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Synagogue 3000 Working Group on Emergent Sacred Communities

November 23, 2005

On Nov 8, 2005, at 6:55 PM, J.Shawn Landres wrote:

Dear Shir-Yaakov,

As you may know, Synagogue 2000 recently completed a year of strategic planning to envision the next iteration of our work concerning the synagogue of the 21st century.

[...]

We are thrilled to invite you to join our Working Group on Emergent Sacred Communities. This Working Group is a select group of fewer than a dozen emergent Jewish leaders who are committed to the establishment of transformative spiritual communities unbound by conventional expectations about what a synagogue is “supposed” to be.

First, you’ll meet one another, discuss the motivations and challenges of building new sacred institutions, and work to identify the key factors that distinguish your communities from synagogues, minyanim and chavurot, and stand-alone “happenings.”

Second, you’ll have the opportunity to engage in dialogue with national leaders in the Christian Emergent movement who are leading similar revolutions in the church world; we hope that you’ll learn from one another and find new allies and areas of common ground.

Third, you’ll meet with the members of the S3K Leadership Network’s Working Group on Spiritual Leadership to discuss the relationship between the synagogue establishment—the “battleship” synagogues—and the emergent context. Are emergent institutions “stealing” members and money? Are traditional synagogues stifling innovation? Are there other models for cooperation and progress?

Posted November 23, 2005 07:02 PM