2011
Diane M. Jardine Bruce
U2 and Pirates and Prayers, O MY! : Managing the Anxiety of Change Within the Emergent Church/Creative Ministry Movement Among Existing Parishes and Missions in the Diocese of Los Angeles
The development of “alternative liturgies” within the context of an existing congregation can cause anxiety within the church’s family system. This is especially true when the liturgy evolves from the work of the Emergent Church or as it is increasingly known, the Creative Ministry movement – it is different, and frequently does not look remotely like a traditional Episcopal service. The stakes are raised when a Creative Ministry Church is planted in the backyard of neighboring congregations. The response to this new form of Church, both at the judicatory level and at the surrounding congregation level, can have repercussions on the community that is in the process of emerging. What is required of the leaders in congregations that want to do this work? What steps should be taken to nurture this creative expression? This thesis will investigate the development of these types of liturgies and Creative Ministry expressions in the Diocese of Los Angeles located in Southern California.