Have you heard of Abbey Way Covenant Church?
If this is what the emergent church will eventually look like, then I am intrigued.
I am particularly drawn to the way its members' lives are ordered, through prayer, word and sacrament. Their lives are shaped by the principles of stability, transformation, and obedience: willingness to be still, willingness to change, and willingness to listen. In so doing, Abbey Way does not seek to conform to the world, but to Christ, so mission flows naturally from their life together, rather than the reverse.
When I first heard that they do not open their doors to visitors, except once a month on Guesthouse Sundays, I was scandalized. What about evangelism? What about hospitality? What about FREEDOM OF CHOICE? Ah, that is where Abbey Way is simultaneously culturally astute and counter-cultural. They must know full well that in a market economy, consumer interest and demand rises with the scarcity of product. Postmoderns are nothing if not consumers used to having a plethora of product choices, so this reverse psychology is a brilliant move which should pique interest. But even more brilliant is that it teaches even as it captivates: following Christ is not all about you. God's love is wide, but
"small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." (Matt.7:14)
Unlike many other emergents, Abbey Way doesn't try to reinvent the wheel. They manage to be contemporary without being ahistorical, probably because they do not take their own experience to be spiritually formative, but allow their experience to be formed spiritually.
I doubt that church shopping or church-hopping is much of a problem here:
Stability creates an environment to grow and mature, rooting us deeply within and without, through endurance and perseverance, with a particular community and location.
Stability calls us to a committed way of life with a certain group of people for the long haul. Stability in monastic tradition would also add the willingness to be grounded in a geographic location from which mission and ministry is birthed. From a place of deep listening to God and connection to the people around them, the community's charism and calling is discovered.
In particular, stability requires a interior stay with-it-ness when external or internal forces toss us about, making us want to flee.
The principle of stability is deeply rooted in God's faithfulness to us. It is promised, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." It is in this promise of God with us through His constant abiding presence we are able to commit ourselves to each other in God.
Abbey Way claims this principle of stability as its own. Antidotal to non-committal and individualistic forms of church attendance, stability names the real work of creating a community which is able to reflect the glory of Christ. As Abbey Way embraces stability as one of our core principals, we hope to create a consistent and accessible embodiment of the Gospel, enabling others to find Jesus and experience new life in Christ.
When I first heard that they do not open their doors to visitors, except once a month on Guesthouse Sundays, I was scandalized. What about evangelism? What about hospitality? What about FREEDOM OF CHOICE? Ah, that is where Abbey Way is simultaneously culturally astute and counter-cultural. They must know full well that in a market economy, consumer interest and demand rises with the scarcity of product. Postmoderns are nothing if not consumers used to having a plethora of product choices, so this reverse psychology is a brilliant move which should pique interest. But even more brilliant is that it teaches even as it captivates: following Christ is not all about you. God's love is wide, but
"small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." (Matt.7:14)
Unlike many other emergents, Abbey Way doesn't try to reinvent the wheel. They manage to be contemporary without being ahistorical, probably because they do not take their own experience to be spiritually formative, but allow their experience to be formed spiritually.
I doubt that church shopping or church-hopping is much of a problem here:
Stability creates an environment to grow and mature, rooting us deeply within and without, through endurance and perseverance, with a particular community and location.
Stability calls us to a committed way of life with a certain group of people for the long haul. Stability in monastic tradition would also add the willingness to be grounded in a geographic location from which mission and ministry is birthed. From a place of deep listening to God and connection to the people around them, the community's charism and calling is discovered.
In particular, stability requires a interior stay with-it-ness when external or internal forces toss us about, making us want to flee.
The principle of stability is deeply rooted in God's faithfulness to us. It is promised, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." It is in this promise of God with us through His constant abiding presence we are able to commit ourselves to each other in God.
Abbey Way claims this principle of stability as its own. Antidotal to non-committal and individualistic forms of church attendance, stability names the real work of creating a community which is able to reflect the glory of Christ. As Abbey Way embraces stability as one of our core principals, we hope to create a consistent and accessible embodiment of the Gospel, enabling others to find Jesus and experience new life in Christ.
God bless Abbey Way, and God bless the Covenant for befriending them.
3 comments:
Thanks for your kind words. I pray we are becoming who you describe us to be!
Beth - yes, thank you for your kind words indeed! I was struck by this in your post: "They must know full well that in a market economy, consumer interest and demand rises with the scarcity of product." Funny, I had never thought about it that way. Abbey Way has such a focus our commitment to one another that Guest House Sundays were born out of a desire to create a stability among us, even while allowing space for others to join the circle. Becoming part of our church is a process that both the commnunity and individual or family discern together. I guess it is most true to say that we aren't consciously focusing on what the culture (or The Church/universal) is or isn't doing. Our heart is to learn to listen to God and to each other.
Though I am not a member, I have been a friend of Abbey Way since the days when it was still only a vague vision forming in Jan's heart. :) I have prayed and cheered from a distance. Jan and Tonya are both friends.
So I too appreciate your words here. God bless you, God bless Abbey Way, and may we all seek to be continually converted to Christ.
Peace
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