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For today's post, we want to connect you with two resources that Pastor Alison mentioned in her sermon on Sunday: 1) The Great Emergence by Phyllis Tickle, and 2) The Post-Evangelical Collective. In her sermon, Alison shared about Tickle's argument, from The Great Emergence, that we are living through a period of historical upheaval — marked by significant social, economic, political, and religious change. According to Tickle, “About every five hundred years the empowered structures of institutionalized Christianity, whatever they may be at that time, become an intolerable carapace that must be shattered in order that renewal and new growth may occur.” We currently find ourselves in one of those every-500-year periods, which means that we — as individuals and as a community — have the opportunity to help shape the "new, more vital form of Christianity" that is emerging in this historical moment. One of the ways that the River is doing this is through the Post-Evangelical Collective (or the PEC). For those who haven’t heard the term before, post-evangelical is a descriptive term that can apply to individuals or to faith communities. It describes former evangelical Christians who have experienced a break with evangelical subculture, beliefs, or practices. Although not every individual who is part of our community here at the River would describe themselves as post-evangelical — the River, as an organization, is a post-evangelical church. What we mean by that is that the River was founded as part of an evangelical denomination called the Vineyard. And then, over a decade ago, we experienced a break — leaving the Vineyard for reasons not limited to, but including our conviction that God affirms LGBTQ+ individuals and relationships. For many years, post-evangelical churches like ours were pretty isolated after choosing to leave or, in many cases, being forced to leave their previous denominations. The PEC set out to change that by building an ecosystem where churches like ours can connect more easily with one another. There are a number of ways they are doing this. Once a month, the PEC hosts a webinar devoted to a relevant spiritual topic. Anyone connected to the PEC can join these webinars — you do not have to be a pastor or work for a church. Past guests have included Zach Lambert (who wrote Better Ways to Read the Bible), Hillary McBride (who wrote Holy Hurt), and Andrew DeCort (who wrote Reviving the Golden Rule). If you are interested, you can receive information about upcoming webinars by subscribing to the PEC mailing list. Once a month, Alison joins a call with PEC pastors around the country to build relationships, to share ideas and resources, and to collaborate with and learn from one another. And, for the past two years, she's attended the PEC’s national gathering in the Spring. Next year’s gathering will be taking place in Cambridge, Massachusetts at our sister church, Reservoir. If you are interested in joining Alison and other members of the River staff who will be attending, please reach out for more information! In her sermon, Alison said this about the River's involvement with the PEC: "It’s been really exciting for me to see the variety of ways that this partnership has been bearing good fruit at the River. For example, there are so many resources that I have discovered through the PEC ecosystem. Ones that I’ve benefited from personally and have also been able to share with all of you in sermons, and Resource of the Week posts, and the Lending Library, and in one-on-one conversations. Brian Recker, the author of Hell Bent who came to speak here recently, is someone I got to know through relationships in the PEC. And at the book event we hosted, it was exciting to meet so many people in our region who are exploring similar faith questions. The church map on the PEC website has been a great way for folks to discover the River — I know of some folks here who found us that way! And the map has also been a really helpful resource when members of the River have moved away from New York City — it has allowed us to better support them in finding a faith community wherever they land. Engaging with the PEC has also helped me to feel more supported as a pastor. When navigating new or challenging situations, it’s been really wonderful to be able to reach out to other PEC pastors to hear about their own experiences and approaches. There are so many ways that we are benefitting from our engagement with the PEC, but perhaps, just as exciting to me are the ways that we are contributing to and helping to shape the movement. The same way that we are learning from other PEC churches — other PEC churches are learning from what we are doing here at the River. In addition to the official PEC churches listed on the website, we are also a resource for churches that aren’t quite there yet. Churches that are considering breaking with evangelicalism or becoming LGBTQ+ affirming but need some support to get there. Through our involvement with the PEC — and in various other ways — we are helping to shape the new, more vital forms of Christianity that are emerging in this historical moment. And our impact extends far beyond New York City."
About the Post-Evangelical Collective
The Post Evangelical Collective exists to connect, cultivate, and resource post evangelical churches. We are church leaders, artists, and other stakeholders who find ourselves estranged from the dominant expressions of American Christianity. Shared Values
Articles About the PEC
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