Community is not an extra or bonus. It is the essence of what Christians have to offer. Experiential People long to experience an intimate relationship with God. The relationship between knowledge and experience has shifted. In the emerging culture, experience now precedes and validates knowledge.
People experience something first and their experience then creates the context for learning.
This is changing the way churches do everything from evangelism to discipleship, from leadership development to teaching and preaching. The role of the new leader in this setting is changing to that of a guide and interpreter of experience rather than simply the deliverer of information. The unique role of the Christian leader is to do this in the context of church history and scripture. The emerging culture is less dependent upon a scientific and rationalistic way of thinking and has moved to a time when people want to experience God for themselves. We are entering an era when society as a whole is more spiritual in nature and yet less Christian.