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| Emerging Church movement | |
|---|---|
| Name | Emerging Church movement |
| Main classification | Christian movement |
| Orientation | Postmodern Christianity |
| Theology | Diverse (postliberal, postconservative) |
| Polity | Network-based, congregational |
| Founder | Multiple leaders |
| Founded date | Late 20th century |
| Founded place | United States, United Kingdom |
| Area | Global |
Emerging Church movement The Emerging Church movement is a loosely networked phenomenon among Christian communities that arose in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, notable for engaging postmodern cultural trends, ecclesiology, and alternative worship. It traces roots to conversations among clergy, theologians, and activists across the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, and interacts with figures from academic theology, popular music, and social advocacy. Proponents drew on a wide range of influences from Thomas à Kempis-style devotionalism to contemporary thinkers and institutions in theology, media, and missiology.
The movement emerged from interactions among leaders associated with institutions such as Fuller Theological Seminary, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Regent College, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and Wheaton College (Illinois), and cultural hubs like Seattle, London, Melbourne, and Toronto. Key early forums included conferences and publications tied to networks around Brian McLaren, Tony Jones (author), Doug Pagitt, Rob Bell, Mark Driscoll, and Leonard Sweet, as well as dialogues involving scholars such as Stanley Hauerwas, Miroslav Volf, N. T. Wright, James K. A. Smith, and D. A. Carson. The movement’s genealogy also connects with the House Church movement, Emergent Village, Alternative worship experiments, and denominational shifts within United Methodist Church, Presbyterian Church (USA), Anglican Communion, and Baptist networks. Early 2000s texts and conferences—linked to entities like Ekklesia Project and media outlets such as Christianity Today and Sojourners—shaped discourse that spread through blogs, books, and podcasts.
Theology within the movement is heterodox and eclectic, drawing on sources including Postmodernism, Narrative theology, Liberation theology, and elements of Evangelicalism and Anglicanism. Influential theologians and writers who informed theological reflection include John Howard Yoder, Stanley Hauerwas, Karl Barth, Paul Tillich, John Stott, R. T. France, L. Gregory Jones, and Gordon D. Fee. Debates about authority, biblical interpretation, and ecclesiology often referenced works by Alister McGrath, Richard Bauckham, Walter Brueggemann, Walter R. Murray, and Eugene Peterson. On soteriology and ethics, interlocutors cited Dietrich Bonhoeffer, John Wesley, Jonathan Edwards, and contemporary ethicists such as Oliver O’Donovan and Stanley Hauerwas. Theological pluralism within the movement led to engagements with interfaith dialogue partners and secular thinkers in forums linked to Theos and university theology departments.
Worship practices combined liturgical recovery and contemporary innovation, echoing patterns found in Taizé Community, Iona Community, Oxford Movement-influenced Anglo-Catholicism, and charismatic renewal trends associated with Calvary Chapel and Vineyard Movement. Leaders experimented with elements from Lectio Divina, Eucharistic liturgy, and informal storytelling modeled after Martin Luther King Jr.’s narrative preaching, while employing technology popularized by bands like Hillsong and media strategies linked to re:think Entertainment. Liturgical resources and music came from authors and musicians such as Rich Mullins, Sandra McCracken, Marty Haugen, Chris Tomlin, and publications tied to Worship Leader and Common Worship (Church of England). Services often featured contemplative practices, participatory sacraments, and deconstructed sermons influenced by practitioners in emerging church conversations.
Organizationally, the movement favored network-based, non-hierarchical models resonant with structures seen in Anabaptist circles and some Pentecostal huset. Leadership profiles included pastor-theologians, artist-pastors, and lay collectives, with prominent names connected to networks like Emergent Village, Simple Church initiatives, and citywide collaborations in Portland, Oregon, Chicago, Bristol, and Sydney. Funding and accountability drew on models from parachurch organizations such as Youth for Christ and denominational partnerships within Presbyterian Church (USA) and Episcopal Church (United States). Training pathways referenced seminaries and alternative mentorships tied to figures like Dallas Willard and Richard Foster.
Engagement with culture emphasized social justice, environmental stewardship, and urban ministry, often aligning with organizations and movements including Sojourners, Samaritan's Purse, World Vision, Amnesty International, and local advocacy tied to Occupy Wall Street and faith-based community organizing in cities like Detroit and London Borough of Lambeth. Prominent activists and thinkers who shaped ethical stances included Dorothy Day, Cornel West, Shane Claiborne, Sister Helen Prejean, and William Stringfellow. The movement’s cultural production involved collaborations with publishers such as InterVarsity Press, Zondervan, HarperCollins and media platforms including NPR and BBC religion programming.
Critics from conservative institutions like The Gospel Coalition, Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, and voices such as John Piper, Al Mohler, and D. A. Carson argued the movement relativized doctrine and undermined biblical authority. Accusations regarding celebrity pastors (for example controversies involving Rob Bell and Mark Driscoll) intersected with broader critiques about accountability, theology, and pastoral ethics, paralleling institutional responses by denominations such as Evangelical Covenant Church and Acts 29 Network. Feminist and queer theologians—citing thinkers like Miroslav Volf and organizations such as DignityUSA—both critiqued and conversed with the movement’s stances. Debates appeared in journals and conferences hosted by Society of Biblical Literature and forums at universities like Harvard Divinity School and Yale Divinity School.
The movement influenced mainline and evangelical churches, seminary curricula, worship music, and church-planting strategies, contributing to renewed interest in liturgy, formation, and urban ministry seen in institutions like Lutheran World Federation, World Council of Churches, and denominational bodies across United States Conference of Catholic Bishops-adjacent contexts. Authors and pastors associated with the movement shaped publishing trends at IVP, Crossway, and Baker Publishing Group, and informed programs at theological centers including Covenant Theological Seminary and Regent College. Its legacy persists in youth ministry networks, missional church paradigms, and in conversations at ecumenical gatherings such as Greenbelt Festival and National Gathering of Young Adults.
Regional expressions ranged from house church networks in Seattle and Portland, Oregon to urban missional communities in London, Bristol, Birmingham, Melbourne, Auckland, and Toronto. Notable groups and networks included Emergent Village, Mars Hill Church (associated with Mark Driscoll), Mars Hill Bible Church, Hillsong Church-influenced congregations, Saddleback Church-adjacent initiatives, and independent collectives linked to leaders such as Brian McLaren, Rob Bell, Doug Pagitt, Shane Claiborne, and Graham Cray. Ecumenical projects connected to Iona Community, Taizé Community, and city-based partnerships with organizations like City Bible Forum and Redeemer Presbyterian Church (New York City) illustrate the movement’s diverse global imprint.
Category:Christian movements