Co-pastor Kathy Escobar says interactive worship and intergenerational participation is where tomorrow’s church is headed.
Her congregation, The Refuge, is an emergent gathering in Denver that’s home to a menagerie of what she calls, “spiritual orphans” that’s experimenting with new ways to live together.
Kathy’s convinced that today’s Christians no longer want to go to church, they want to be the church. Her enthusiasm for connecting people with the healing power of the Gospel is infectious. Hear from this vivacious voice for a new way to form community.
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Synopsis
Don’t come to The Refuge for the music, preaching, or kid’s programs. This is is how Kathy’s church bills itself- because they want the draw to be the relationships. Here are my notes from the interview.
A 12 Step Ethos
Noting the transformational culture of 12-step groups, Kathy likes to draw parallels between the Sermon on the Mount and addiction recovery’s famous framework. She says transformation is at the heart of The Refuge.
Don’t Hide in Church
Kathy says it’s easy to do in churches of all sizes, but that’s not what we’re called to do. She emphasizes the importance of an interactive liturgy to draw people out and call them into conversation with the transformative power of community.
Commend New Ideas!
Kathy says existing churches need to become more permission-giving. Too many judicatories are too protective, and squelch the Spirit that is always looking to do something new.
About Kathy Escobar
Kathy Escobar co-pastors The Refuge, an eclectic faith community dedicated to those on the margins of life and faith in North Denver. A speaker, spiritual director, group facilitator and advocate, Kathy is passionate about community, equality, justice, and change in the church. She has written several books, including the most recent, Down We Go: Living into the Wild Ways of Jesus, which is centered on cultivating incarnational community in a wide range of contexts. She has a Masters degree in Management and Organizational Development and a certificate in Evangelical Spiritual Guidance from Denver Seminary and blogs regularly about life and faith at www.kathyescobar.com. Kathy lives in Arvada, Colorado with her husband and 5 children.
Books Kathy Recommends
Community and Growth – Jean Vanier
Breathing Under Water – Richard Rohr
The Emotionally Healthy Church – Peter Scazzero
Sponsors I Mentioned
Kathy Escobar has authored several books and contributed to others. Read her insight and writings in Banned Questions about the Bible from Chalice Press. Banned Questions about the Bible tackles those tough questions about the Bible and allows readers to draw their own conclusions. Listen in as more than a dozen contributors–whose ranks include a recovering consumer, a religious satirist, and a seminary president—discuss the questions your Sunday school teachers were afraid to answer.
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