I came across this recent in the The Christian Century. The description of Jacob’s web does not seem to fit the usual prescription of an emergent church. Which is supposed to be small and democratically led. (flat leadership model)
This neighborhood is also home to a thriving church called Jacobs Well, which attracts about 1,000 people each week to its various services. The church is led by Tim Keel, who, along with author Brian McLaren, is a founder of the Emergent movement. I went to JW hoping that it could help me understand a phenomenon that remains elusive—the Emergent church.
The innovative JW is housed, ironically, in a classic church building that Presbyterians erected in 1930. The building is the envy of the numerous congregations in the neighborhood, including two that have exchanged their denominational labels for more jazzy names and logos—one Southern Baptist now River City Church and one Evangelical Covenant now City Church.
So can a church be emergent and large, and led by a charismatic leader?
Tags: Brian_McLaren, christian_century, emergent_church, emerging church, jacobs_well, keel
Loading ...
The thing is, many of the emergent spokes-people are charismatic leaders with larger churches. The emergent churches that are small with lesser charismatic leaders don’t get top billing at conferences or book contracts. As much as emergent deconstructs the system, it’s really very hard to get around the attraction that human nature has for certain kinds of speakers and larger sized churches.
I think it just goes to show how diverse the EC really is. I’m finding it diverse to the point that the label is passe now. There are other high profile EC’s that are just as big or bigger. Of the bat I think of Imago Dei and Mosaic.
Rich,
Pluralistic in expression yes! Diverse not so much. There still are not many churches or people of color acknowledged as emerging. Check out this post. is mosaic a part of the emerging church
Andre
DJ,
You are right and I have no problem with that. But I really have a problem with some of the emergent folks looking down their noses at mega churches and or suggesting that the de facto model of emerging church is small (in order to have “real” community) and flat leadership (avoiding charismatic leaders)
Just admit that many of the approaches being critiqued are also being practiced.
Andre