dissertation

11
First, many new ways of ‘being church’ are developed by participants in the EMC, both
in theory (e.g. reflections on missional ecclesiology) and in practice (e.g. through church
planting). These reflections and experiments are important, specifically for thinking
through aspects of a practical ecclesiology. 53
Second, within the EMC, the church in a so-called post-Christendom setting is seen as
a minority church. A statement like the following by Gerben Heitink is affirmed in
EMC publications: “As the church relinquishes its old pretenses and accepts its de facto
minority position in society, it can learn to see with new eyes, with those of other minorities
around it. That could lead to a reinforcement of the koinonia character of the
church.” 54 Within the EMC there is, indeed, a strong focus on Christian community. 55
Third, leadership within the EMC is generally conceived of as being not authoritative
and top-down, but relational, facilitative, and spiritual. The role of a leader is, preferably,
not that of a public performer, but that of a networker, team-builder, spiritual director,
mentor, coach, or a combination of these roles. 56 These leadership roles are related
to the (flexible and bottom-up) structures that are formed within the Christian communities,
which makes it an essential theme for practical ecclesiology. 57 This thesis is
particularly interested in this third topic. This subject matter is also relevant for leaders
of existing mainline congregations, since they “face not only the external challenge of a
changing social context, but also the internal challenge of helping their congregations
rework their identity and mission beyond the era when they were at the center of cultural
influence and power.” 58
Fourth, another important aspect of ‘being church’ involves the education of its leaders.
59 The Australians Alan Hirsch and Michael Frost seem to speak for many within
53
Cf. Heitink, Practical Theology, 284. See also Sake Stoppels and Erik Sengers, “Revitalisering,” in Rein
Brouwer et al., Levend lichaam. Dynamiek van christelijke geloofsgemeenschappen in Nederland [Living body: Dynamics
of christian communities of faith in the Netherlands] (Kampen: Kok, 2007), especially at 191.
54
Heitink, Practical Theology, 281.
55
“One of the key things we found about the emergent churches, common to them all,” the Anglican bishops
Gray-Reeves and Perham write, “was their ability to create communities where people with very different
views could live in harmony one with another.” Gray-Reeves and Perham, The Hospitality of God, 135.
56
Interestingly, these views on leadership roles closely parallel those found within secular organizations today.
“Instead of viewing themselves as resource controllers and power brokers, leaders must truly envision
themselves as flexible resources willing to assume numerous (perhaps unaccustomed) roles – coaches, information
providers, teachers, decision makers, facilitators, supporters, or listeners – depending on their employees’
needs.” Gregory G. Dess and Joseph C. Picken, “Changing Roles: Leadership in the 21st Century,”
Organizational Dynamics (Winter 2000), 22.
57
Cf. Heitink, Practical Theology, 285.
58
Osmer, Practical Theology, 195.
59
Leader training may be thought of as focusing on the skills needed. Leader development focuses on personal
traits and characteristics that assist in coping with a leadership role. The aim of leader education is to bring
basic assumptions, assimilated values, and predominant behavioral patterns into conscious awareness, and
to understand their influences on decision making and human behavior. Leader education must therefore be
seen as more comprehensive and less goal-oriented than training or development. Richard A. Barker, “How
Can We Train Leaders if We Do Not Know What Leadership Is?,” Human Relations 50, no. 4 (1997), 357