A New Kind of ChurchNEW CREATION CHURCH: a new kind of church
The new new thing is a notion that is poised to be taken seriously in the
marketplace. It’s the idea that is a tiny push away from general acceptance and,
when it gets that push, will change the world. (from The New New Thing, by
Michael Lewis, p. 15)
As heretical as it may seem to apply new marketing models to the church,
Jesus Christ is still, 2000 years later, the paradigm shifter for our lives.
However, the church—that is the religious institution-- which was birthed by the
passion and discipline of a few early witnesses, and a lot of early adopters,
could use a new new breath blowing through it to reach out and incorporate the
energy and work of the Holy Spirit outside its walls and structures.
This new new thing is being called the “Emergent Church”. It is rising out of
the dust and rubble of the “modern” church. It is rising to meet the hunger of
the generations of the 21st century who consider themselves “spiritual but not
religious.” Dan Kimball builds a case for the emerging church in his book The
Emerging Church: Today’s seekers are hungry for symbols and metaphors and
experiences and stories that reveal the greatness of God. Because seekers are
constantly changing, we must be sensitive to them like Jesus was; we must be
willing to meet them on their own turf and speak to them in ways they
understand. God is at work in the world. The message of Jesus Christ about God’s
unconditional love and forgiveness to those who believe in his life and death
and resurrection is still relevant. But the delivery system and institutions
have lost authenticity and integrity.
I would like to introduce the members and friends of New Creation Lutheran
Church to another way of presenting ourselves and our identity. We are NEW
CREATION CHURCH: a new kind of church. It is on our shoulders to fill in all
that this identity entails. For starters I would suggest:
- We are a Progressive Christian community, offering Christ’s
reconciliation, hope and healing to all people.
- We are a church that is BOTH spiritual and religious – our forms reflect
the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and the eclectic modes of the 21st
century. v We are a church who is bringing the “fire and table” out into the
world – that is the marketplace and the garden.
- We are a church where someone can “bump into us” along your way to other
places, such as: a huge yard sale, a pet blessing for all the neighbors’ pets,
a spiritual garden for rest and comfort on your way to or from the bus stop or
market or life, a Bible study in the local coffee shop, Vacation Bible School
for all children, dinner with our neighbors at the low-income senior housing
next door, a connection to the local teen center, small weekly support and
prayer groups, a Sunday worship service wide open and responsive to the
movement of the Spirit, just to name a few.
- We are a leaping and walking and praising God kind of church, who takes
seriously reconciliation between all faiths, ethnicities, and diversities; who
claims the power of prayer to heal and change life; who sees God’s redemptive
love in everyday life.
- We are a new new church for a new new century. Will this new new church
exclude those whose spirituality is fed by the traditional church? Not at all.
The ancient/vintage church is very much a part of the revealing of the Spirit,
and will be carefully honored and featured on special occasions and holy
festivals. We stand in a strong tradition and heritage of bring the good news
of Jesus Christ to a hungry broken world in the language, style and arena
where the world feels welcomed Come and experience New Creation Church: a new
kind of church.
Pastor Anne |
