I've been posted in Creative Loafing as the 6th least influential leader in Atlanta, I guess thats good? The issue is a tribute to women and men everywhere struggling to meet the challenges of life in a modern American city. I'm proud to be in the fine company of a homeless woman, a small business entrepreneur, a rain dancer, and a couple of whale sharks:)
The timing for Andi's call (the creative loafing reporter) was a surprise since I had left a year as pastor in Sandy Springs only 4 weeks earlier. So I am grateful that it turned out so positive! The funny part is getting photographed as least influential. What do you do, wear your least persuasive sweater and remind no one to say 'hey' when your out in the neighborhood? i was cleaning my couch when Joeff, the photographer, came by, so things were pretty natural and unforced. That seems pretty unimportant, right?
Here's a bit of what Andi writes:
Bronsink is a pastor without a congregation.
He is part of what’s known as the emerging church, a Protestant movement reimagining church in a post-modern context with an emphasis on community-minded living. Despite his traditional seminary education, his collaborative, cooperative style doesn’t easily mesh with the Protestant church as it’s typically practiced in the South.
He’s not what he describes as a traditional, CEO pastor — “the person who can summarize it all, be the representative, the design guru, and the implementer.”
Bronsink envisions church as a “community meeting at the Lord’s table,” he says. “Jesus is the center, not just one person speaking on his behalf.”
He’s a roundtable man in a podium world...
Anyway, I also wanna give props to the even less influential Atlantans who do even better work of inspiring hope against all contextual odds. May the new creation conspire with us all!
I just found out that there are some more photos and narration by Andi and Jeff in a multimedia slideshow of the "least Influential," with my stuff around 11:54 in the show.(thanks steve for the find)
Well, since I have never read creative loafing, I am afraid I missed that article. But apparently the homeless person is more influential than me because they didn't mention me at all.
Got here from a note on another blog asking about emergent activity in the Atlanta area. I said that there really is none. they gave me your address. I will drop by from time to time to check it out.
Posted by: Nate Peres | November 13, 2007 at 11:27 PM
my goodness what a lovely little article! I just read this today off of www.sacredspace.ie
seems to fit a bit?
In his classic The Imitation of Christ, Thomas à Kempis urges the reader to ‘enjoy being unknown and regarded as nothing.’ What he means is the ability to persist through tedium, to survive without the oxygen of recognition, praise and stroking, to do some good things every day which are seen only by God. Most of us start life as the centre of the universe, being stroked and attended to. Baby’s every smile and whimper is responded to and noted. It is an addictive experience, and it is hard to get used to being just one of a family, and later one of a whole class or school, barely noticed. When children suffer undue neglect or distress, the effects can reveal themselves in adult life. Some people, like pop stars and notice-boxes, never recover from the addiction, never climb out of those infantile lowlands. They find it impossible to survive without notice and applause, and spend their energies seeking it. They never fit themselves for the higher ground where the oxygen of appreciation is thinner, and they have to survive, as à Kempis says, unknown and hardly noticed. For all but his last three years, Jesus was happy to live a hidden life. That is where most of the good in this world is accomplished, by parents, carers, and all who keep going through the daily offering of their unregarded service.
keep up the good work (creative loafing, being kind, fostering community for Jesus)
peace,
Todd
Posted by: todd | December 07, 2007 at 11:22 AM