The Emerging Church Movement: a Sociological Assessment

The Emerging Church Movement: A Sociological Assessment

Ganiel, G., & Marti, G. (2015). The Emerging Church Movement: A Sociological Assessment. Currents in Theology and Mission , 42(2), 105-112. http://currentsjournal.org/index.php/currents/issue/view/7/showToc

Published in: Currents in Theology and Mission

Document Version: Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record

Queen's University Belfast - Research Portal: Link to publication record in Queen's University Belfast Research Portal

Publisher rights Copyright 2015 LSTC

General rights Copyright for the publications made accessible via the Queen's University Belfast Research Portal is retained by the author(s) and / or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing these publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights.

Take down policy The Research Portal is Queen's institutional repository that provides access to Queen's research output. Every effort has been made to ensure that content in the Research Portal does not infringe any person's rights, or applicable UK laws. If you discover content in the Research Portal that you believe breaches copyright or violates any law, please contact [email protected].

Download date:25. Sep. 2021 The Emerging Church Movement: A Sociological Assessment

Gladys Ganiel Research Fellow (as of April 1, 2015), The Institute for the Study of Conflict Transformation and Social Justice, Queen’s University

Gerardo Marti L. Richardson King Associate Professor of Sociology, Davidson College

What we bring to the study avoid offering any systematic or coherent definitions, which contributes to frustra- of the Emerging Church tion in isolating it as a coherent group— Movement especially for sociologists who strive to define and categorize. In presenting our With so many voices, groups, and orga- own understanding of this movement, nizations participating in the Emerging we categorize Emerging Christianity as Church Movement (ECM), few are willing an orientation rather than an identity, and to “define” it,1 though authors have offered focus on the diverse practices within what various definitions.2 Emerging Christians we describe as “pluralist congregations” (often called “gatherings,” “collectives” or 1. Scot McKnight, “Five Streams of the Emerging Church,” Christianity Today, 51.2, February 2007: 35–39. e categorize 2. James Bielo, “The ‘Emerging Church’ in America: Notes on the Interac- Emerging tion of Christianities,” Religion, 39, no. 3 W (2009): 219–232; James Bielo, Emerging Evangelicals: Faith, Modernity, and the Desire Christianity as an for Authenticity (New York: New York Uni- versity Press, 2011); D.A. Carson, Becoming orientation rather than Conversant with the Emerging Church: Un- derstanding a Movement and its Implications an identity. (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2005); Lloyd Chia, “Emerging Faith Boundaries: “communities” by Emerging Christians Bridge-Building, Inclusion and the Emerg- themselves). This leads us to define the ing Church Movement in America” (The ECM as a creative, entrepreneurial reli- University of Missouri, dissertation, unpub- gious movement that strives to achieve lished, 2010); Gladys Ganiel, “Emerging from the Evangelical Subculture in Northern social legitimacy and spiritual vitality by Ireland: A Case Study of the Zero28 and Ikon Community,” International Journal Ancient-Future Faith: Rethinking Evangelical- for the Study of the Christian Church, 6, no. ism for a Postmodern World (Grand Rapids, 1 (2006): 38–48; and Robert E. Webber, Mich.: Baker Academic, 2007).

Currents in Theology and Mission 42:2 (April 2015) Ganiel, Marti. The Emerging Church Movement

