Art, Media, &
The Emerging Church:
A documentary reflection of a NEW United Methodist Community of Faith

This video documentary project was first presented in April 2008 as a part of a collaboration between our lead pastor, Bill Gibson, and a project for study in Art, Media & the Christian Tradition, at The Divinity School of Duke University.

The project is not a true "documentary." Instead, it blends together discussions of the emerging church and emerging culture, with a reflection on how art and media are used at FaithWalk in the context of emerging worship. Therefore, not every statement or point is fleshed out in this project, nor does the "emerging church" get fully identified in its scope.

For further considerations, see below by clicking here.

Considerations while viewing documentary:

1. After being originally organized in 2002/2003 and planted in its current location in February 2004, FaithWalk had a change in leadership in July 2007 and officially relaunched on September 16, 2007 with a new vision and direction. FaithWalk has grown from an average attendance of 22 in June 2007, to a 2-service rotation each Sunday morning and more than 230 people each week. We continue to grow! Our highest attendance to date came on November 23, 2008, with 412 for our Thanksgiving Kononia, and Contemporary Christian music artist, Shaun Groves.
2. FaithWalk's target group includes Generation X and Y, however, you will find people of all ages at FaithWalk as God is establishing a vital foundation of servants. The average age of our congregation is 34, and the largest group at FaithWalk is the 30-somethings who have small children.
3. The "emerging church" movement is so broad it is hard to completely identify and has to be understood within contextual parameters (i.e. geographic regions, denominational considerations, etc.). There are more resources and models outside of Methodism rather than inside. One thing that remains consistent is the age of those who are exploring the emerging church movement, which primarily consist of young adults.
4. The context of the argument presented in this project is based on ministering to the unchurched, disconnected, and disenfranchised of society — the majority of which have no (or little) prior understanding of "church" or the Christian faith.
5. This documentary assumes the viewer has a basic understanding of Methodism and Wesleyan theology, and speaks to "the church" as all those who are members of the Body, primarily within The United Methodist Church.