The History of Emergent Part 6

Cheryl and I packed up my mint green bronco in June of 1999 after saying goodbye to our church. The first half dozen people I told in person we were leaving the church cried except Crystal who laughed. And in a weird way that was a huge relief. I hate disappointing people even though it is something I do well and often.

The week before I left I got a call from this chrischris guy in Dallas who called himself Scott Gornto (known now as the protégé of the great Tyler Hall). Chris Seay had mentioned this guy on any number of occasions. Everything was a bit mysterious and confusing with Chris because on the one hand he took credit for almost everything (which was irritating) but on the other he really did have his hands in almost everything. I give him complete credit for telling me obsessively about Scott and encouraging me to visit the church he was starting called Journey (which by the way deserves its own official history section on this blog because the written history on the current Journey site and oral history that lives through its genius people does not carry with it the complete and accurate story. That resides with me.

IT seems that Gaston Oaks Baptist church asked Chris Seay how they could start a “worship service for the young people” and thus Journey was born. The first time I visited journey Crowder played and I thought one of his song starts reminded me of INXS. I told Chris and he smiled. Chris was spellbinding as a communicator and probably still is. I did not know him well enough at the time to spot the hyperbole. Nevertheless, I liked him and thought he was pretty genius.

Scott Gornto on the other had was an acquired taste. We met at Starbucks on Greenville Ave and I thought to myself what jackass. He proved me wrong as he to this day is one of my closest friends on the planet. He ruled Journey with an iron fist (jk) and was smart (or stupid depending on your view) enough to let others in to leadership. Jason Mueller, Gornto and I spent the next three years meeting once a week on my porch or at a coffee shop to discuss, argue and laugh about the travails of leading a young church.

It was during this time that I also met a genius young woman by the name of Danielle Shroyer who now pastors Journey. What is funny at the time was we had a teaching team consisting of Scott, Jason Mueller, Danielle and this Aaron Finnin (tightwhitetshirt.com). Everytime it was Danielle’s turn to teach we would all acknowledge in front of her and behind her back that she was clearly the best teacher among us. And Scott, Mueller and I were no slouches. Aaron mailed everything in and was part of the Emergent movement to tag chicks it seemed. I give him complete credit for Fight Club sermon failure.

Journey is where I had my hands actually involved in what I would now consider an “emergent kind of church”. The church I started was not really that place. We were a more progressive congregation in the suburbs. The church moved downtown and to this day is as missional as any church I have ever attended. This is mostly because the current pastor (my friend Mike) has taken the church to a new and better place geographically and spiritually. But it was never and could never be construed as an “emergent church”.

Journey was and is striving to be in that category. WE wanted to be a church that ministered in the “postmodern transition” if you will. This work I did with these guys kept me honest and provided two friendships that literally kept me together during the year or so following Leadership Network that was derailing in so many ways. But in addition, while I traveled around the country and helped put gatherings together for people doing “emergent work” in different forms, this was my version of what everyone else was also trying to do. Their leadership of the church was nothing short of brilliant and their loyal friendship has proven to be even more so for me.

viva Journey

el mol