I’m not making this up. Read the inspiration here. Pastor Chuck Warnock of Chatham Baptist Church, Virginia saw something in the Transit Camp model that he felt was needed in the Church. In particular, the BarCamp principles as we outlined them:
Bar Camp Principles Apply:
- We are equal individuals in an open community.
- Leadership can emerge from anywhere.
- We are all participants.
Pastor Warnock apparently saw a need for openness, self-organization and participation in the Church:
I just think this is amazing. Here we have a self-organized group of transit evangelists who are getting together on their own to help the transit system improve and they have principles that any church should be shouting from the rooftops — equal individuals in open community, leaders emerge from anywhere, and all are participants.
Maybe we ought to let non-church members organize churches for us.
Warnock’s ChurchCamp wiki is up, a solutions playground for the church, with the 3 principles given prominence of place, like a wikified version of Luther’s 95 Theses.
If we needed proof about the amazing hunger in the world outside tech for the methods and tools for openness, participation and community being developed in the BarCamp community laboratory, we need look no further.
Technorati Tags: barcamp, churchcamp, opencreativecommunities, transitcamp, torontotransitcamp
Talk to jevon about the pastorless church on PEI. “You don’t need one” I think was his idea to them.
[...] They are communities with both global and local dimensions. And they are self-organizing at an increasingly rapid rate, in the most unexpected places. (more after the jump) [...]
Mark, thanks for picking up my post. I had been reading about systems theory — bees, ants, self-organizing systems — and here you guys are doing it in the public sector. Plus, I love Toronto — at least I think I do. Never actually been there, but heard great things. And, yes, church does need this. So, we’re off to church camp. Thanks for the inspiration!
- Chuck
Tom, do you have some contact info for “jevon” re the “pastorless church on PEI.” I assume Prince Ed Isl, but can you point me in a more specific direction? Thanks, Chuck
Ah that would be Jevon Macdonald http://socialwrite.com