presbymergent leadership ~ Coordinating Group
As many of you know, presbymergent began as the brainchild of just two individuals. A year later, we are a full-fledged community of several hundred ministers, lay-persons, writers, evangelists, youth directors, web-developers, theologians, seminarians, artist-musicians, and more. Until now, “presbymergent leadership” has consisted primarily of the seven website editors, and whomever happened to step forward and help at our various regional parties and gatherings.
While this leadership arrangement has enabled us to do much, we’re at a point where we need to be more intentional about leadership — not in a hierarchical, bureaucratic sort of way, of course, but rather for the sake of accountability, transparency, communal stewardship, and plain old “getting things done.”
To this end, we’d like to form a Coordinating Group to steer and guide our community over the next year, as we seek a balance between living in the world of “loosely networked generative friendships” as well as the world of “decently and in order.”
The Coordinating Group is open to anyone who is both Presbyterian and actively exploring what it means to be Emergent. It might be a transitional group, or it may evolve into something more permanent. Regardless, we’re looking for people willing to make a one-year time commitment to participate in several intentional developmental conversations (through a Google Group, some conference calls, and hopefully face-to-face interactions) about the continuing “emergence” of presbymergent. We should add the warning that the Coordinating Group is not intended as a “prestige” thing nearly as much as a “roll up your sleeves and work with us” thing.
If you’re interested in helping to further develop our community in this way, you can reply in the comment section to this post, or else send an email to presbymergent@gmail.com letting us know. We’ll reply to everyone as soon as we’ve given sufficient time for people to take the plunge … step into the fire … umm … volunteer.
Comment by Sarah on 11 March 2008:
Hello there Presbymergent Admins!
I know I am newer to this community than some, but I would love to be a part of this. Presbymergent has become in the last few months a center in my chaotic middler year at seminary, and as I have struggled both with what it means to be Presbyterian and to identify as emergent. Finding this community has been so important to me, and I would love to help contribute to the conversation if that is what y’all feel is best.
So let me know if there is anything I can do to help out, either in this capacity or another!
Best,
Sarah
Comment by Drew on 11 March 2008:
Without committing to anything…yet…let’s talk. I have been considering completing my ordination process at some point and this might be something to help spur me on to do that by getting me connected to other Presbyterians again.
Comment by Sara Green on 11 March 2008:
I am new both to the presbyterian church and the emergent church but I like them both and would love to dialogue about the interaction of the two. After reading a couple of Brian McLaren’s books and Tony Jones’ recent “The New Christians” I can hardly think about anything else. I am a first year seminary student in the VA Beach area and I look forward to hearing back about this.
Comment by Drew on 11 March 2008:
To be very blunt, I got about half way through A Generous Orthodoxy and became quickly bored. It seemed like stuff I had read before, just not as theologically precise for my taste. For instance, the material on Orthodoxy was so much better done by Peter Gilquist and so on…
And I have other criticisms as well. But I am still drawn to the idea. The idea I am drawn to is finding ways to reconstruct our ways of knowing and our ways of doing ministry that makes sense with the ways of knowing and practice in our current world. This is more than a faddish experiment in “cultural relevancy” that will die out as quickly as parachute pants, ripped up flannel, or EMO (sorry if you like it, it’s going to die to - thank God). It’s grounded in epistemological constructs for God and that is vital.
I just need my teeth to sink into a little more. I am an outcomes junkie. I am a college administrator by trade so it is the life I live. But I think it’s a useful practice for churches to implement to determine the efficacy of programming and practice - especially if churches want to pilot new programs in the kind of rubric of something emergent.
Comment by Sara Green on 12 March 2008:
Yeah…I could see how a Generous Orthodoxy would be boring to some, but when I read it I was just beginning to wrestle with postmodernism/emergent village. I guess you could say I’m a bit behind the times. But hey…it is what it is and I am thankful for what God has done in my life in the past year or so and how he has moved me. I appreciated his people more after reading that book. And by His people, I mean all his people not just Christians. After all, everyone on the planet bears the image of God whether they choose to believe in him or not. I also gained perspective on denominations. I read these books and I started to see myself as the dogmatic, modern churchgoer berailed in all of them and I didn’t like what I saw. But I also became hopeful because I felt that I finally had words to describe the unrest of my spirit. For me understanding often means movement and action away from the old and towards the new. I feel I am being transformed by the renewing of my mind and I love it. If I read that book now, I might get bored with it, but for me it was the first step towards a more holistic view of life, people, and the body of Christ.
Comment by ryan pappan on 13 March 2008:
What ever happened to the logo? Will this be something the CG care for?
Comment by Rev. Eric Ledermann on 13 March 2008:
I have been reading up on Emergent for a few years and would love to roll up my sleeves and put some energy into helping this movement any way I can. Please let me know how I may be of service!
Comment by David Williams on 14 March 2008:
It’s not a prestige thing? Drat. Here I was jonesing for a little raw and unadulterated emergent power.
Seriously, though, if I can be of assistance, let me know.
