Jesse A. Schroeder

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Part Two: How Emergent Has Changed the Way I Partake in Community

First, a foundational idea of emergent that I have taken to heart is the idea of "epistemic humility." In other words, I try to be humble about what I think I know and about how I think I know it. There are various philosophical and logical reasons for this, but I think if I were to try to boil it down, the simple reality is that I have been really wrong in the past when I thought I was really right. Now, given the benefit of time and a new perspective, I see things differently.

Some criticize emergents as "not believing anything," but that is not the case. I do have beliefs, but I hold them very differently now than I did before. I recognize my limitations in my knowledge, my perspective, and my ability to judge correctly. I try to be open to different opinions and points of view, and I am always willing to rethink and grow in my beliefs.

In regards to community, this means that while I might think I have an idea of what "the best" Christian community should look like, what we would do and believe and practice, I realize first and foremost that I may very well be wrong in my ideas of what is best. Furthermore, I don't think that what best serves the community is one person pushing their views onto everyone else. Many churches and organizations are formed because there is either one singular leader, or several leaders who all agree completely. Emergent has taught me that there is value and beauty in lowering my opinions below others, opening my heart and mind to listen and learn from those around me, and experiencing a collective vision of what could be, not what "must" or "should" be.

Following in line is the idea of "the other." I have been greatly challenged by the words of Samir Selmanovic. There's a lot to be said on this topic, and it's tough to summarize. In short, persons coming from drastically different viewpoints from my own have extreme value and potential to positively impact my life. For me to get a grander picture and experience of God, it means that I must be willing to allow "the other" into my life, to inform me, to challenge me, to change me. Even to change me in ways I don't want to be changed or previously thought that I shouldn't change.

Therefore, in Christian community, my goal is not to meet and gather with many people who think just like me. My intention is not to expound my own views and gain converts to my beliefs. Rather, my intent is to be evangelized myself, to be shown the good news, to be changed by those around me who are so very different from myself.

For me personally, this is a huge shift. Coming from positions of leadership in Christian circles, from an undergraduate degree in theology, and years of experience leading various ministries, I was always searching for "my vision" or "my truth" that I would impart to the world. I thought that the key to successful Christian community was vision from the leader. I only knew the "CEO" style of leadership and church.

But in the past three years I've experienced something totally different. Yes, our cohort is filled with mostly white, liberal, Christian people. But we are still really different. And we spend more time exploring our differences and learning from one another than we do highlighting our similarities. We hope that more people who are more different than ourselves will join us in conversation and in life. We intentionally structure our community to give an equal voice to every person involved, regardless of how long, how young or old, how smart or how "right" they are.

Because of emergent, I don't understand Christian community as a place where people who agree come together to "high five" and confirm the already deeply held beliefs. Rather I understand it as a community of very different, very challenging, but very open people who are willing to submit their own personalities and beliefs to each other, in the hopes that they will be changed and brought closer to God in the process.

Finally, my understanding of the purpose of community has changed. After I stopped "going to church" and I started thinking of the cohort as "my church," I realized that what really felt like the kingdom of God was not "church," but rather life itself. A key idea of emergent churches is the breakdown of any sacred/secular divide. Life is life. In or out of the church, life is life and I strive to be the same person all around.

For me, I have found that the beauty of the kingdom of God exists more outside the church. One reason is simple math. Unless I work at a church, I spend more time outside of church that in it. And therefore, I should hope to find more of God's kingdom and God's life outside of the church. As I continued to follow this principle, I wondered why I would spend so much time and energy investing in a building, a budget, a program - when the kingdom of God was all around me all the time! Simply by opening my eyes, investing my efforts into the people and the life around me, I have found more of the kingdom and more of God than I could have imagined.

This next statement is something I'm still processing and working out. But at this point, I'm not sure I believe that Christians are called to go to church. Because I believe it can be a distraction from living the life of God in the kingdom of God. The two diagrams below are a way that I'm thinking about the difference right now, but as I said, it's a work in progress.