106 actively disassociating from its roots in to pubs and restaurants, small informal conservative, evangelical Christianity. Our gatherings and large formal conferences, findings and rationale for terms and defini- public events like “beer and hymns” nights tions for grasping the ECM are extensively and lectures by Brian McLaren, as well as developed in The Deconstructed Church: private events like hanging out in people’s Understanding Emerging Christianity.3 homes and attending overnight dialogues Our interest is in the persons, prac- that included sleeping on couches and tices, and sociological significance of making breakfast together. We participated Emerging Christianity. Our consequent in these and other settings, saturating our- labeling and isolating of the ECM is not selves in conversation and reminiscence, intended to ignore the varied and evanes- because the ECM is a diffuse phenomenon cent strands of the movement, particularly that is not readily captured in any single when the movement values autonomy, place or person. Regardless of the (often diversity, and dissent, but to find analytic controversial) figures who write and speak ways to examine the ECM as an intriguing regularly like Rob Bell, Nadia Bolz-Weber, instance of institutional innovation. We Peter Rollins, and Tony Jones, none of do not rely on our theological convictions them “define” the ECM—yet they all are or on presumptions regarding what the manifestations of it. Christian church should be or should not Within the seeming cacophony of talk be doing. The ECM has both sympathizers4 and happenings, we find the ECM to be and critics,5 yet we assert that our interests a far-from-settled social occurrence. The lie neither in forwarding or retracting relatively small numbers of people who the ECM. Rather, we pay close attention identify as Emerging Christians, or who to observations of Emerging Christians attend recognizable emerging congrega- tions, has led some observers to proclaim and their congregations in the United 7 States, Northern Ireland, and the United the death of the ECM. Nevertheless, Kingdom in order to understand them on the ECM’s resonance with wider trends and values of “Western” society lead us their own terms.6 In our work, we went to conclude that Emerging Christianity 3. Gerardo Marti and Gladys Ganiel, will persist, even thrive, as it continues to The Deconstructed Church: Understanding Emerging Christianity (Oxford: Oxford ington, Vt.: Ashgate, 2009); Josh Packard, University Press, 2014). The Emerging Church: Religion at the Margins (Boulder, Colo.: Lynne Reiner Publishers, 4. Doug Gay, Remixing the Church: 2012); and Jason Wollschleger, “Off the Towards an Emerging Ecclesiology (London: Map? Locating the Emerging Church: A SCM Press, 2011). Comparative Case Study of Congregations 5. Carson, Kevin DeYoung and Ted in the Pacific Northwest,”Review of Religious Kluck, Why We’re Not Emergent (By Two Guys Research, 54 (2012): 69–91. Who Should Be) (Chicago: Moody, 2008). 7. On the number of Emerging 6. Other recent efforts include Bielo, Christians, see Marti and Ganiel, chapters Emerging Evangelicals; Chia; Philip Harrold, 9–11. On the death of the ECM, see Scott “Deconversion in the Emerging Church,” Daniels, “The Death of the Emerging International Journal for the Study of the Church,” Pastor Scott’s Thoughts, April 10, Christian Church, 6, no. 1 (2006): 79–90; 2010, http://drtscott.typepad.com/pastor_ Cory E. Labanow, Evangelicalism and the scotts_thoughts/2010/08/the-death-of-the- Emerging Church: A Congregational Study of emerging-church.html, (accessed December a Vineyard Church (Surrey, England/Burl- 22, 2014). Ganiel, Marti. The Emerging Church Movement

107 influence the organization and values of a flexibility of mind and spirit that ques- even the most established and “traditional” tions the very validity of core beliefs. For Christians and their denominations. In the example, Peter Rollins has talked about end, sociological study of the ECM con- deliberately short-term “pop-up churches” tributes to more general understandings of as a vital form of Christianity.8 Even the ongoing relationship between modern more, Emerging Christians’ standards religion and contemporary social change, for measuring success are a challenge not helping us to better grasp how processes only to traditional Christianity, but also to of religious individualization take place sociologists of religion who have relied on and are encouraged even within religious indicators such as church attendance and communities. adherence to core doctrines as measure- ments of religious vitality. Other aspects of the crisis of moderni- The social world that ty are increased pluralism and the hyper-in- prompts the “Emerging” dividualization of the self.9 People’s greater awareness of the plurality of expressions of the ECM of not only Christianity, but also other After more than a decade of observation faiths, has made over-arching narratives and systematic research on the ECM, in which one’s own religious community we see the “deconstructed churches” of has all the right answers seem implausible. the ECM as a response to the crisis of Multiple institutional demands prompt modernity, not only in religion but also the need for understanding how religious across all spheres of life. Part of the crisis commitments fit with various, contradic- of modernity is the proliferation of in- tory domains.10 The challenge of religious stitutional demands such that people no authority (which cannot be imposed) and longer rely on singular institutions for the challenge of understanding oneself their ethics, beliefs, or values. Overall, among so many competing institutional established religious institutions have not imperatives (which cannot be avoided) adjusted well to these changes. Rather, they leads to people having to individualize cultivate broad and distant organizational forms that remove intimacy and ignore 8. See Gladys Ganiel, “The Decon- the complexity of selves who can no lon- structed Church at Peter Rollins’ Holy ger give themselves up to a monolithic Ghost Festival” (May 15, 2014), http:// religious identity. In contrast, the ECM www.gladysganiel.com/social-justice/the- responds to the lack of trust in religious deconstructed-church-at-peter-rollins-holy- ghosts-festival-in-belfast-part-i/, (accessed institutions by deliberately creating “anti- December 22, 2014). institutional” structural forms, including pub churches, experimental congrega- 9. Ulrich Beck, A God of One’s Own: Religion’s Capacity for Peace and Potential tions, and neo-monastic communities. for Violence (Cambridge: Polity Press, Unlike traditional congregations, which 2010); Peter L. Berger, The Many Altars of evaluate their progress in terms of nu- Modernity: Toward a Paradigm for Religion merical growth, church attendance, and in the Pluralist Age (Berlin and Boston: De adherence to creeds, Emerging Christians Gruyter, 2014). shun such measures of “success.” Rather, 10. Gerardo Marti, “Religious Reflexiv- for Emerging Christians success may mean ity: Synthesizing the Effect of Novelty and the death of their existing community after Diversity on Personal Religiosity,” Sociology a certain period of time, and developing of Religion, 76, no. 1 (Forthcoming). Ganiel, Marti. The Emerging Church Movement

