Evolving Faith is an annual gathering of followers of Jesus (mostly) who want to connect with “fellow wanderers and misfits” and “envision a community where the thirsty become water-bearers, the hungry become bread-makers, the wounded are our healers, the misfits become friends, and the wanderers find a home.” It’s based in the US normally but this year the conference went online, so we had the chance to experience their vision in action. When the weekend came, we set up our living room like an event – snacks laid out, lights dimmed, communion bread prepared. It was a lot of money to invest for an online event – but we hoped it would be worth it.
Spoiler: it was. There were some great talks, but more importantly this felt like a diverse group of leaders modelling together what healthy Christian community might look like. These are some of the things we loved.
Space for the full spectrum of human emotion.
From the beginning it was clear that we could bring our questions, disappointment, pain, rage, joy, exhaustion or excitement to the conference. There were tears from the front before the introductions were over and the speakers themselves brought all kinds of different energy and emotion to their talk – from quiet meditation to protest-filled anger. In the first talk one of the hosts, Sarah Bessey, preached up a storm as she named many of the ways the church, the faith and Jesus Himself may have disappointed us, ending with these powerful words…
“We had hoped we could bring our whole selves to church. That Christians would be the first ones to care about climate change or to lay down their power and privilege, however that is, counting it as nothing because of the gospel. We had hoped that the gospel would be good news and glad tidings for everyone. We had hoped for justice and we have hoped for so many things.”
The invitation was not to gather around shared pain or disappointment but nor was it to leave that behind or hide it.
Earnest not cynical
Evolving Faith is primarily a space for people who have found themselves disillusioned, disappointed, dismissed or doubting in other faith spaces but who still believe that faith matters. There are a growing number of online spaces for people who are ‘deconstructing’ their Christian faith but we have found that many of these spaces unite around what they are against, which quickly degenerates into cynicism and sarcasm, especially towards evangelicals.
At Evolving Faith there was none of that. From the first welcome, it was clear that the hosts of the conference had gathered because of what they are FOR – and they were unashamedly earnest and heartfelt about it. This was a conference centred on hope in the person of Jesus, delight in a God who welcomes absolutely everyone and a hunger to see what the Scriptures might say to us right here, right now.
Diversity, disagreement and accountability
One of the foundations for this community is relationship and dialogue, not uniformity and agreement. One of the ways this was expressed was through the two main hosts openly acknowledging differences with one another, with one from a Pentecostal background and the other from a Reformed background. It was also refreshing to see that one of the main speakers wasn’t a Christian, and yet for us, hers was a standout talk with what she shared from Jewish scholarship revealing so much about Jesus. Theological differences were on show, as were differences between the speakers in life experience shaped by race, age, gender, sexuality, disability, style, personality and much more. It didn’t feel tokenistic as these are people who mostly know each other in real life – so love, respect and commitment to learn from one another shone brighter.
Although the leaders worked hard to make room for diversity and disagreement, there were times that people from marginalised communities were hurt by things that were said by speakers. When this happened, the leaders were quick to acknowledge, apologise and rectify their mistake.
Holistic Spirituality
A final feature of this conference that stood out to us was how holistic the faith practice was. There were constant invitations to engage with God through the whole experience of our mind, body and souls. This ranged from the taking of bread together (virtually), to the use of different styles of music, poetry, liturgy, one-to-one prayer, song, meditation and film, from theologically challenging talks to the tears of speakers as they shared their stories. We loved the expression and experience of faith and worship in so many different ways.
Conclusion:
Five stars, would recommend.
Questions:
- What fiction (TV/film/book) most closely pictures your ideal vision for community and why?
- Which of the above stands out to you the most? Why?
- Have you experienced similar things in a faith community? Have you ever experienced the opposite? How did you respond?
- Do you have any close relationships with people you really disagree with or are very different from?
- Do you feel that you bring the whole range of human experience into your faith?
- What is your vision for healthy Christian community?
- What part can you play in practicing that at S@TP?
A couple of resources:
Evolving Faith podcast – https://evolvingfaith.com/podcast
To find out more/next year’s conference: https://evolvingfaith.com/
The transcript to Sarah’s introductory talk is well worth a read: https://evolvingfaith.com/conference/stream/transcripts/session-1#sarahbessey
Rob Wylie is the founder of BeachcomberFX and guides its leadership team. He has worked in the North East for over 20 years and has vast experience from various roles he has held. He has a passion for Fresh Expressions of Church and Pioneer Ministry as well as beer, beaches and Miniature Schnauzers.