Welcome to the Book!
A Circle of Hope, the book, is a bit like a salad, which is a bit like us – lots of flavors all mixed up and tasty. Enjoy.
1) It is based on the “proverbs” of Circle of Hope; so sometimes, it may read a bit like the book of Proverbs in the Bible – a somewhat random collection. You won’t find too much systematic theology here.
2) It follows parts of the story of how Circle of Hope, the people, developed over the past decade or so; so sometimes it has the flavor of a memoir. You’ll find all sorts of references about what’s been going on for the past decade, and more than just what’s happened on MTV!
3) It is all about trying to put into practice what Jesus is teaching in the here and now; so most of the time it reads like theology done in community, because that is how the book got written. You may have some things to add that will get built right in, since this is about the sixth rewrite that includes what all sorts of people have added before you. We hope we are all contributing to what God is doing next (see chapter 4!).
There is no way to write about the Church, much less Circle of Hope, as if the Church is a concept, or a past historical fact, or an image trapped in time – or anything else that usually appears in a book. The church is an organism or it is dead (see chapter 8!). So keep in mind that whatever is in this book is part of a developing story. We’re telling the story, but, as you can tell, we doubt that the last chapter has even begun!
We’ll trust you with all that.
How this got going
We’ve done a lot of thinking about how to be the church in the East Coast Megalopolis. A few years ago, I (Rod White, the first pastor) was encouraged to “write it all down” so people could track with us. We decided we could base our story on the “proverbs” we’ve accumulated over the last decade that describe who we are and what we care about.
We’re kind of a tribe, so we definitely need “lore.” The proverbs began to spontaneously collect when we realized we had some lore to preserve. They went through some permutations and then got organized by Joe Snell. A couple of years ago, I was challenged to speak on the sections and then make the speeches into the chapters of this book. In the public meetings where I gave the speeches, there was some talking back, too — that’s usually part of how we do speeches, so the ideas entered into some more dialogue (see Chapter 9!). When the speeches were turned into book chapters, I called together a group of seminarian-types to talk them over — a lot more dialogue ensued. So what follows has been a big group project over years and that is how we like it. And it isn’t the final word! What you add as you get in step with us on the journey will likely help determine the destination.
We’re all about revealing Jesus, so letting ourselves be known in this way is sort of like Jesus going to the Capernaum synagogue when he decided it was time to make his mission public. He took out the scroll of Isaiah and announced, “This is what I’m all about.” (Luke 4:16-18). Just because Jesus did that and the record of him doing it got into a book doesn’t mean everyone understood Jesus. But it needed to be done. We don’t expect everyone to understand us, either. But we need to make Jesus in us known. We’re telling our story. It is better to tell one’s story personally (see Chapter 3!) but this way gets it out there, too. We hope it contributes to the many ways God is building the next rendition of the Church.
Want to go with us?
We hope this reading experience ends up like a little trip for you.
It‘s kind of like a camping trip, where everyone has to pitch in for the group to make a home in the wilderness. Our whole journey as the Church is a group effort, so we’ve tried to make this whole book interactive, too. You’ll see some of the comments. Please add something yourself.
Thousands of people have stopped by, so far. Whether they got deeply involved or just took a little dip in our water, that’s OK.
You might feel moved to help shape the next edition.
You might already have some insight about Circle of Hope to share because you’re there, or have been. So if something in the text, or in the other comments, or in the reviews grabs you, comment about it.
You could…
…share a story about how what’s being described has played out for you personally (tell us how Jesus has shown up).
…share a story about how Circle of Hope seems to have failed (be kind, but share honestly, we’re not surprised by imperfection or conflict).
…share your perspective on the Scripture that is mentioned (agree or disagree…we’ll talk).
…share your expertise on a topic or a movie or an event (you might be better informed).
Even if you just arrived, you’re invited to speak up!
You may have discovered Circle of Hope when you hit whatever link brought you here. That’s a good thing. Your input might be even more valuable and it will certainly be interesting!
Journey with us from wherever it is you happen to be…
…ask questions.
…share your stories about beauty and pain.
…share your thoughts about the Bible.
…share your expertise on topics touched or pop culture references (they abound).
Is that enough encouragement? Go on the journey with us, starting from wherever you’re starting.
OK, let’s go…Here are the chapters.
Chapter 2: The Next Generation of the Church
Chapter 3: Revealing Jesus Incarnationally
Chapter 4: Moving with What the Spirit is Doing Next
Chapter 5: Going Deep with God
Chapter 7: Generating Justice and Hope in Our Neighborhood
Chapter 8: Building Community as a Living Organism
Chapter 9: Maintaining the Dialogue
Chapter 10: Fomenting Diversity and Reconciliation
Chapter 11: Expressing Our New Selves
