At the same time, there’s been a similar shaking going on in Christianity, and I’ve noticed a similar evolution of language for what to call this too — from “alternative church” to “alternative worship” to “ancient-future worship” to “emerging church” to “missional church” and now “missional community formation.”

I predict the conversation about tech lingo will continue to parallel — and deeply inform — the conversation about Christianity and church (how we organize ourselves into religious/faith communities), just as the revolution sparked by the evolution of the Internet is re-making other sectors of society, such as education, journalism, and publishing.

Religious Professionals = Social Media Gurus?
One example of how this is playing out that I find really fascinating is that many of the thought leaders and practitioners of the emerging missional church movement are now operating as social media consultants. I include myself in this category to some degree, but also friends such as Tony Jones and Doug Pagitt (who collaborate on Social Phonics), Kimberly Knight (no relation, except in Spirit!), Adam Walker Cleaveland, and Bruce Reyes-Chow, just to name a few.

Even my Emergent friends who don’t “do this for a living” are still very tech-savvy and heavy users of social media, and so the two topics naturally overlap in many ways.

Here’s a quick look back over the series on the language of participatory church: curation, context, frictionless sharing, and ROI.

As you look over what’s been talked about, what do you see that’s missing? What other social media terms have emerging church parallels? What additional topics could (and should) be explored in this language series?

I led a conversation on the first day about the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) for those of us who were there from that tribe, to meet and get to know each other better — and to tell others who were “Disciples-curious” more about who we are and what is happening within the Disciples movement.

My favorite sessions were probably:

• Michael Toy sharing his personal story of being Netscape Employee #6, helping create the first Web browser, how Web browsers really haven’t changed significantly since Netscape, navigating life through huge organizational and cultural change, etc.



• Doug Pagitt sharing the history of Emergent Village over a special lunch-hour session. I learned a few things about EV that I hadn’t known before, which was fascinating.
• Mike Croghan facilitating the discussion about the future of Emergent Village, who we are, where we’re going as a network/community, our hopes and dreams for the future.

The Gathering was an interesting mix of veteran Emergent leaders, as well as a whole bunch of new voices in the conversation, including some from unique faith traditions such as the Swedenborgian church and those who read and study The Urantia Book. The liminality of the Emergent conversation has certainly opened up space for theological conversation across many lines of theological and philosophical difference.

At the closing ceremony of the Gathering, I was overcome with emotion, as I talked about how long I’d been waiting to get to Glorieta to be part of this event. It was the culmination of a long journey for me.

There’s already discussion of having another gathering again in 2012, despite the Southern Baptists closing the conference center where it’s been held all these years. I feel like I’ve made the pilgrimage now, and I’m not sure I’ll be going back (for various reasons, time and finances being the two major ones). I’m just glad to know the conversation is continuing, new voices are emerging, and I’m glad to still be a part of it, however I can.

BONUS POINTS: I was invited to speak about my experience at the Gathering on The Cosmic Citizen Internet radio show, hosted by readers of The Urantia Book. I was driving in my car so unfortunately I got cut off and wasn’t able to complete the interview, but I was joined by fellow Gathering attendees Pamela Chaddock, Gil Flores, and Russ Ware. Gil, Russ, and I share similar personal stories of being “left behind” by conservative evangelicalism.

SIDE NOTE: Both the Emergent Village Gathering and the Soularize learning party had not been held since 2007. Both events returned this year. I was at both events. Soularize is done for good — as Spencer Burke is now devoting his time and energy to new endeavors. The EV Gathering may return in 2012, but most likely at a different location. The emerging missional church conversation continues to grow and expand into different directions. I’m excited about the future, grateful for the community of friends I have on this journey, and for what the next 10 years will bring.

Travis is one of the most prolific and talented video storytellers I know. I’ve had the pleasure of hanging out with Travis at some of the same conferences we’ve both attended over the past few years. I just have a ton of respect for Travis, his no-nonsense attitude about life and faith, his startlingly infectious laughter, and his brilliant ability to tell people’s stories. Truly an honor to stand in front of that man’s camera!

