Your Invitation to Trailblaze a New Path for Christianity

A Call for a New Reformation, Part 9

NOTE: Because this November-December series (“A Call for a New Reformation”) is incredibly important to me, I’ve decided to open it up for free through the end of December 2024. If you want full access to the archives as well as all online community events, please consider supporting the “Religious, Reasonable, & Radical Newsletter & Community” (learn more) by becoming a paid member for a small monthly fee.

I sat in my living room quietly listening. The dogs lay conked out on the couch. The electric fireplace hummed off to my side. On the laptop monitor, my young conversation partner continued to talk.

We had chatted a few times here and there, but this was the most in-depth discussion we'd ever had about spirituality. We talked for a while about how her spirituality had been transforming. We talked about the uncertainty that came with personal evolution. As she shared her journey with me, I got to be her spiritual companion who walked with her even though I was many, many miles away.

At one point, she mentioned the importance of small-group interactions in her spiritual growth. Just then, something struck me. This is exactly the kind of thing I have been writing about for the last two months. I realized that we weren't just having a conversation. We were manifesting the future of the church.

To make things more interesting, this was not the only conversation I had like this during that week. I had another one with a young man wrestling with his own spirituality. So much of traditional Christian theology had become unbelievable for him. Again, I got to be a spiritual companion from a distance.

For the last couple of months, I have been writing about the paradigm shift necessary for Christianity to thrive in the postmodern context. But, during those conversations, we were embodying that shift. Or, perhaps a better (more theological) articulation might be to say we were incarnating it.

Responding to the personal call

Typically in the Christian tradition, the call to ministry is validated in two ways.

First, the individual needs a personal sense of call to spiritual leadership. Second, the community also needs to sense that the person is called to lead them spiritually.

Back in 2005, I began the Evolving Christian Faith Network as a blog. I needed a place to work out my ideas for the future of the church. Through the next several years, I updated it occasionally with new articles here and there, but I was never able to fully commit to it.

It wasn't until May 7th, 2023 (when I created this Substack) that I went all in. Somehow, it felt like the time was right. Technology had caught up with my vision. So, I began with one article per week

Since then, this newsletter has evolved considerably. Now it includes not just my long-form articles, but also video reflections, journal prompts, and even face-to-face online gatherings.

It’s incredibly heartwarming to know that you all are out there subscribing to my newsletter & community or following me on Notes (or Threads, or BlueSky, if that's where you're at). It means so much to me that you all want to hear what I have to say.

At the end of the day, I have to say, this all just feels “right”. I am thriving as a person more so than ever because of my work with this project.

Add to that the spiritual conversations I’ve had with people, and I have become extremely confident that I am going in the right direction.

Indeed, now more than ever, I am realizing my personal sense of Call, and that call that is being validated both personally and relationally.