Q & R: Church recommendation?

Here’s the Q;

For the last 9 years, my husband and I have been working as youth pastors at a large evangelical church in the Northeast. But as we’ve spent the last 3 years diving together into the thoughts and writings of a number of progressive and emergent Christian leaders, such as yourself (thank you, by the way!), we’ve been increasingly interested in experiencing new ways of doing church and thinking about the church’s mission. However, as youth pastors, there really hasn’t been a way for us to do that. We don’t even get to attend our own church on Sunday mornings, let alone experiment with others. 🙂
This summer, we are moving to [a new city] to take new jobs in a nonprofit organization. For the first time in our marriage, we won’t be working at a local church… which means we have some freedom to explore new expressions of the church. We’re really excited about it.
So. My question. Do you know of any progressive or emergent churches in this area you would recommend for a young couple with no kids? Or do you know of anyone in the area who might? We are coming from a fairly typical nondenominational evangelical church. We’re not sure exactly what we’re looking for in a church, but we’d love to explore and try new things. 🙂
Any ideas? Thanks so much for your time and for your voice!
PS: I’ve been mentoring a crew of college-aged girls since they were 10 years old, and they talked with you for a while back in April when you spoke here. Maybe you remember them? They loved your talk and conversation afterward. We’ll be diving into WMTRBW together starting in a couple of weeks. 🙂

Here’s the R:
First, thanks for the encouraging words. I’m so glad my books have been helpful.
Your question about finding a church is one I hear often. As more and more Evangelical (and Catholic) churches hold firm or double down with a kind of fierce conservatism, more and more moderate and progressive Evangelicals (and Catholics) feel they don’t fit.
Often they end up in Mainline Protestant churches – Episcopal, UCC, DoC, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Methodist, etc. In addition, some Evangelical and charismatic churches are changing – becoming less fearful and more accepting of science (relating to evolution and global warming and sexual orientation), more committed to social justice, more reflective and less rigid theologically. There are websites that help people locate churches that are committed to LGBT equality, for example … Some of these groups, like The Fellowship, are forming networks that make them easier to find.
But I think we’re all still waiting for a multi-dimensional church locator site that brings together a number of qualifications – welcoming and affirming, committed to peace-making, poverty-reduction, and planet-care, and committed to vibrant spirituality and worship, for example. (Some friends of mine are working on this right now – stay tuned.)
I hope that general guidance will help you in your search.
Thanks also for telling me about the group of college students you’ve been mentoring. Yes, I remember this enthusiastic and energetic bunch … and I’m thrilled they’ll be using the new book.
In the last 24 hours or so, I’ve learned of two churches that will be using We Make the Road by Walking for their 2014-2015 curriculum, a “learning circle” forming in the DC area, a college class that will be going through the book this semester, and some groups for incarcerated people. It’s exciting to see!