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about the author...  Brian Orme Brian is a youthpastor in West Milton, OH. He enjoys writing and reading anything and everything that has to do with the spiritual journey. He went to Cedarville University, Phoenix Seminary. He is in the process of writing a book for students about the Beatitudes, and a novel about a small church that goes through some incredible circumstance. He loves God, the church, anything creative. He enjoys his three boys - and his incredible wife - Jenna. He loves to write and is a designing hack - as well as a golf hack.
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An Uprising: Origins Conference by Brian Orme
Where can you go to hear unique words like ethos, uprising, and primal element? The Origins Project of course. Although, if you were at this years Origins conference it wasn’t because of the high-pressure advertising or the catchy marketing plan because there was no marketing plan. The only way the word got out for Origins is by word of mouth and a simple web site. The no-cost marketing plan gathered about 300 people at the Universal Hilton in Burbank, California for the second year of the Origins Project. During the first session I sat in the front row next to Steve, a church planter from Dallas. After some high-tech introductions and alternative worship, Erwin McManus took the stage and sat down on his stool. It was made clear that this wasn’t a place for conference junkies but a place for those who were willing to become dangerous for the cause of Christ; those who wanted to be a part of an uprising to regain the primal essence of the New Testament church. Alex McManus, Erwin’s brother, continued to expound on the primal essence by saying, “we don’t believe in missions…we believe in mission.” There was a liberating feel to the sessions as unhealthy church layers were pealed away; layers like poor models, unspoken rules, complacency and organization. Erwin said, “When we focus on church structure, we kill the movement, we need more disorganization, more chaos.” Erwin likened many churches today to cemeteries - very organized but dead. I agreed with this premise and I thought about the many churches that are dying right now, churches that could be incredible forces if they would choose to give up on their way of doing church and reclaim the dream. But sometimes churches just have to die. Erwin was candid about his thoughts on current church movements, especially the emergent church. He felt like the emergent movement was a reaction to the traditional church and not necessarily a reaction to God’s call for mission. This was one of the few places that I disagreed with Erwin. I believe that there are many emergent leaders that are dreaming of what the church should be and not merely rebelling from the traditional church. Erwin went on to say that comments from emergent leaders like, “we just want to find out how to do church for us”, made him sick. Those comments make me sick too, but I don’t believe they accurately describe the attitude of most emergent leaders. Church is not just for us; we are the church for the sake of the world. That’s why it is crucial to discuss the issues surrounding relevancy to culture. For Mosaic, relevancy to culture is not an option. The Mosaic staff places great emphasis on creativity, innovation, and beauty as tools to involve members of the church and to create a church culture that is relevant to the world. In each session there was an interpretive dance, drama, and often a short film. For Mosaic, relevancy is not about following the world’s trends but about creating in culture what is relevant. I think it is easy for a church to change a little and call it quits before the real journey to relevancy even begins. If we are going to be committed to being relevant we have to resist the urge to stop when we have only taken one step. To become relevant to the world we have to first become relevant to Jesus by valuing the same things he valued. A clear way of measuring what we value is by taking an honest look at the ethos within our communities. An ethos was defined as an underlying, reoccurring system of values. Erwin said, “It is more important to change what people care about than to change what they believe.” This sounds like heresy but it is true. People believe many things and are never changed but they will act upon what they truly care about. There are many churches that have mission statements and core values that look great on paper but are not intrinsically held by the community. We have to work to create an ethos that is embodied by the community. To be a missional community means that everyone is on mission and not just a few leaders. Jesus did not come to preach Christianity, but to set up the kingdom of God. It was a missional movement, not a static event. We are a part of something bigger than we will ever understand and we have to call people to join something that is bigger than they are. The atmosphere at the conference was very organic, unstructured and relational. It was easy to approach Erwin and other leaders from Mosaic; in the future as Origins grows I don’t think this will be the case. Who should go to The Origins Project? Innovators, artists, pastors, church-planters and anyone who wants a fresh perspective on the origin of the New Testament church. The conference closed as one of the worship leaders took the stage alone and sang a song by Andrea Bocelli. It was the song he sang at the Mosaic church the first Sunday after he became a follower of Jesus. It was beautiful and full of meaning just like the mission of the church.
(If you would like to read more about the issues that were discussed at Origins pick up Erwin McManus’s book, The Unstoppable Force. Props to Kieth Gregory for taking such good notes!) woe is me! for i am undone! you are all decieved and are going to fall headlong into the arms of antichrist!!! cant you see this man is preaching heresy? can't you see he, and evil men like him, are subtily leading you into the one world religion prophesied in scriptue? WAKE UP!!! WAKE UP!!! the end is near and you're all sleeping! WARNING---you are being decieved. he is not preaching the Jesus Christ of the Bible. that is not the gospel of Jesus Christ. it is some other gospel, some other Jesus, and some other "church" he is talking about. he is leading you into the apostasy!!!! For more on Mosaic, its history, its ministry, its theology, and its leadership, check out A Mosaic of Believers: Diversity and Innovation in a Multiethnic Church (Indiana University Press, 2005).
I am finding this all very inspiring. I cannot comment on the conference, I was'nt there! GUTTED! I am however, stumbling across what is inspiring me hugely. Alot of what I am hearing Erwin expressing is most definatly rekindling my poor little lost fire. And now, reading what is written here I am very excited, motivated-whatever!.....Im just nutting out that Ive found this gem of an article that voices what bubbles in my belly. It seems all too easy to be average. Brain...didn't know you were such a great writer. Great job on giving a "A " report on this life changing experiencing. I too was there and didn't think Erwin to be bashing emergent churches. On the contrary, I found him to be a balancing voice away from methods - candles, cool music, etc. and towards mission and purpose. Sort of like the Purpose Driven of the 21st century, LA style. I do think that most of his ideas and style are 'him' not everyone. But nonetheless, there was much passion and purpose that was simply Biblical and not often heard in the emergent circles.
Much well, true, and necessary here. I still get a sense of implied rejection, though, of us on the more churchy end of things. I especially dislike how fashionable it has become to bash 'evangelicalism' (by which they usually mean, from the acts described, a fundamentalism of a kind 'evangelicals' have long -but slowly- been stepping away from) and the Roman Catholic Church (while drawing on some of the strains of faith that their church has housed for those few who were paying real attention). I'm one who still has strong doubts about the human race's ability to keep having real community without clear structures of some sort. So I guess I'm not an Origins kind of guy. But it sure is a great thing to watch and perchance to share with.
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