This past March, I had the opportunity to attend the Re-Emergence Conference in Belfast, Northern Ireland. About 60 people were squeezed into the little building in a residential area of the city to hear the keynote speakers and engage in meaningful discussion about the Great Emergence.But what is the Emergence? Honestly, I don't know if there's a clear answer, but I'll try to give you the definition Phyllis Tickle gave in one of her presentations.
She defines the Emergence as a movement within the Christian church toward a non-hierarchical, de-institutionalized structure. It is, essentially, a new Reformation, and one that's definitely overdue.
Phyllis has a theory that every 500 years, the Church has a big rummage sale to get rid of all of it's old baggage and outdated ideas. Go back 500 years and you'll find the Reformation and the establishment of the Protestant tradition. 500 years before that, you'll find the Great Schism and the division between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. 500 years before that and we see the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. 500 years before that brings us to the time of Christ. So, if we really are on a 500-year cycle, it's time for us to make some changes.
Our society is radically different than it was even 50 years ago. We live in a global world connected at the speed of light to every point on the planet and many people are leaving the church because it no longer serves their needs and addresses the issues that effect them. What do we need to change and how? There are lots of ideas, but very few answers at this point.
I am not qualified and I don't know if I'm called, but I am excited to be alive now as we try to hash out what the Emergence is and determine its direction. Where do we go from here? We question, we probe, and we try to interpret God's will for us. It should be an amazing journey.
