The Mainline Emergent/s gathering was an encouraging encounter with others seeking to do ministry in a way that is relevant to the surrounding culture and may be different than the way that things have been done within The United Methodist Church. I am considering how the conversations that I have had at this conference will be applicable at Resurrection and within the Kansas East and Kansas West annual conferences. My friend, Steven Blair – pastor at First Light Gardner, was also there from the East Conference. Also, Cindy Watson – pastor at West Heights United Methodist Church from the Kansas West Conference was at the event.
I think that there is a great deal of potential for emerging ministries to be developed both within and outside of current congregations in Kansas. I puzzle over how to effectively share the conversations which I have been a part of for the past few days with other clergy in the conference and within my own congregation. Perhaps it will be through an approach of promoting effectiveness in ministry – effectiveness that may be achieved through more intentional practices within congregations and moving toward an understanding the world in a way that moves beyond modernity.
What do you think?
- Have you been to a conference and then been able to apply what you learned there when you return to your local setting?
- If so, any thoughts on how this is effectively accomplished?
- What have you been an effective way to spread ideas from a few people to many within an organization?
Rev. Andrew Conard 
4 replies on “Mainline Emergent/s and the Kansas Area”
i know that willow creek (i’m considering your size congregation) had an “emergent” styled worship that they canceled last year sometime. unsure why, but i think it had to do with emergent isn’t so much about worship style, but community. so in the cor framework you might be seeking to develop emergent sensible communities within the congregation.
Hi –
I came across this while I was reading about the mainline/emergent event. I just wanted to let you know that you would be welcome to be part of the Kansas City Emergent Cohort. We gather monthly and we have several mainline folks including an methodist district superentindent. We would love to have you come – if you have any questions please let me know or you can check out our blog at http://kcemergentcohort.blogspot.com/
Tera Yakel
Gavin – Thanks for your thoughts. I think that you are right, the sense of community is a key portion of the emerging movement. Part of the current effort is to increase participation in young adult small groups with a series of “taster” events taking place over the next several weeks. It will be interesting to see how all of this plays out.
Tera – Thanks for the invitation. It has been my hope to be a part of the KC cohort for several months, but the timing has not yet worked out. Hopefully this month! Thanks 🙂