A few weeks ago I started a conversation about what to do for emergent folks in rural areas - people who want to be part of the emerging conversation but might not be able to find other emergent folks in their area. A lot of good idea came out of this discussion, including a new google map intended to help connect folks to one another and to existing groups. Another project that has emerged is a new online cohort called "Emergent Ouliers".

Started by Gideon Addington, Blake Huggins, Matt Scott, and Drew Tatusko, the site describes itself as:

...all about bringing together all of us wayward Emerging Church enthusiasts who don’t have a cohort, would like a more active community. Currently, this will be centered in an online Theology Book Club (starting this month with John Caputo’s On Religion) with video chats for meetings. We’ll also be sharing some writing and trying to get the conversation moving. This is not an alternative or competitor with Emergent Village, of course – but rather a central hub for those of us who do not have ‘real life’ Emergent communities of our own.

If you're in need of something like this, I hope you'll join in.

Labels: Emergent Village, emerging church

So Facebook just switched to having their shorter profile usernames, so I figured it'd be a good time to post that here for anyone who might want to "friend" me there. Just go to http://www.facebook.com/mike.clawson1.

Labels: personal

Between German Reading class, driving to Baton Rouge last weekend for a wedding, working on Emergent Village stuff, and watching the kids so Julie can get her work done, I've not had any time to blog lately. Julie, however, has several great articles out recently. Check out the following:

Daddy's Girls at Sojourners' God's Politics blog.

Weddings, Women and Traditions at Emerging Women.

Review of Will Samson's Enough at Next-Wave Ezine.

Update - Julie has a new post up at Emerging Parents that asks a great question: what should young people do when honoring their parents conflicts with pursuing their faith?

Labels: Julie

Even as debate erupts across the blogosphere about whether Emergent is fizzling as a movement, those of us still committed to the friendships and ideas we've found here are going ahead with ideas for how to keep the ball rolling and continue to get more and more people connected with the conversation. A few days ago I posted a question here at my blog and at the Emergent Village Cohort Leaders Google Group about what Emergent Village could do to help emergent-leaning folks in rural areas get connected with one another and with the broader emerging conversation, whether through cohorts or other means. The ensuing discussion was very productive, and has resulted in a project to create a comprehensive google map of what's going on in the Emergent Village world.

In keeping with Emergent Village's desire to be a network of emerging people and communities, the goal with this map will be to create a resource to help network folks with what is going on in their own local area, or help them start something new if there isn't anything already. This will include existing cohorts, as well as any "emerging churches" who don't mind being listed on the Emergent Village website.* The map will also include individuals who are interested in being a part of a cohort, but don't currently have one near them. Our hope is that as more people add themselves to this map, it will become a lot easier for them to find one another and start new cohorts.

We've decided to start by open-sourcing this map, basically letting anyone and everyone who wants to add themselves or their faith community - no gatekeepers or approval system, though those of us in the cohort network will help make sure it stays free of trolls. We'll start passing the link to the map around through blogs/Twitter/Facebook, etc. (that's where you come in :) and inviting folks to add their churches and cohorts (or themselves if they're not yet part of one and want to be). Hopefully it will snowball, and in a few weeks or months we'll have a thorough and exciting map of what is going on and where. How cool will it be to be able to see just how much this conversation has grown in the past decade!

So here's the link again. I hope you'll help us create this thing!


*Of course we realize that there may be emerging ministries out there who do not wish to be "affiliated" with Emergent Village in any official way, for any variety of reasons, even if just on a google map. Nonetheless, those of us in the Emergent Village are happy to partner with any faith community that doesn't mind calling itself a "friend of Emergent Village," and hope that many communities will choose to add themselves to our map.

Labels: Emergent Village, emerging church

Good conversation happening over at Nick Fiedler's blog (of the Nick & Josh Podcast and a forthcoming book from IVP) about his disappointment that the "Emergent" movement (by which he primarily seems to be referring to Emergent Village) seems to have fizzled and hasn't produced the sweeping change in the church he was hoping for. This is in a long line of recent "death of Emergent" declarations all over the blogosphere, though this is by far one of the better, more thoughtful, and heartfelt ones by someone who isn't dancing on its grave or congratulating themselves for being a "hipper-than-thou" post-Emergent. Nick genuinely wants the movement to succeeded and is disappointed that it doesn't seem to be.

Makeesha Fisher has an absolute great response to Nick's concerns, and rather than rehashing everything she said, I'll just direct you there and to her follow up comments there and at Nick's blog. Her main points basically come down to a few things:

1) It was never about just Emergent Village in the first place. Nevertheless, don't count EV out just yet. It is in transition but good things are in the works.

2) If you don't think the revolution is happening fast enough, get in there and get to work, because the "emerging movement" is not some group of leaders, speakers, or authors. It is us.

I'd give a hearty "hear, hear", and also add just a few more points of my own:

3) There is actually a lot more that has been accomplished in the past decade than you might think. Emergent Village might not get direct credit for it per se, but the ripples that started from the rock they threw into the pond have already spread far and wide and taken many different forms.

4) A lot of the folks declaring the "death of Emergent" are themselves emergent types (including Nick). But the emerging church doesn't go away just because you don't want to call yourself that anymore, and you don't stop being what you are just because you take down your "Friend of Emergent Village" blog button. Emergent Village could disappear tomorrow and the ideas, passions, relationships, and communities that it has inspired and participated in would continue to exist. In the end it doesn't matter if people declare the end of Emergent or not, because it is already happening and will continue to happen all around them whether they like it or not.

Update:
This conversation has exploded in the blogosphere. You can read some more responses from Tony (I want to especially recommend this one - Tony gives a very good response), Julie, Jonathan, Josh, Drew (Part 1 and Part 2), Makeesha (part 2), Jonny, Matt, Jim, Jules, John, Paul, Andrew, and Carol.

One more thought too. It kind of sucks that so many people are wanting to pull the plug on Emergent Village right when so many women and minorities are just stepping up into leadership (e.g. the recent DC gathering). The big white males that these folks have been complaining about so much are stepping aside/making room for these others, and that's when they all decide to leave the party? Kind of ironic, don't you think?

Labels: Emergent Village, emerging church