Watch it until the very end, and I think you’ll see why this was such a significant moment for me …

“For Jesus doesn’t impose salvation as a solution; he narrates salvation into being through leisurely conversation, intimate personal relationships, compassionate responses, passionate prayer, and — putting it all together — a sacrificial death. We don’t casually walk away from words like that.”
—Eugene Peterson in the Introduction to John in The Message

Leagues didn’t play at the festival (maybe they will next year? here’s hoping!), but the music was exquisite. Some of my all-time favorites performed there, like David Wilcox, Over The Rhine, and Jennifer Knapp.

The speakers were interesting, compelling, provocative, and accessible. Some of my favorite people — like Brian McLaren, Father Richard Rohr, Phyllis Tickle, and Nadia Bolz-Weber — spoke multiple times in different venues on a range of topics. And they were just there, hanging out with the rest of us, open to having a myriad of side conversations and, yes, occasionally sign a book or two. The “celebrity speaker” thing did still exist at Wild Goose, on one level, but on another level, great progress was made toward flattening that hierarchy and leveling the playing field. Kudos to festival director Gareth Higgins and the other organizers for creating that kind of space and environment!

Leading up to the festival, I shared that I was perhaps most excited about “the opportunity to develop and grow in spirituality” both for me and for my family. Becky and I attended the festival with our three kids (Olyvia, 10; Hayden, 8; and Elliot, 5), and we were really glad for all the effort put into creating space for kids and youth there. Jamie Rye organized the Kids Tent activities, and Kevin Alton was the youth tent maestro. We are deeply grateful to both of them for there contributions to the festival, making it the amazing experience that it was for our kids!

On Friday night, Shane Claiborne spoke to the youth, and on Saturday night, Brian McLaren led them through a self-evaluation of their own personality types and interests. Where else could our kids have these kinds of experiences? It’s not that Shane and Brian are “Christian celebrities” to ooh and ahhh over, but that they are both humble, authentic practitioners of a way of being Christian in the world that I want my kids to see and to emulate.

When the festival was over, our kids were unanimously adamant that they didn’t want to leave! They had had so much fun — making new friends, playing and running wild with other kids, etc. — that they didn’t want to leave, but knowing they had to, they said with 100% certainty they wanted to come back to Wild Goose Festival again next year.

And that’s what makes my heart swell with joy at the magical, Spirit-filled, spiritual experience of Wild Goose. I found myself breaking down in tears as I talked to people at the festival about the fact that my kids can grow up in a time when this thing exists, where they can be exposed to these conversations about faith and spirituality and practice, where they can bump into other kids from all over the country who are growing up in homes with parents who are seeking this way of following God in the way of Jesus — that this could be “normal” for them. I know this didn’t exist when I was growing up as a conservative evangelical kid. I’m so happy, so overwhelmed with deep deep joy that my kids have this.

I wish more and more of our churches and faith communities embodied that Wild Goose spirit. I have faith that more and more of them will. And that more and more of us will gather again next year at Shakori Hills to be inspired and filled again.

This blog post is part of the July 2011 Synchroblog – Stories of The Wild Goose. Go read more posts inspired by the festival and the Wild Goose (Holy Spirit) that was present there.

Here are some highlights that I’ve gathered from other Wild Goose Festival reflections from around the Web:

“The Wild Goose Festival could easily become one of the most important annual gatherings of Christians in the United States.” —Carl McColman, Day1.org

“The lone commonality among participants is likely their universal search for a spiritual reality more creative and gripping than what they’ve found in a local congregation.” —Norman Jameson, Associated Baptist Press

“At least 25 Christian music festivals are held each summer in America, but they have never catered for theological liberals. Until this year, that is, when the Wild Goose Festival—named after a Celtic symbol for the Holy Spirit—kicked off on June 23rd on 72 wooded acres in eastern North Carolina, not so far from the intellectual hub of Raleigh-Durham.” —The Economist

“Emergence is not what I’ve hoped for — at least not if it means that one side wakes up to the possibilities and fallacies of its own tradition and becomes the New Big Christian Thing. What I’ve been waiting for is Convergence. Thus far, I have found only anecdotal evidence that Convergence is taking place in any significant, broad-based way. But the Wild Goose Festival this year made it clear that this is precisely what is happening among many.” —Eric Elnes, Darkwood Brew

“My prediction? Next year’s Wild Goose Fest will be twice the size of this year’s. And there’ll be twice the amount of ruffled feathers in certain quarters — among those who don’t do well with change and depend upon doctrinal Metamucil to keep them regular.” —Roger Wolsey, Elephant Journal

