Emergence
By Bo Sanders
The Loft is attempting an interesting experiment that intersects and overlaps several different streams of thought and tradition. There is, of course, a deep heritage with our Methodist roots that allows us to draw on songs, imagery, and the precedent of innovation. Gatherings at the Loft are also employing some elements from a school of thought known as the Ancient-Future model. The author Robert Webber helped popularize this intentional blending of ancient practices with 21st-century elements in a way that honors the tradition while engaging the sensibility of modern believers.
Perhaps the greatest influence on the way that Loft gatherings are designed and facilitated is a school of thought known as emerging. The term has been used several ways in the past thirty years, leading to a little confusion and a steep learning curve for those looking to get initiated. The term is borrowed from science. Emergence is the way that complex systems and patterns arise out of the smaller, simpler elements and groupings that comprise them. Another way to say it is that small elements, organisms and systems give rise to larger and more complex systems which then in turn impact the environment of all involved.
What does that have to do with church? It has two interesting applications for the Loft. The first is global and long-term. The second is very local and immediate.
More than twenty years ago, largely in the former colonial countries of New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Britain and Western Europe, a conversation / movement materialized around a new de-centered, non-hierarchical approach to Christian community and the denominational church. The conversation was quite vibrant and took on a variety of expressions around the world including some based in youth outreach, in charismatic circles and in postmodern contexts.
Then the conversation migrated to North America. It came in through youth pastors who recognized a shift in the culture and that techniques that worked so well in the 70’ s and 80’ s had lost their effectiveness. Voices like Phyllis Tickle and Brian McLaren became spokespeople for the concepts. This conversation quickly found an audience among mainline, evangelical and non-denominational young people around the country. For a while it looked as if it would blossom into a full-fledged movement, but that has yet to be seen.
This vibrant, global conversation has impacted churches and those training for ministry deeply. Part of the reason is
4 that it begins with the small and the local and then looks to what larger and more complex systems are generated. This is a very different from the bureaucratic( top-down) denominational structures of centuries past that start with the big( what do we believe) and then attempt to figure out how we implement that at given locations.
This is where The Loft comes in. Emergence thought is very environmental( contextual) and looks to the surrounding atmosphere first. In West LA, there are a different set of concerns, priorities, challenges, opportunities and resources than one would find in a rural, suburban or other urban setting. Loft gatherings are designed to both account for those environmental realities and to address them by building spaces of spontaneity, contribution, and
The Loft at Six Months
Westwood UMC made a bold, innovative move this past year by creating a new event as an entry point into this loving community. The Loft is the result of several years of strategizing, praying, dreaming, and investing as we fashioned a gathering that is true to our Methodist heritage but accessible to the diverse inhabitants of West LA. After six months of Loft gatherings, here is where we are:
• The Loft attendance is averaging a little over forty people each Sunday. This is from a roster of approximately ninety who show some regular pattern of attendance. Seventy percent of these participants are completely new to Westwood UMC. Most of them report they would not be attending here if not for The Loft; they simply were not looking for a traditional-style service.
• We continue to see new visitors“ shopping” on a regular basis. There are usually four or five guests present at each gathering. We feel these numbers are a good sign of enthusiasm as word spreads through the community.
• Perhaps the most exciting news happened on May 26 when The Loft experienced both its first new member joining Westwood UMC and its first baptism. By the grace of God, there will be many more to come.
Starting this July, The Loft will begin receiving payments from a grant awarded by the Cal-Pac Annual Conference New Ministries EMT( Essential Ministries Team). Our United Methodist denomination has set aside monies for the development and support of new churches and ministries that are pioneering the future of the church. The Loft won a grant this past year to help us move forward with excellence. This investment by the Annual Conference’ s leadership has been an encouragement in direction and a powerful tool for ministry. Things are looking bright.
— Chris Spearman