In the second diagram, the community of believers is a launching pad. It is a source of energy itself. It doesn't require a lot of effort or resources to maintain and grow, but rather it is life-giving and challenging. It "sends out" rather than "draws in." It is the community of believers which pushes the believers out into the world, where they experience the kingdom of God in a variety of ways. Again, I'm not totally sure how I feel about all this "ecclesiology" but at least at this point in my life, this is how I understand "church."

To put it bluntly, I don't want to have to give up my life for the sake of church. I want to be deeply involved in the lives of the people around me and sharing in the exciting life of God's kingdom in the world. I don't believe this takes any less effort or spiritual energy, but it is directed very differently from the first model. It also doesn't produce very many "results," and it requires being more attuned to God's work and presence. "Church" in this mindset might just be coffee with someone at your house. Or it might be small acts of kindness around the neighborhood. Or it might be a larger gathering.

The key difference is that the focus is not on the ministry itself, but rather on God's life in the kingdom around us. I don't want my focus to be about building a name and building a ministry, but rather building God's kingdom - whatever that might look like.

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Part One: "What I love about our community"

As we have approached a time of discussing the future direction of our cohort, I've really tried to think about what I cherish most about our community. In other words, what would be the thing, that if it were to change, would mean I might stop being active in the cohort.

For me, what is most important is not so much what we believe, what we question, or even what we do (which tends to be a lot of talking). What I value about our community is the way in which we value one another and the inherent God-ness in each other.

In our discussion about what our community could or should be, I think it is easy to miss the fact that we are having the discussion at all. We intentionally work to hear, understand, and be impacted by the voices of everyone who chooses to speak.

In the past few years I've learned that will I grow closer to God by allowing myself to be changed by other people. I heard someone say recently, "Know yourself. Know others. It's a cycle." That sounds like truth to me, and it sounds like what we try to do every week. I bring all that I have to the table, and it collides with everything that everyone else has - and the result can be messy and challenging, but also life-giving and encouraging.

When I first started attending cohort gatherings, I realized it was the first place that I could fully be myself and express my thoughts and ideas about spirituality without fear of judgment or condemnation. My past experiences of Christianity had typically been efforts to give the answers that would elicit the "Amen's." What I found in the cohort was a community that would take all my shit, and respond, "Yes, we hear you. And we are still with you." It was the first place I could just be "Jesse."

As we think about moving forward together, what is most important to me is that we are moving together. No matter what structures we adopt, I am committed to always valuing every individual simply because of their miraculous and divine individuality.

Where disagreements abound, I pray for grace. Where friendships take root, I will be grateful. Where truth is found, I'll hold in gently and with an open hand, willing to share with anyone who is journeying with us.

Regardless, I believe that it is together that we discover who we are and how to live life to the full.

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I've been active in the Central Ohio Emergent Cohort for about three years now. We started meeting about once a month, discussing "emergent" books and authors like Brian McLaren and Rob Bell. We went to conferences together, we traveled to hear speakers, and we did a lot of sharing life - supporting one another, attending important events, and just having dinner and drinks as often as possible.

Its a small, autonomous community of people wrestling with God in every day life. About once a year, we try to step back, evaluate what we are doing, and talk with each other about where we are headed. Usually there are some small adjustments or additions made to the structure of the group.

We are planning to discuss the future direction of the cohort this Sunday in our weekly gathering. And I have a lot of different thoughts, emotions, fears, and excitement about where we are headed. I've had several blog posts percolating in the back of my mind for a few weeks, and so I thought I'd try to write them out this week to share with my friends in the community.

I intend to write something along these lines:

Part One: What I love about our community.
Part Two: How Emergent has changed the way I partake in community
Part Three: I'm still afraid of church

...and maybe more after that. Not sure :)

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In case you didn't know, I really like our little cohort. I enjoy our meetings, I genuinely like (and love) the people who come to the meetings every week, and I get excited about the things we are doing. Sometimes its hard for me to put into words exactly what I think is so exciting about it all, but I just read a selection of an interview with Rob Bell on Out of Ur, and I think some of things he says describe exactly what we are doing. (Note: He is specifically responding to questions about the potential of video preaching in mega/satellite churches)

"In the New Testament, there are 43 "one another" passages, and during a Sunday morning service you might be able to practice three or four of them. And as the service gets large, you can probably do fewer. A massive group setting is also dangerous. You can come, sit, listen, and go home and think, I've been to church, even if you haven't practiced any "one anothers." And with video that only gets more intense. I'm not sure that's the direction we want to be heading.

