I was watching this very cool video (ht) of Michael Frost from the 2007 Presbyterian Global Fellowship Conference in Houston, TX. Michael, if you didn’t know is the co-author of Shaping of Things To Come. At around 20:00 of the video he begins this very interesting section on elders. And I began to realize that much of the problem within the emerging/missional church is that we don’t have seasoned elders who have been engaged in these conversations like Michael is presenting here. It’s new. It’s fresh. But that new, fresh territory means that we don’t have elders. And that means some of us will get it wrong.
And I recognize that it is sometimes hard to embrace something that has no foundation, no traditions or elders that have done the hard work of sifting through all that we are contemplating. The liminal shift we are in is in some ways a return to the original design that Jesus modeled so long ago. And yet in my life time these are new dialogs, new practices, new explorations in what it means to follow Jesus. And as Michael mentions in the video, it would be nice to have those who have explored this territory before.
But hey, I’m also recognizing that I am enjoying this path we are on. I like exploration and enjoy the freedom that my Heavenly Father gives me to figure it out. Much love to all you brothers and sisters who are with me on this journey, and a wave to all those back at the village. We’ll send reports.
Missio Dei 