The Ecclesia Collective

As I stated over on my personal blog, I was in Philadelphia this last weekend for the Submergent Next Steps Meeting. Eliacin, of the Mustard Seed House in Seattle, has already provided a blow-by-blow of the whole weekend. So, there’s no sense in repeating what he has already provided. I did write an article for the Pacific Southwest Mennonite Conference reflecting on the weekend. In it I tried to define “submergent”:

The label that has been used to define this group is “submergent.” The word is a combination of three words. First, it alludes to the words “submersion” and “subversive.” This new breed of Anabaptist is diving deep into cities and neighborhoods, becoming embedded as witnesses to the peaceable kingdom, and incarnating the Gospel. In this way, these people plant contrast communities, churches that live out the alternative way of Jesus amidst their communities, subverting the cultural norms of society and politics. Second, this title alludes to the word “emergent.” While this word is largely co-opted by Christians to mean a particular brand of Christianity, its secular meaning implies something that is just coming to existence. This is true of these communities; they are fresh expressions of Anabaptism.

It’s important to note that while there are several denominationally specific groups that affiliate with Emergent Village cropping up, I don’t see this group as the same. The difference with submergent is that in its association with Anabaptism it is nodding to a heritage and theological perspective that a variety of denominations have roots within. As well, many of those of us that are most vocal about this category don’t have roots in any Anabaptist denomination. Rather, we are drawn to it. I’ll quote myself again, this time from an article I wrote for the Young Anabaptist Radicals site:

… It seems that more and more people are beginning to realize this. We see the brokenness in our families, our schools, our environment, our religion, our politics and our media. We see that violence isn’t working and that conforming to the masses hasn’t worked either. Considering my children and considering our world’s brokenness is what drove me to pick up John Howard Yoder’s, The Politics of Jesus, months after 9/11. I was amazed. Ideas such as non-conformity and non-violence were such that I had only borrowed from punk bands and the secular minds that informed their thinking until I read about Anabaptism. Until then, I was unaware of Christian voices that encouraged this way of living as the Way. And I am not alone.

Many Christians, young and old, are beginning to see the need to re-frame how we think and act upon our theology. And more and more of us are finding a home in a Christian understanding that strongly resembles traditional Anabaptist thought. Whether we perceive this as a move of the Spirit or a response to the times we are in, more and more are beginning to find a home in Anabaptism. But many, if not most, are not affiliated with or actively seeking membership with an Anabaptist denomination. Many of us that did not grow up with this heritage, when convicted by the same values, did not ask for permission to label ourselves “Anabaptist”. We did not wait for someone else to give us this title. Our convictions and our desire to be a peaceful witness to Christ’s kingdom drove us to claim Anabaptism…

It isn’t just me saying this either. Read Tom Sine’s article or Greg Boyd’s blog post of recent. Why is there an increasing interest in Anabaptism? I think it may be that we are beginning to see a nonviolent frame work as potentially the only sane option. Again, from my YAR article:

I recognize that Anabaptism is not simply about nonviolence, yet this has been an emphasis of mine. That said, this is certainly a defining characteristic of Anabaptism and a magnetic and animating trait for many of us. This is why I have put an emphasis on theologically-rooted nonviolence. In a world of violent fundamentalism from a variety of faith traditions around the globe, it seems to me that this may be a necessary conviction for any radical, spiritual community to bring about a constructive, sustainable alternative.

But ultimately, the submergent label is simple a handle for conversation. That’s all. There won’t be room for egos and brand names if this truly what I assume it is:

What God is up to is so much bigger than any of our definitions. We seem to scramble for definitions and categories. But as we talked I found myself beginning to lose track of the variety of good things I was hearing about from around the globe. It was too much for me to be able to bring back to immediate recall… just from one weekend of conversation and storytelling…

The global Body’s prophetic instinct is kicking in.

Hope is on the move.

Amen.

Jason Evans is a co-founder of the Ecclesia Collective and a member of the Hawthorn House. He is married to Brooke and has two wonderful kids, Paige and Matt. He is currently a student at Fuller Seminary.