesan 'staff' as WE KNOW what it like to be crushed and drained down by the modern institution, as such I will risk pretty much everything to NOT to allow this to go on under my watch! so instead we can begin to to 'clear the backfield' instead of blocking change and young leaders from being 'blessed and released' to help us all as agents of God's future.

[Carol Bradsen]

Here, here!

[Br. James Patrick Hall]

Karen,
How did your diocese' "commission for Emerging Mission" come to be? I would be interested in starting such a thing in Oklahoma. How open was your Bishop to this?

Terry

[Karen Ward]

He was instrumental in starting this and asked me to do it. I can come consult with your diocese as to what we do. All this requires is a request from your Bishop to mine (Bishop Greg Rickel). Also you can email Bishop Rickel via this site as he is a member and tell him you are interested in this and copy me on the email, meaning email us both via this site.

Thanks

[Karen Ward]

Also consider having your Bishop email my Bishop (Greg Ricke) for some 'Bishop tips' on supporting emergence. Also some 'emergent friendly' Episcopal Bishops will meet in Chicago in April. Bishop Rickel can tell you Bishop about the meeting.

[Ian Mobsby]

For me there is a key process that needs consideration. Many in Anglimergent have followed the missiogical approach of Vincent Donovan and incarnational models of mission. Why - because the problem with traditional church planting models says you start with worship, grow community and then attempt to do mission. The problem with this approach is that it has been shown not to be effective at real mission and in effect just recycles Christians through sexed up forms of worship. No if we are committed to incarnational mission, and many in this network are, then there has to be a time of listening to the needs, this may take a while, then some form of project engaging with the needs coming out of the listening, that then grows a community and hopefully deepens into a Christian community through discipleship and mission, which then over time develops indigenous expressions of worship, and then the sacramental signs are often the last to develop. So this is an approach that starts with projects that we hope will grow into mature expressions of churches which are authentic and contextual, this may take time. So its not just all about alternative forms of worship - its more a relational approach that seeks to live out the gospel relationally that we hope grows church. This may take 10 years!!!

So I would advise an approach like this.....

Ian Mobsby

[Sarah Fossati]

This is a really interesting conversation, and while I am interested in the diocesan question, I also wonder what an emerging community's relationship with local, established parishes should/could look like. How could those parishes be supportive to a new community, and how could that new community benefit those parishes? Is this even possible? Of course, this is assuming one has diocesan support already. Thoughts?