108 their understandings of religion. tions but also from the whole tradition of The demand for individualization the church.”14 In these ways the modern originates in changed social structures self is faced with an array of competing that affect every area of life, including secular and religious structures through religion. The lack of a single, primary which to enact its beliefs and practices. “foothold” for personal identity stimu- But even when principled action lates the peculiarly reflective nature of seems rooted in individual conviction, it modern individuals. People are constantly takes its force from being legitimated. So forced to reflect and rationalize their lives what is crucial here is that the legitima- in a quest for meaningful coherence of tion of beliefs and behaviors do not come the self. In this context, freedom and from within individuals, they come from autonomy are especially important.11 Individualism is not simply a value; it is a socially structured and morally enforced merging “institutionalized individualization.”12 The imperative for individualization does congregations not therefore indicate the receding of E structures but rather the reorientation of straddle the tension structures such that new forms of agency are created. The consequence for religion between is not abstract syncretism; rather, believ- ers from different backgrounds discover individualization new religious freedoms, change their old religious worldviews, and develop religious and the longing for identities from a range of sources.13 One pastor we spoke with painted a picture of community more what this looks like in practice: “Early on we called it ‘liturgical eclecticism.’ We took effectively than a lot of stuff from the Book of Common Prayer, a lot of Catholic stuff. We felt free traditional religious to borrow not only from our specific tradi- institutions. 11. Gerardo Marti, Hollywood Faith: Holiness, Prosperity, and Ambition in a Los Angeles Church (New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press, 2008); Gerardo organized groups. The ECM has responded Marti, “Ego-affirming Evangelicalism: to individuals’ needs for legitimation How a Hollywood Church Appropriates by creating religious communities with Religion for Workers in the Creative Class,” loose boundaries of belonging and belief, Sociology of Religion, 71, no. 1 (2010): where pluralism is not just tolerated, but 52–75; Gerardo Marti, “The Adaptability of celebrated as a positive religious value. At Pentecostalism: The Fit between Prosperity the same time, emerging congregations Theology and Globalized Individualization encourage people to follow individualized in a Los Angeles Church,” Pneuma, 34, no. 1 (2012): 5–25. religious paths. One of our respondents put it this way: “Yes, that’s what I envision 12. Beck, 95. 13. Ibid., 140. 14. Marti and Ganiel, 109. Ganiel, Marti. The Emerging Church Movement

