Who’s Lightin’ It Up? The CANA Initiative

Many years ago, Doug Pagitt invited me to be part of a nascent network. That went through several iterations — Young Leaders Network, the Terra Nova Project — until it settled in as Emergent Village. That network had a good 10-year run, and lots of great things were birthed as a result.

Now Doug and some friends are launching a new network. The CANA Initiative may have some of the DNA of those previous groupings, but this is a new endeavor, with new people and different goals. Based on the idea of a “collective action network,” the CANA Initiative has eleven initial goals:

1. Articulate a robust emergence/progressive Christian ethos that integrates spiritual vibrancy, theological depth, and holistic mission.
2. Establish a social and mass media partnership to promote spokespeople for emergence/progressive Christianity
3. Launch a collaborative branding/messaging strategy for emergence/progressive Christianity
4. Create a church locator / organization-locator / ministry-locator site/App for activism and engagement
5. Establish an online/App news aggregator linked to action
6. Facilitate engagement for college students in emergence/progressive Christianity
7. Facilitate ongoing training and equipping for a new generation of transformative leaders
8. Organize regional connectivity via face-to-face gatherings
9. Develop and strengthen key alliances for action
10. Focus on “the work of the church” rather than “church work”
11. Develop funding for CANA key functions

It’s a “network of networks” — in other words, the CANA Initiative hopes to gather those leaders and organizations who are already involved in the emergence of a new, progressive Christianity, and to activate work that can be done together.

I think the CANA Initiative has incredible potential, and I think it taps some of Doug’s best gifts. I think it’ll be Lightin’ It Up for a long time to come…