My Momma and The Origins Project

eric posted on December 7, 2009

She is always moved by the meaningful connections we make with non-Christians, the service projects that excavate the human potential of the disenfranchised in our neighborhood, and the innovation with which we live out the mission of Christ, but she always walks away asking me, “when are yall gonna join a denomination baby?”

What my momma is really telling me in her question is… the connection, accountability, and the support of other churches in a network adds value to the local church. The cross-pollination of ideas and people grows a church’s capacity to see farther, see more, and see sooner than they would if they were alone.

I know that this is good but I have had a hard time finding the right network. The right network cross-pollinates creativity, call, and beauty but, the wrong network contaminates church growth in ways that impair the flexibility and nimble nature of those who seek the heart of Christ and the potential of humanity in innovative ways. For this reason The Awakenings Movement has chosen to explore community and creative partnerships beyond the sphere of the Church World and Christian initiatives. We have only partnered with what some call, “secular” or “public” organizations because we work to honor the integrity of AM’s quirky core values as a Church and our nonnegotiable mission to engage folks outside the church as a movement.

Joining the Origins Project has made my momma happy and has satisfied our churches desire to connect and grow with others. This new network of imaginative churches and life artists is an adventurous new community… making momma’s happy and innovative churches grow together.

Marlon F. Hall is a photographer, missionary, anthropologist, and writer. He is the cultural architect and spiritual leader of The Awakenings Movement, a grassroots community of social visionaries and culture shapers in Houston, Detroit, and Nairobi.