“While Christianity tears itself apart, another group (that has always existed) is gathering among the fringes of the flock. The fringe likely consists of greater numbers than the core, because many if not most of the members of the community of doubt have come from the church-proper to now stand slightly outside the fire. The simple conclusion that I have drawn is this: the circumference is greater than the center. We need to understand that exclusion is a dangerous game, and that we are called to love; not judge. When we reach the stars, we will learn that only when we touched the unlovable with compassion, did we truly meet Jesus face-to-face. In my opinion, the movement that is the Wild Goose is touching that vein, and feeling the pulse of The Christ in the Earth and approximately 1,700 of us participated in this life-changing moment that might become known as the Woodstock of the next generation and the new order of ministry.” —Lee Smith, Word of Balance <– this is the best post-Wild Goose reflection I’ve read so far!

“I cannot control what my mind intellectually believes about complicated, theoretical events situated thousands of years in the past. … But here is what I can do, what I articulated for the first time to William and Ryan in a field while eating hot dogs and drinking punch with Mark Scandrette, Tony Jones, Doug Pagitt, and Matt Beams: I can recognize in the Gospel story something powerful and profound. I can say, ‘Yes, this is a story that I want to participate in.’ I can align myself with the Kingdom of God rather than with the powers and principalities of this world. I would love for there to be a party in heaven waiting for me when I die. But even if there isn’t, even if this world is all we have got, this Jesus story, this redemptive work, this sacred community building, this is something I still want to be part of.” —Brian Gerald Murphy, Lessons In Movement Making

Related Links:

Here’s my playlist of videos from Wild Goose Festival 2011 on YouTube.

Here’s a collection of videos from Wild Goose Festival 2011 on Vimeo.

Wild Goose publicity coordinator Mike Morrell (a.k.a., Oh Captain My Captain!) is curating a growing list of links to Wild Goose Festival articles online.

Travis Reed of The Work of the People shot a series of videos with Brian McLaren and David Wilcox in conversation at Wild Goose Festival 2011. They are all worth watching!

Many photos from Wild Goose Festival have been posted online: Wild Goose on Facebook, Courtney Perry, Geoff Maddock on Flickr, and a whole bunch gathered by Adam Moore.

What do you think? Were you at Wild Goose? Will you be going to Wild Goose Festival in 2012? Why or why not?

UPDATE 7/7/2011: Here are the links to all 50+ July Synchroblog posts!

• Anna Snoeyenbos – Wild Goose Festival – A Spirit of Life Revival
• Lee Smith - Goose Bumps: Opportunities Everywhere for Offense. A Fair and Objective Review
• Ryan Hines – 30 Years Later – “Controversy” at Wild Goose
• Karyn Wiseman – Flying With the Goose
• Kyla Cofer – I went to the Wild Goose Fest and came back in love
• Brian Gerald Murphy – Born Again (Again) at Wild Goose
• Chris Lenshyn – Chasing the Wild Goose
• Cherie at Renaissance Garden – Wild Goose Return
• Deborah Wise – Wild Goose Chasing
• Custodianseed – “every day they eat boiled goose”
• Will Norman – Back from the Wild Goose Fest
• Martin at Exiles in NY – Greenbelt and the Wild Goose
• Kerri at Practicing Contemplative – Waterfowl in My Life
• Allison Leigh Lilley – Chasing the Wild Goose and Catching the Wild Goose: Thanks and First Thoughts and A Pagan Goes To The Wild Goose – Part One
• Abbie Waters – Jessica: A Fable
• Steve Knight – Why Wild Goose Festival Was So Magical
• Tammy Carter – Visual Acuity and Flying
• Michelle Thorburg Hammond – I heart Jay Bakker and Peter Rollins
• Matthew Bolz-Weber – Remembering Wild Goose
• Paul Fromberg – Celebrating Interdependence Day
• David Zimmerman – Wild Goose Festival: A Recap
• Unfinished Symphony – Wild Goose Reflections – Part 1, Wild Goose Reflections – Part 2 Making Art Collages, Wild Goose Reflections – Part 3 Photoblogging, and Wild Goose Reflections – Part 4 The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
• Dan Brennan – U2, the Wild Goose, and Deep Freedom
• Mike Croghan – The Wild Goose is Not Safe
• John Martinez – The Table
• Callid Keefe-Perry – Gatekeeping the Goose
• Eric Elnes – The Inaugural Wild Goose Festival: Recovering Something Lost
• Shay Kearns – The Power of a T-Shirt, Apologizing to Over the Rhine, andPublic vs. Private (Part One)
• Glen Reteif – Duck Duck Goose
• Peterson Toscano – I’ve Been Goosed, What I Carried Into Wild Goose, andWhat I Blurted Out at Wild Goose
• Seth Donovan – About More than “The Gays”
• Exiles in New York – Greenbelt and the Wild Goose
• Tammy Carter – Visual Acuity and Flying
• TSmith – What I’ll Take From Wild Goose
• Dale Lature – Wild Goose Reflection
• Steve Hayes – Wild Goose Chase?
• Minnow – Grace Response
• Christine Sine – Encounters With A Thin Space
• Jeremy Myers – Giving Up the Wild Goose Chase
• Robert – Thoughts On the Inaugural Wild Goose
• Anna Woofenden – Slippery Slope Reflections
• Wendy McCaig – Loosing The Goose
• Joey Wahoo – Into The Wild
• Rachel Swan – goosed
• Patricia Burlison – I Called Life
• Jason Hess – While At the Goose
• The Bec Cranford – Wild Goose
• Anthony Ehrhardt – Chasing The Wild Goose on Independence Day
• Joel DeVyldere – So Lost at Last-(In the Woods)
• MK Anderson – Listening To The Wild Goose
• Jamie Arpin-Ricci – Wild Goose Fest
• Unfinished Symphony – #5 – The Last Post … for a while

