From the final session of the Mainline Emergent/s gathering by Brian McLaren…
We must be concerned with the earth and not just the church. The substance of the message that is being presented in a local congregation is important – is the gospel one of escape or transformation?Possible action steps after the gathering:
- Stop focusing on saving the church and think about the good news of the presence of the kingdom of God.
- The gospel is a matter of life and death for the earth.
- Find a cohort – remember that thinking is a social process and that change is an agonizing process.
- Make friends: non-utilitarain relationships.
- Be a friend to yourself…
- If you can start something new, do.
- You have more power than you think. You do not need permission to serve God.
- If the people of your context are not interested in change, consider what you may be able to do in other areas.
- Realize the positive relationships between innovation and imitation
- Support experiments
- Expect failure
- Adaptively imitate success
- Innovation and imitation are not enemies – small organizations may be able to innovate in ways that larger organizations can not. Larger organizations may be able to imitate this innovation and use it effectively.
- Don’t criticize anybody
- Think of us / us, not us / them.
- Include people in a circle of love, whether or not they include you in their circle.
- Criticism can make you bitter or better. Criticizing will not make you better.
- Emphasize “first order practices.”
- 1st order – pray; 2nd order – a theology of prayer
- 1st order – giving to the poor; 2nd order – an economic theology
- Hope against hope and ask… What if this works “exceedingly abundantly beyond all we can ask or think”? (Ephesians 3:19-20).
Rev. Andrew Conard 