109 a church should be: a lot of people doing practice of “deconstruction” is a form of things that feel right to them—but doing it micro-politics in which actors establish together.”15 When religious individualiza- competitive arenas in response to pressures tion is complemented by a fierce relational for conformity.18 When they talk about ethic, it creates a type of “cooperative their previous experiences of Christianity, egoism” that sustains community life.16 especially evangelical Christianity, Emerg- Emerging congregations straddle the ten- ing Christians say they felt like they were sion between individualization and the forced to adopt a false identity, one that longing for community more effectively indicated a correct religious persona. Now, than traditional religious institutions, with they encourage each other to critique the their demands for uniformity and the beliefs and practices that have wounded sanctioning of those who do not conform. them, and refuse to insist on what beliefs and practices to maintain or adopt. The Distinctive sociological freedom people experience means they aspects of the ECM frequently describe their congregations as “not judging” and “not legalistic.” One of our sociological contributions to Another of our sociological contribu- understanding the ECM is that Emerging tions to understanding the ECM is that Christians share a religious orientation built Emerging Christians are creating innova- on a continual practice of deconstruction. tive religious structures—what we describe We deliberately chose the term “reli- as “pluralist congregations.” This does not gious orientation” rather than “religious necessarily mean that pluralist congrega- identity” as we sought to categorize the tions are diverse in terms of ethnicity or ECM. The concept of religious identity socio-economic backgrounds. Rather, has been used extensively in the sociology pluralist congregations strive to be open to of religion, but we thought it was too all and to provide an environment where rigid to capture the fluid and deliberately a range of religious practices is both ac- boundary-crossing nature of Emerging ceptable and legitimate. Many Emerging Christians—especially those who do not Christians have been immersed in multiple consciously identify with the ECM yet Christian traditions through their own share its values and practices.17 Of course, life experiences. Drawing on their varied a number of distinct religious identities experiences, Emerging Christians actively already exist within the ECM, ranging challenge the forms of religious conformity from those who explicitly identify with they encountered in their past and heartily labels such as “emerging,” “emergent,” welcome all critiques of institutionalized and “emergence,” to those who discard (or Christianity. In their quest to create Chris- are not aware of) these labels. We stress tian communities where a broad scope of deconstruction as a practice, noting with freedom in individual belief and religious Stephan Fuchs and Steven Ward that the conviction reign, they adopt a plurality of 15. Ibid., 34. beliefs and practices—some of which may 16. Ibid., 190–192. 18. Stephen Fuchs and Steven Ward, 17. See Marti and Ganiel, chapter 4, “What is Deconstruction, and Where and for fuller descriptions of the values and prac- When does it take Place? Making Facts in tices that define this religious orientation, Science, Building Cases in Law,” Ameri- including distinct ways of thinking about can Sociological Review, 59, no. 4 (1994): the nature of truth, doubt, and God. 481–500. Ganiel, Marti. The Emerging Church Movement

110 contradict each other. In short, Emerging that point of view. It also differs from the Christians embrace pluralism and value ecumenical approach to dialogue, which the exercise of religious freedom—within is focused on discovering points of com- their own congregations. monality. Participants instead describe the Some of the most important prac- process as a form of pedagogy in which tices of pluralist congregations have been people strive for mutual understanding. encouraging conversation, dialogue, and People are encouraged to share stories debate. While it has been the leaders and about their personal experiences of faith public figures of the ECM who have most with others. The open, fluid nature of the forcefully articulated the idea of “faith ECM conversation places few demands as conversation,” all participants in our upon people to believe the same things. research spoke about how important Indeed, it could be said that for many within the ECM, the purpose of conversa- tion is to generate more questions. Emerging Christians believe they are ome of the living in a changed religious landscape in most important which foundational Christian doctrines are S no longer assumed and many traditional practices of pluralist church practices are irrelevant. Moreover, Emerging Christians see themselves as res- congregations have cuing core aspects of Christianity from the entanglement of modernity, bureaucracy, been encouraging and right-wing politics. In these ways, Emerging Christians actively deconstruct conversation, congregational life by placing into ques- tion the beliefs and practices that have dialogue, and debate. held sway among traditional Christians. Emerging Christians also see themselves as rescuing their own selves from the shal- conversation, dialogue, and storytelling are lowness, hypocrisy, and rigidity of their to their faith and how their congregations religious past. We see Emerging Christians provide a unique arena for this. The aim as themselves caught in a distinctively of Emerging Christians’ conversation is sociological dilemma: how to revitalize the not to settle on established positions or Christian “church” while simultaneously to reach a point where all can agree and avoiding what they see as the “trappings” therefore stop talking. On-going conversa- of church institutions, including robust tion is in itself a mechanism or a strategy institutions. Their redefinitions of success to maintain a plurality of identities and (or perhaps authenticity is a word they positions. For Emerging Christians, dia- would more likely use) in terms of small- logue simply means listening to others’ ness, impermanence, and open-endedness points of view or positions without trying are important strategies for revitalization. to change them. This approach to dialogue Sociologists also face a dilemma when contrasts to what Emerging Christians it comes to understanding the social or- see as evangelical dialogic practices: the ganization of the ECM. There is so much evangelical has the “right” answers and the variety among emerging congregations purpose of dialogue is to convert others to that it is difficult to generalize about their Ganiel, Marti. The Emerging Church Movement