     1) you have a purpose for which you were created

     2) you can access all the resources you need to achieve that purpose

At first blush, the second part of that equation might sound like “pie in the sky,” wishful thinking, or, worse, a “prosperity Gospel.” But, as I think Voyle explained adequately, the point isn’t to dream of unrealistic goals, but rather to see our situation realistically (point A) and recognize what resources we need (and which are available to us) in order to get to our most desirable outcome (point B).

For example, in a coaching exercise we did together, I decided to focus on being overweight (Point A) and my desire/goal to exercise more and eat better (Point B). I realized, as I was being coached by a colleague, that I need to replace the negative messages in my head (e.g., “you’ll feel bad,” “your motives are wrong/egotistical”) with positive ones (e.g., “you’ll feel good,” “you’ll be happy,” “your motives are good/healthy”).

Of course, it still takes a bit of faith, in a sense, to believe Voyle’s two points — about ourselves, about our organizations, about the systems we find ourselves in, and about the wider world. But I can’t think of anything more worth hoping in and hoping for than that promise of Resurrection, new life, new possibility.

What is Point A for you right now? And what Point B are you trying to reach?

This fantastic TED talk by poet Sarah Kay starts with her poem “B,” which begins, “If I should have a daughter, instead of Mom, she’s gonna call me Point B …”

Since discovering Wilcox’s music in the mid-’90s, I’ve become a big fan, and I consider him one of my all-time favorite storytellers. My friend Blaine Howard did an interview with Wilcox for Kamikaze Magazine that was one of the first where he really openly spoke about his faith and spirituality. Becky and I even had our friend Dave Burkum perform Wilcox’s “Show The Way” at our wedding, back in 1995.

Just watch this documentary teaser, and you’ll see how David’s songs touch people’s personal stories intimately and deeply:

Here’s an update on the David Wilcox documentary project.

Don’t miss David Wilcox (and many other great musicians and storytellers) at Wild Goose Festival (June 23-26 at Shakori Hills farm, outside Durham, NC) — ticket prices go up today but you can save 8% with discount code “trans4m” thru May 31!

Here are some links to videos from Inhabit of Micah doing his thing:
“What Can I Do?”
“I Love Y’All … For Real”

Below is an interview with Micah by Travis Reed at The Work of the People/Alter Video Magazine, where he discusses how the theological concept of “ex nihilo” (“out of nothing”) is really incorrect. Why? Because the biblical narrative tells us that God used words to create worlds.

As an avid coffee drinker, I love Micah’s comparison of art to coffee. And as an ecclesial entrepreneur, I love the integration of poetry and storytelling into church/faith community that Micah describes and advocates for.

