Three converging streams
Remember the scene in Ghostbusters where Dan Ackroyd, Bill Murray, and Harold Ramis point their proton gun nozzles toward the flying green ectoplasm running amok in the library? Before pulling the triggers on their phantasm-frying devices, they warn each other, "Don’t cross the streams!" Of course, they cross the streams and some exciting special effects result. Which reminds me of what is happening in the reimagining church world right now. Three streams of thought and praxis are seeking the new vision for the church in the 21st century — emerging, missional, and ancient-future. And if that is not enough, CT just ran an article on Five Streams of the Emerging Church, so the big streams have little streams.
The thing that is really encouraging to me and makes me think that all of these three streams may actually lead somewhere, is that now — are you ready — the streams are crossing! Here’s what I mean:
- Ancient-future is calling evangelicals to reconnect with the ancient church.
- Emerging churches are using ancient practices — caricatured as couches, coffee, and candles or smells-and-bells — but despite their detractors emerging churches are infusing new meaning into old symbols.
- Missional churches are often referred to as "emerging-missional churches," even though the two terms are not synonymous.
The resulting overlap is confusing and encouraging at the same time. Confusing because one church that claims to be emerging could also be categorized as ancient-future. Encouraging because maybe all these folks are on to something, but coming at it from different directions. That’s what I hope and believe. In the future, the conversation might be about the ancient-future, emerging, missional church — or AFEM churches. Or MEAF or AFME or EMAF — the possibilities are endless, but encouraging. – FCN
