Several have asked me to quickly summarize what Emerging Ministries does. Well, there is no quick definition. It is emerging itself, and has been since its launch. But in general, it’s a group of people in the Bay Area who are loosely defined as emerging leaders. They meet 3-4 times a year, sometimes for one-day events (mini-tables) and sometimes for a 3-day weekend retreat (the roundtable). Ideas are shared, relationships formed, and hopefully a bit of sustainability is injected into the lives of these young leaders. In a region as tough to do ministry as the Bay Area, it’s important for these kinds of groups to exist as a way to sustain leaders.
Below is a presentation I made at a church to describe EM. Being a speech, it is better in person than in writing! But I’ll post it anyway.
—–
John F. Kennedy once said, “Remember that our nation’s first great leaders were also our first great scholars.”
Why was that so? What was unique about those leaders that they could also be so committed to learning?
I’m convinced that they were a product of a unique time in history. They were all from the Age of Enlightenment.
Now, that age had its failures. But one thing stands out about that age to me: people shared information.
Jared Diamond writes in his Pulitzer Prize winning book, “Guns, Germs, and Steel”, that a key for the development of a society is the transfer of technology. Societies need to share new developments, new ideas, and new information if they are going to expand and grow. Modern-day Silicon Valley is an example. It has thrived in large part because it originally was just a group of nerds and geeks in the 1960’s who wanted to do cool things with technology. They all shared that information.
Look at those who led our country when it was founded. Benjamin Franklin invented the lightening rod, which saved thousands of lives and countless buildings that would have been destroyed by fire. But he gave the design away to the world, feeling that such information was just too valuable for one person to keep. He formed or joined countless organizations that promoted the exchange of information, from arts groups to political groups to scientific groups.
Or look at Joseph Priestly, who “invented” oxygen and discovered other gases. He was the first to show that a candle in an airtight container would eventually go out, but a candle in an airtight container would not go out if that container also had a living plant inside. All of this brilliance was not patented, not copyrighted, and willingly shared with all.
Or look at Thomas Jefferson, who invented the first swivel chair, a rotating bookstand, and a system for making copies of written materials. All of which became public domain property, none of which he ever even dreamed of keeping to himself.
What’s my point? Sharing information leads to great things. From the development of basic culture, to the launch of a great new nation, to the first computers. When we share thoughts, ideas, experiences and information, we grow.
That’s part of what EM is all about. The Bay Area is a unique place, unlike anywhere else. Sure, there are similarities with other communities…but our area still has its own unique DNA. Leading a ministry in this environment is difficult. We feel alone because the talent pool here is shallow compared to other regions. We feel confused because what works in Denver, Chicago, Dallas or Miami somehow doesn’t seem to work so well here. Our standards for success are never met by comparison to other regions, and it becomes frustrating. Eventually we grow tired, and perhaps we begin to see our work as failure.
EM wants to change that dynamic. We want to work with emerging leaders for an emerging culture in the Bay Area. Our aim is to generate the sharing of information, ideas, and experiences so that we can all learn together. Some people call this collaboration. Others call it community. I prefer a simpler term: sharing. Whatever you want to call it, it’s clearly countercultural. Which, of course, fits perfectly for the Bay Area!
This countercultural sharing begins with the board of EM. We’re all volunteers, and there is no paid staff. We give our experience and wisdom without conditions.
The sharing continues as our roundtables and one-day mini-tables allow emerging leaders to meet others across boundaries. All of us tend to become myopic in our focus on ministry and forget that there are great people doing good things just across the bridge or up the freeway. Breaking down those barriers and sharing with others can lead to growth. You might learn something from the folks working on violence prevention in East Palo Alto, even though you are doing a church plant in Walnut Creek.
My dream is that this sharing becomes contagious. That it builds a unique Bay Area eco-system of ministries that become connected in a web of relationships. That eventually, something special, a “revival” to use old religious language, takes root in our area.
But it begins with sharing.