The interview is followed by a rendition of Micah’s poem “Ex Nihilo,” so keep watching:

Related:

I have an older brother (Matthew A. Knight) who writes a lot of poetry, and he’s started putting some of it out for sale as Kindle ebooks. Check it out!

I’m excited to read about a video project on faith and creativity being filmed at Wild Goose Festival (June 23-26 at Shakori Hills farm, outside of Durham, NC) by the good people from The Image of Fish. Tickets for Wild Goose go up in price on May 15 so order yours ASAP. Get 8% off by using discount code “trans4m”!

As today’s Disciples contend with shifts in the landscape of religious practice in America, particularly the rapid decline of congregational life as we have known it, ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) are proactively engaged in discernment around the significant change that needs to occur to support new and renewing congregational mission – all for the sake of being and sharing the good news of Jesus Christ in a new age.

The Hope Partnership for Missional Transformation has been born out of these conversations. Spearheaded by Church Extension (CE), Disciples Home Missions (DHM) and Higher Education Leadership Ministries (HELM), the Hope Partnership is a collaboration of these ministries and other general, ecumenical, regional and pastoral partners who desire to explore, design and implement new and more effective ways to accompany congregations as they seek to live out their mission and witness.

Following an assessment of the particular strengths and challenges of the denomination, the collaborators agreed resources must be mobilized immediately to meet three major congregational areas of need if Disciples and other ministries are to be successfully redeveloped and sustained:

1. Physical assets must be leveraged for mission, not for the sake of the assets themselves. An increasingly disproportionate percentage of Disciples assets are being used to sustain outdated and irrelevant facilities, leaving fewer resources available to support ministry and mission. Congregations, new and established, will need help making decisions about and acting upon housing mission differently.
2. Leaders must be developed, through recruitment, networking, training and support. All evidence points to the inspirational and empowering pastoral leader as the primary indicator of success of new and redeveloped mission.
3. New goals for mission and transformation must be identified, embraced and pursued. Congregations who courageously discern their true call and then respond are the most likely to become truly and effectively missional.

Because no one entity possesses all the resources or the wisdom necessary to tackle these initial congregational needs, Hope Partnership collaborators are identifying individuals and teams to partner and lead out on these initiatives. For example, with a grant from Oreon E. Scott Foundation, the Hope Partnership has hired Steve Knight (www.knightopia.com) to work with a variety of general and regional partners to develop recruitment, training and networking services for leaders of new and renewing congregational mission.

A Disciple heavily invested in and affiliated with emerging Christian witness in the United States and Canada, Knight was a former international communication coordinator for Serving in Mission, internet manager for the Billy Graham organization, and correspondent for Decision magazine. He brings a fresh vision to redevelopment and new mission leadership and has strong connections to the next generation of congregational leaders, especially through his work with TransFORM Network (www.transformnetwork.org).

Knight, whose work with the Hope Partnership begins January 1, will serve on teams charged with constructing and implementing leader development training around new ways to engage missional church. The training will be piloted in April 2011. He also will organize a missional leadership learning track at General Assembly in July 2011.

Hope Partnership for Missional Transformation will be introduced more fully in the months leading up to the 2011 General Assembly in Nashville, through The Intersection (www.disciplesintersection.org), the ministries’ Web sites and other communications outlets.

For more information, contact Katie Marlowe (kmarlowe@churchextension.org), Ron Degges (rdegges@dhm.disciples.org) or Brad Lyons (blyons@helmdisciples.org).

There was some other related news this week that I’d also like to point your attention to:

Brian McLaren’s advice to the PC(USA) denomination on “the future of the Church” »

Barna Research Group’s “Six Megathemes” of 2010 »

I had the privilege of giving a short introduction for Chris Guillebeau when he came through North Carolina on his 50-state, 10-province self-organized “Unconventional Book Tour” of North America. (A short snippet of which is included in this great mini-documentary by Crystal Street.)

I’ve known Chris since 2008, when I published an article he’d written, entitled “God’s Economy: Lessons in Return-On-Investment in West Africa,” on the Emergent Village blog. After reading his personal blog religiously ever since, it was so great to finally meet Chris — and his lovely wife, Jolie — in person!

