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Brad
Berry
The
Riverwind Community
Vancouver,
WA
1.
planting a church in an emerging/postmodern culture, what do you
think are the key elements of a community of faith in an
emerging/postmodern culture? Same
as faith communities throughout the centuries: embody Jesus Christ
as a living community; Christian spiritual formation; a missional
heart. These elements are and will continue to be expressed
through creativity, diversity of expressions and the blending of
past and present cultural traditions for _expression within
micro-cultures.
2.
what do you see as the four (because three is too traditional)
differences between the community of faith you are serving, and
those churches in your area? We
are trying to define who we are more than who we aren’t but
continue to discover that persons with or without a church
background ask similar questions (our answers distinguish us):
Where
& when do you meet?
We gather
in homes at various times and that is the long-term plan (although
we hope Riverwind communities spring up in galleries, offices,
schools, etc.). We don’t plan on having a building.
What
happens at your gatherings?
Each gathering takes on the personality of those gathered. One of
our faith community leaders recently stated it this way: “We
gather to tell our story, hear your story and connect to The
Story.” Teaching? Learning happens everyday and we debrief when
we gather.
What
about a worship service?
Worship takes place everyday and in our weekly gatherings.
Once a month we gather with other churches for a creative worship
experience (to honor our Creator). We take the advice of St. Paul
in 1 Corinthians, “When you gather for worship, each one of you
be prepared with something that will be useful for all: Sing a
hymn, teach a lesson, tell a story, lead a prayer, provide an
insight.” (The Message)
What’s
expected?
Honestly strive to follow Jesus through thoughts, words and
actions as we live in and embrace God’s Way of Life as
individuals and community. Exercise your faith through
Christian spiritual formation and compassionately serve others. We
will try to provide guidance for your spiritual formation and walk
with you on your journey. Still interested? Bring something to
contribute to the meal when you come.
3.
is the community you serve connected with a denomination?
if "yes," what do you see as the
benefits and problems with that relationship, and if
"no," what do you believe are the benefits and problems
without being connected? Yes. The Riverwind Community is
currently affiliated with a very large conservative denomination
(it’s my spiritual roots). We received a small amount of money,
equal to a halftime salary during the first year that is phasing
down over three years (this is designed for attractional model
that grows to point of financial self-sufficiency through tithes
before end of year three); we are thankful because it has helped
but recently received word that the third year may not happen.
Beyond the funding, there is little to no support. There is a bit
of debate within denomination regarding the emerging church. The
local denominational pastors complain about the few of us who have
different approaches receiving support and local denominational
leaders have created unnecessary obstacles to our being accepted
or even heard. Though we would like to be part of a healthy
partnership, the future of the relationship is questionable.
4.
what would you say are the two hardest things connected to
planting an emerging/postmodern community of faith?
Unlearning.
If you’ve spent anytime around the church it is hard not to rely
on what you think you know about the gospel, how to get things
done, and leading without power. We need to unlearn much of what
we’ve learned including how we learned it (“the medium is the
message”). Additionally, we need to help not-yet-followers of
Jesus unlearn some of their preconceived notions of Christianity.
Patience.
We all want to be successful, no matter how you measure it,
because we believe what we are doing is important. We sometimes
force things we shouldn’t or compromise where we normally
wouldn’t; it is difficult not going to previously used methods
(the bag of tricks) to create a “hot” sensation. There is a
desire to touch many lives and encourage them to really follow
Jesus and live in God’s Way but unlearning and engaging as
messengers and servants in genuine and healthy relationships take
time.
5.
how does your community of faith develop connections with those
outside the community? Simply take
the initiative, pray for people and make note of who you know and
who you don’t. We encourage being active representatives of
Jesus within already established relational groups—we think God
has an individual or family there for a purpose. Our hope is that
your relationship with God causes you as an ambassador of the
Kingdom of God to begin a Riverwind Community among your
neighbors, friends or co-workers—you can be the church where you
are. We offer a few tips on our website.
6.
what do you believe are the key elements in an emerging/postmodern
worship service? Same as worship
experiences throughout the centuries: communally expressed
devotion and allegiance to God; retelling God’s Story;
encouraging and preparing one another to go out as witnesses to
the wonders of God. Our monthly gatherings can include, music,
individual and communal prayer, artistic _expression, scripture
readings, other readings, multimedia, silence, listening,
conversation, story telling, communion, confession, using all the
senses, etc. Some of this is done together and there are times
within an experience when a person can do things alone; we
typically begin and end together. We have a “liturgy” that
every person, including children, can take part. We are still
learning as we bring multiple churches together. Our weekly
gatherings are simpler and take on a form that reflects those
gathered and what they brought to the gathering.
7.
what two key areas of advice would you give to a person looking to
plant a community of faith in your area, or any area? Wherever
you are, don’t go it alone. Whether planting a church that
expects to have a dozen in a living room, hundreds under one roof
or thousands under the stars, we are not to go it alone. Surround
yourself with people who will support you, stretch you, and speak
truth to you and to whom you will listen. If you are married, you
have the greatest partner possible so take care of that
relationship.
If
you’re around here, take an honest look at the church landscape.
Because this is a fast growing area you’ll see a church plant in
every school in the county and most of them are the same. We need
trailblazers willing to rehear the Gospel and explore new places
in the Kingdom of God. Prepare to be in it for the long haul.
There came a point when I saw that the type of faith community we
are trying to be would take much longer than anticipated and
can’t be measured in current categories of success. Those we are
building relationships with and have yet to meet are going to be
watching to see if this is something we really live or not.
Let’s get together and talk.
any
closing thoughts you would like to share?
Be
kind to ol’ guys. I’ve been around the block, inside and out
of the church, and was “postmodern” before it was cool, but
I’m still learning. Peace be with you.
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