In November we are of on a Skate Pilgrimage with some young people for the Church on the Edge project. We are working through the process of being
A Contacting Community – Through detached youth work
A Growing Community- Through ongoing contact and residential
A Connecting Community – Through undertaking a rite of passage committing to journey together
An Exploring Community – Through connecting stories and life
An Ecclesial Community – Through living together with a missionary DNA

So we are up to to this rite of passage stage. The rite of passage story is one of the hero leaving behind where they were, battling their enemy, and returning the hero accepted and endorsed by the community. It is this last section that I am concerned about.
One of the premises of Church on the edge at this stage is not about the young people coming to faith through this rite of passage, but being willing to commit to explore with us and be church together, regardless of their faith position. The yp are willing to do this, yet my initial reading on the rite of passage it is the reception of the broader community is a vital part of the process. The project is essentially saying to these yp “you are now part of the church” but who and how do we get this accepted by the wider and or local church. What does this look like?

In some ways the issue is further compounded by how we view the project. Namly that in many ways we are already being church with the young people, yet others may not agree. Some would argue that by going through this rite of passage we have moved towards being church, yet we are in part asking hard questions of what church is and how we be church, do sacrements etc. Importantly we are enabling the young people (who have asigned to the faith) to decide with us how we are church, be church, express sacrement etc. So asking another to endorse such an open journey is problematic.

I wonder if the emerging church so far only been endorsed by the wider church community because they came from those communities in the first place and they were not seeking this endorsement but it arose over time, when perhaps the journey had already been charted and they were safer to endorse.

Anyone for some comments/thoughts/dialogue?