NEW March 2008: Directory/groups: Portal, Richmond England Directory/blogs: Journeys In Between [Matt Stone] Directory/blogs: The Alternative Hymnal [Darren Wright][again?] Directory/books: Rising from the Ashes by Becky Garrison

The aims of this site are to:

• Provide you with a point of contact for alternative worship and emerging church sites worldwide
• Direct you to resources for understanding what alternative worship and emerging church are (and are not)
• Route you through to places where you can find resources to help you and those with you to create your own new forms of church

This site exists primarily as a portal to content elsewhere rather than as a comprehensive content provider in itself. However, the theory and practice sections contain content unique to this site for those who wish to know more before they explore further.

Site structure:

• Intro: where you are now; an overview of this site and its contents.
  
  
• Defnitions: some attempts at defining alternative worship - guidelines to what it is and isn't.
  
  
• Practice: this section contains practical guidance on many aspects of making new forms of church service happen. It's been written by experienced practitioners out of their own hard work [and mistakes].
  
  
• Directory: alternative worship and emerging church groups, blogs, and resources, worldwide. These listings should make it easier for you to find what you want quickly, whether it be a specific resource, the whereabouts of a group or like-minded people to talk to.
  
  If we haven't included something you think should be here, please contact us with details or links. It would be helpful if you made sure that the things you're putting forward for inclusion fit the general definitions found in the Definitions section. We say this not to be exclusive but to prevent the lists losing focus.
  
  The world of alternative worship and emerging church is a complex and fluid network, and any attempt to define sites by category is approximate. Sites may appear in more than one list because they contain a variety of material or functions. Blogs, in particular, combine personal opinion, authoritative writing, debate, resource-sharing, and networking, so it's no surprise that they are at the heart of the emerging church community.
  
  
• Contact: how to contact us for help and advice

Many voices:

Many of the items on this site or linked to it cover similar ground from different angles. There is no single authoritative voice in this movement giving the 'right' answers. Rather, it's a global conversation where ideas are passed back and forth and, hopefully, refined. You don't have to be a member of any elite or train for years to join in.

Who are we?

This site is managed by Paul Roberts and Steve Collins. We are members of two different Christian communities creating alternative worship - Grace in London, England (Steve) and Foundation in Bristol, England (Paul). Steve manages the Small Fire photographic site and blogs at small ritual. Paul has written a booklet on alternative worship, and was co-founder in 1993 of the group Third Sunday Service which became Resonance in 2000 and now Foundation. He blogs at staring into the distance.

The North American section of the Directory is curated by Karen Ward, who is pastor of Church of the Apostles, Seattle. Karen blogs at submergence.org.

Alternativeworship.org is a portal site. We cannot be held responsible for the content of the sites we link to, or for the opinions expressed therein.

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