We want to be calling people to deep bonds of solidarity with one another. We may gather in a massive group, but from the stage I often say, "This is just a church service. Church is actually about caring for one another, and serving one another, and speaking truth to one another in love. Don't get the two confused."

Question (from interviewer): The evidence suggests that video can have a fast and broad impact. So what's the alternative?

There is something more powerful than simply beaming yourself into other locations, and that is raising up disciples. Over time that will go farther and faster, but right now it will be more work and slower. ... there is a longer view that says, what if instead of beaming video to those ten locations, we train ten people who can go there and lead? That's a very basic question that should be in the mix somewhere....It's important to create a circle of trusting, loving people around you who will tell you the truth no matter what. They can help you think rightly about the criticism and keep you balanced.

There are times when I wonder about how "small" the cohort is, and perhaps wonder if it really "counts" as "church." But Rob is right on when he says "church is about caring, serving and speaking truth to one another in love." It's true that our group is much smaller than what many people would consider a "successful" church, and we move pretty slowly too. But I agree that it is really important to take a long view. I get excited when I think about the impact that the people connected to the cohort will have in our neighborhoods around the world: Cambodia; Austria; France; Guatemala; east side Columbus; Louisiana Tech; under the bridges downtown; Ohio Wesleyan University; FedEx and Honda; Ohio State University; and just walking around the streets of Columbus.

We meet small, but we impact big.

We come together in deep and significant ways so that we can go out and love the same way.

And I certainly agree that it is important to have a circle of "loving, trusting people who tell you the truth no matter what and keep you balanced." There have been significant moments where the people in the cohort - my friends - have spoken to me this way, and I'm grateful. My hope is that by sharing with everyone what I see happening in our midst, you too can be excited, and can continue to live into and experience this very special and very powerful expression of the church that is happening right in our midst.

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(or, Another Reason Why I Love the Emergent Cohort)

This evening we had one of our monthly "Celebration of the Faithful" events. It was just like every other cohort meeting in that it was different from any other meeting we had ever had. Everyone brought some food to share, and we set the table and gathered together. It had been several weeks since we had seen each other, and so Zack thought it would be great to just listen to what everyone was going through in life right now.

As each person shared, we listened carefully, and maybe asked one or two questions. After they were done sharing, we responded as a group with a simple affirmation of their chosen-ness in Christ, their purpose and value in life and as a fellow human. It was simple, but it was beautiful.

At one point during the meeting, I looked at the table, strewn with have empty glasses, casserole dishes, wine bottles, chips & guacamole, and various desserts of all colors and designs, and I felt like our group was very rich. We had an immense value in that moment. All sitting across from each other at the table, only about twelve of us, but still feeling like a large group, with incredible value.

We shared for a couple of hours, taking breaks to get ice cream or to say goodbye to some members who had to leave early. But everyone was able to express honestly, slowly, and truthfully what was happening in their life right now.

That in itself - that sharing - was valuable and precious to me. And it was a sabbath moment. A moment of rest, of peace, and of joy.
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Everyone is welcome to join these weekly and monthly meetings; they are not closed or selective. If you are interested in learning more about the central ohio emergent cohort, feel free to email me (schroeder.jesse@gmail.com) or to visit the website.

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Drums downtown! (Greg on the far right)

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I'm incredibly stoked that our little cohort has been in contact with Peter Rollins, and he will be visiting Columbus February 1st and giving a little presentation. Rollins was one of the first truly emergent authors I read, and his books are short, but very challenging. He is a master of pulling paradoxes out of common turns of phrase, and challenging what it really means to be a Christian. Recently, I've really enjoyed his parables, and I'd recommend reading "The Rapture" for a brief introduction to his thought and style.

This will be an open event, everyone is welcome, and I'd love it if you would be able to come! So plan on coming out to hear Peter Rollins speak, have your faith and understanding of Christianity challenged, and enjoy some great conversation and interaction.

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A couple of pictures slideshows from the weekend, click on either one to view the Picassa Web Album:

Cohort Camping

Obama Rally