Comment by Bob Pearson on 15 March 2008:
One idea Karen Sloan and I have been discussing since the Pittsburg gathering is a Presbymergent event to be held at the Presbyterian conference center at Lake Tahoe, called Zephyr Point, in mid-February 09. This is a first class facility and they have space available mid-week at that time of year. The costs are very reasonable and the views are exceptional. If you have never visited this site it is in many ways a nicer facility than Ghost Ranch or Montreat for a meeting.
Our original idea was to bring together Presbymergent voices with leadership throughout the denomination such as Executive Presbyters, New Church development leaders at the National and Presbytery levels, past and present moderators, seminary faculty, etc.
This idea is probably not going to transpire this quickly, but we could use the facility for a first gathering of the Presbymergent Coordinating community. I have a tentative reservation, but the facility is now asking for a final commitment in the near future or the time will be opened up.
Perhaps we can take a poll using the new polling capability to see if people would be willing to make a trip to Lake Tahoe in the winter to develop the vision and the tactical plans for the future of Presbymergent.
Comment by ryan pappan on 15 March 2008:
Winter would mean snow…
Comment by Sarah Glass on 16 March 2008:
maybe it is just me, but somehow Tahoe doesn’t strike me as the most presbymergent of places–to go there for a meet up is to escape many of the things that many of us see as the kingdom work to be done here and now. Not to diss tahoe, but it is highly consumeristic, materialistic, touristy, etc… why not do it in the city somewhere instead?
Comment by Wendy Bailey on 16 March 2008:
I’ll throw my hat in the ring … I’m not a newbie … I’ve been ordained for over twenty years in the PCUSA, and I’ve been a part of Emergent and The Gospel and Our Culture Network just about from the beginning. I have experience in an “emergent church” as a leader and a participant. Generationally, I sit on the cusp between babyboomer and gen X … and I have a foot in both worlds. I have always been fascinated with the work of the church and culture. Finding the heart of of the Gospel in a system which is mostly influenced by the cultures in which it was born is an important task as we move into this new world.
Administration, however, is not my forte … so don’t count on me for minute taking or list keeping.
Comment by Drew Ludwig on 16 March 2008:
If you want to do it in Buffalo, I can help.
Comment by ryan pappan on 16 March 2008:
What is the most central location to everyone? What about at one of the seminaries?
Comment by Sarah on 17 March 2008:
Don’t yall think that perhaps it might be a good idea to create a new thread for all this meeting up stuff? It doesn’t really fit under this heading.
Comment by Neal Locke on 17 March 2008:
Ryan — to answer your question about the logo, it’s still in the works. We had to round up some prizes first, but are almost there. I’m pretty sure the CG will be involved in that in some way or another. Hopefully we’ll be better able to figure all that out once we get going (hence the need for a CG, right?)
Comment by ryan pappan on 17 March 2008:
Thanks Neal. Excitement builds for the launch. It is like watching Evil jump the fountains.
Comment by Neal Locke on 18 March 2008:
Ummmm…just don’t be disappointed if Evil is jumping very small fountains on a bicycle. And I know that Marc Driscoll and Chuck Colson think we’re Evil, but geez, I never thought you’d be leveling that charge at us, Ryan!
Comment by John Vest on 19 March 2008:
I might be interested in this. I’d love to hear more about what you have in mind.
Comment by Tommy Brown on 19 March 2008:
If you’d like to have a campus minister as a part of the coordinating group - perhaps I can fill that spot. I love the idea of an event at Zephyr Point in Feb. I’ve got some experience in planning and implementing national events.
I’m also involved with PACHEM (Higher Ed folks) in pulling together YAM-Jam - Young Adult Ministry Jam for May of 2009 in Austin TX. This event is leaning Emergent.
Please let me know if I might be helpful.
Comment by ryan pappan on 20 March 2008:
Neal we need capes as part of the uniform that should be mandatory for the presbymergent gathering, along with the glasses, mac, url, and pint glass. I am showing up to the gatherings with a cape! I am bringing sexy back to the presbymergent.
Comment by Drew on 25 March 2008:
Hi all,
I jsut signed on to this labor of love more or less officially.
I think what needs to happen is a development of clear goals and objectives related to the mission of the organization and to the PCUSA as a whole.
What would we be doing to move the mission of the PCUSA forward? Can we think of measurable outcomes that we can then report somewhere in the PCUSA? If this is to be an agent of change, clarity of purpose is essential from an administrative perspective.
My own druthers about process is to work up a needs analysis of the church both theologicaly and organizationally that can then drive home what these obejctives are and how they can be accomplished and the costs that might be necessary if any. In short, we need a strategic planning session that begins with brainstorming. I can fill you in more on strategic planning as I have been involved with this in two collegiate environments for more than one iteration of a strategic plan.
Looking forward to the continued engagement here!
Comment by Carol Howard Merritt on 27 March 2008:
Okay. Ryan will bring the capes and Drew will bring the strategic plan. This just might work….
Comment by Neal Locke on 27 March 2008:
I can bring either beer or grape kool-aid. Either one seems appropriate
Comment by ryan pappan on 28 March 2008:
NO KOOL-Aid. Folks might think us strange. Better make it the beer.
Score on the capes and Drew’s strategery.
Comment by Drew on 30 March 2008:
Not too sold on the capes idea. Unless of course we volunteer it for a design competition on Project Runway. That would be fierce.