Some recent thoughts on “emerging church”

A lot of people, when they hear that term “emerging church,” think it means a particular style of church – distorted electric guitars, subdued lighting, lots of tattoos and piercings, anti-liturgical, extremely hip. Or they think it’s about structure – dismantling denominations or something similar.
Those folks don’t get it.
Focusing on “style” is part of what the emerging church is emerging from. The emerging church represents a turn from preoccupation with structure and style towards content, towards the primary and primal meaning of the gospel in our world today. If we “get” that meaning of the gospel – that God’s kingdom (or dream, or commonwealth, or kin-dom, or beloved community) is available now, within reach, inviting all to participate – then we realize that style (whether traditional “smells and bells” or hipster tattoos and piercings) isn’t the point. It’s relative, not absolute; a means, not an end.

From a guest blog here:
http://seaburynext.wordpress.com/2012/05/07/permission-to-lead-in-the-emerging-church/