111 structure or form. The purposes of gather- The future of the ECM and ings are not to “convert” or “lead” people to God through established recipes but the future of Christianity to create open opportunities to see, hear, On the surface the ECM may appear to be and respond to God. More importantly, a free-wheeling heterodoxy reacting to the the ECM legitimizes individualized/ established institutions of contemporary questioning/ambiguous approaches to Christianity. But on closer investigation religious convictions, and that seems to Emerging Christianity can be under- have unique challenges for crafting “reli- stood as a peculiarly “modern” religious gious” organizations (multiple forms and orientation played out in a distinctive options) and unique challenges for creating societal context. The practices of the ECM cohesive communities (conversation, au- legitimate, and help to create innovative, thenticity, tolerance). What holds almost “pluralist congregations” that straddle the all these congregations together is their tensions between individualization and openness and commitment to diversity, community. Yet despite their effective- and this translates into their willingness ness in helping people to critique existing to incorporate a range of practices. These expressions of Christianity and to resist “pluralist congregations” promote indi- religious institutionalization, emerging vidualism while at the same time provid- congregations remain a minority in all ing a basis for community around shared parts of the West, even in the U.S. where experiences and relationships. Emerging they are most prominent. Ultimately, the congregations strike a contradictory bal- influence of the ECM may be better judged ance as they create religious communities not by the conventional measures of the in which the autonomy of the individual is sociology of religion—such as growth, held as a core value in the very midst of an identification, attendance, and adher- often-stated emphasis on relationship and ence to particular beliefs—but by how community. Because being an Emerging Emerging Christians influence the values Christian is a form of personal religiosity and behaviors of Christians outside the that is expected to be intentionally (rather movement, drawing others into this dis- than customarily) enacted, this type of tinct religious orientation while remaining religious self cannot avoid being strategic within traditional Christian institutions. in its activities, which are selected and This dynamic of influence from enacted according to individual choice. emerging to traditional congregations is In short, the ECM does not exist as a most obvious in the “Fresh Expressions” free-standing religious form; rather, all the movement, which we consider the most values and practices of Emerging Chris- prominent example of the ECM in the tians exist within an overarching religious U.K. Fresh Expressions congregations orientation that deconstructs traditional are typically linked with already existing expressions of Christianity and strives to Anglican or Methodist congregations and keep conversation flowing. Crucially, this command various degrees of autonomy religious orientation is not confined to the from these traditional denominations. pluralist congregations of the ECM but can In the U.S., two nationally prominent be found among Christians in traditional emerging congregations—Church of the denominations as well. Apostles in Seattle and House for All Sin- ners and Saints in Denver—are affiliated with the Episcopal Church/Evangelical Ganiel, Marti. The Emerging Church Movement

112 Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and of clergy in mainline denominations the ELCA, respectively. In such contexts, identified as “Emergent.”19 This ranged there is more likely to be significant cross- from 1 percent of Southern Baptists to fertilization of ideas and practices between 14 percent of Disciples of Christ. Given emerging and traditional congregations. that many Emerging/Emergent Christians Given the way that Emerging Christians’ choose not to use the term, these figures religious orientation resonates with the may even under-represent their presence individualized yet pluralist West, it seems among clergy. unlikely that traditional congregations will The ECM is constantly shifting and remain unaffected by Emerging Christians’ current terminology may get lost in the innovations. Of course, this dynamic may currents of change. Nevertheless our goal also work in the other direction, with has been to describe a type of religious Emerging Christians—while ever eager orientation that is not only recognizable to deconstruct tradition—potentially across persons and formats transnationally, softening their critiques of traditional but more importantly will become more expressions of Christianity. pervasive in all religious environments. There is also evidence that the in- As one Emerging Christian told us, his fluence of the ECM within traditional congregation is an “open space where denominations is more widespread than individuals get to work out whatever they has been supposed. In our own qualitative need. Individuals are coming together.”20 research, we came across multiple examples Overall, our evidence suggests that patterns of pastors and leaders within traditional of religious individualism, the formation of denominations who sympathized with pluralist congregations, and the desire to the ECM but did not want to be publicly construct a personal faith within a coop- “outed” for fear of recrimination or loss of erative setting will be a diffuse and widely employment. We also observed multiple practiced element of modern religiosity. examples of congregations in traditional denominations, which exhibit high degrees of internal diversity and have adopted some 19. Ryan P. Burge and Paul Djupe, emerging-like practices, such as Fitzroy “Truly Inclusive or Uniformly Liberal: An Presbyterian in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Analysis of the Politics of the Emerging Further, in the U.S., Ryan Burge and Paul Church,” Journal for the Scientific Study of Djupe’s quantitative study found that a Religion, 53, no. 3 (2014): 636–651. surprisingly (even to us) high 7 percent 20. Marti and Ganiel, 195.