A lot has changed for Chris (and for me!) in the past couple of years. His writing has taken off, resulting in his first book being published. The experience that he spoke out of in that article two years ago is fleshed out even more in the pages of his book, and, as I shared that night at The Regulator Bookshop in Durham, the thing that’s most impressed me about Chris is how integrated his message is: that, in the very midst of pursuing our dreams and seeking to live an unconventional life, we have a responsibility to make the world a better place.

Chris’ writing is still kicking my butt, challenging me to follow what’s in my heart. I’m grateful for what he’s taught me, and I hope his writing will be a welcome companion for you on your journey to non-conformity as well.

Back in the day, there was plenty being written on “networking” as an important practice for job-seeking. The point of it was to schmooze with enough people in a variety of social circles in order to make the right connections for you to move up, get a job, sell products, make money, etc. Sadly, sometimes this is the main motivation for people to go to church. Whatever the setting, “networking” has primarily been about you getting what you want or need or feel you deserve.

At some point over the past 10 years, I began telling friends (and anyone else who would listen) that “networking” was one of my “spiritual gifts.” I realized, saying this, that networking was not one of the traditional gifts in a strictly biblical sense. But I found the joy and satisfaction I got from connecting personally with other people, as well as the thrill of connecting like-minded people to each other and people to things (e.g., job opportunities, good information, etc.), was really a lot like the serenity and fulfillment one might receive from a healthy, life-giving spiritual practice.

Rather than focusing on myself and how I’m going to benefit directly or advance my own career, social standing, etc., I sincerely attempt to practice the discipline of self-less giving—connecting for the sake of the other, with no expectation of anything in return. At least, that’s the philosophy I’ve tried to adopt, however imperfectly it’s worked in practice. Whether it’s online or in-person interactions, I’ve tried to view networking as a spiritual practice, something that serves others first, rather than myself. And I still enjoy the fringe benefit of the personal satisfaction I get when connecting.

I’d really like to challenge others to view networking, both in the virtual and in the physical, as a self-less giving/connecting spiritual practice. No one likes to feel used by their “friends,” and hopefully no one wants to be a user. Giving truly is better than receiving.

Communication is Connection
This may just be how my strange mind works, but I was reading this weekend about John Maxwell’s new book project entitled Everyone Communicates, Few Connect. Now, to be honest, I think of “leadership gurus” like Maxwell as being some of the most self-motivated people, teaching other people how to always get ahead of others, but I’ve never read any of his books either, so I’ll stop the critique right there. That’s just my impression of who is and what he teaches (I may be way off).

Maxwell says something interesting about communication, which, as a communicator and a lover of networking (including the social networking kind), I perk up when I hear: “The secret to communication — whether one-on-one, in a small group, to an audience, or in a meeting — is connecting. If you can connect with people, you can communicate with people. This is something I learned early in my career, and it has helped me as a husband, father, friend, communicator, and leader. I cannot image what my life and my career might have looked like had I not learned how to connect.”

Maxwell is walking the talk, so to speak, by connecting with his readers through making the book writing process more “open source” and inviting participation and collaboration (something the folks in the Wikiklesia project know well) starting on September 1. I think that’s fantastic! It really just underscores again the importance of approaching networking as a spiritual practice, valuing people and appreciating connecting.

Idea Camp D.C.
This weekend I’ll be in Washington, D.C., to attend Idea Camp D.C. and to connect with folks from around the country representing 40+ organizations that are engaged in “Compassion and Justice” work. There will be people there that I’ve only communicated with in the online world (and many more I’ve never had any contact with), and I look forward to connecting in person.

I’m looking forward to learning much from them, and I look forward to giving out of my knowledge and experience as well. I’ll be approaching this exciting networking opportunity as a spiritual practice, to see where the Spirit of God is moving and join in it, however I can.

Theology of Social Media
In a similar vein as “networking as a spiritual practice,” I’m looking forward to speaking on the theology of social media at the Christian Educators Fellowship “CE 2.0 Christian Education & The Internet” conference, September 11-12, at Pfeiffer University. Registration is only $50, and the deadline to register is next Monday, August 31. Thanks to Jonathan LeMaster-Smith for inviting me to participate in this conference!

Read about other unconventional spiritual practices on Christine Sine’s blog »

Photo by lewis chaplin