Pastor
Send an Email to Ian Lawton

Ian Lawton moved to the U.S. in 2004 with his family (Partner Meg; children, Hugo, Darcy and Raina). They came so that he could begin the role of executive minister at C3/ Christ Community Church in Spring Lake,West Michigan. http://www.christ-community.net   Ian has oversight of the whole ministry, as well as having a particular role leading the community's theological exploration.

It's a fascinating journey and an inspirational community. Ian is delighted to have come across more progressive thinkers in this church than he could ever have imagined. During his time in Spring Lake, Michigan, Ian has been exposed to new ideas and philosophers that have broadened
his horizons beyond his wildest imagination. It's this interchange of ideas that defines the way C3 "does" theology together.

It has been a long journey since being ordained in Sydney, Australia, in 1994. Sydney is one of the most conservative Anglican dioceses in the world. In seminary, Ian studied Calvinism by day, and Liberation Theology by night and managed to find some time in between for sports and surfing.

It was Liberation Theology that resonated more deeply with Ian's experience of life, and his work on Sydney's inner city streets. Theology that spoke to the reality of human suffering and injustice was exciting in its possibilities. Ian went on to complete a second degree in sociology, so that his theological journey would always run close to anengagement with the world around him. So he thought of his theology as incarnational.

In 2000, Ian left Sydney because of irreconcilable theological differences. Basically, he wanted to open the doors of his downtown church to the GLBT community, and that was taboo. Ian felt the need to leave in order to preserve his humanity and to find a more open place to explore a relevant and evolving theology.

Ian found this in downtown Auckland, New Zealand, where he became the Vicar of St. Matthew in the City http://www.stmatthews.org.nz/ . Ian had four fun years there in a never-dull, gothic, white stone building in the shadows of the towering casino. His world opened up during these four years. Exposure to Maori language and culture; mixing in a stimulating, liberal community; and launching an online progressive community were some of the highlights.

One of the features of the move to the U.S. has been a broadening of Ian's sense of sacred to an embrace of all things. Ian has taken up meditation and Zen training which have helped to break down a tendency to divide the world up into good and bad, holy and profane.

Ian is excited to be part of the Progressive Christian movement. He
sees his mission as "Giving God Back"! Now that ancient systems of belief
have been dismantled by the Enlightenment and the Jesus Seminar and
more recently the New Atheists, the role of Progressive Christianity is to
rebuild a religious expression that is open and honest, is consistent
with science and new discovery, and has enough imagination to build a
vision of a more peaceful and just world. Its a wonderful time. Its a
time of liberation. Its time to be bold and creative.

Ian recently helped create sbnr.org - Spiritual But Not Religious.org The new organization aims to serve the world-wide population of people that describe themselves as spiritual but not religious (SBNR). It is estimated that in the United States alone over fifty million people are SBNR. SBNR.org offers spiritual services to individuals that find little or no connection with traditional religion. "As humanity evolves so too should the way we experience spirituality," explains Ian Lawton. "Living impassioned, ethical and spiritual lives outside of organized religion is part of this evolution. It's not surprising that spiritual people seek to be affirmed outside of the dogmatic traditions. Our purpose is to promote wonder and the rapture of truly being alive"

SBNR.org provides written, audio and video content using the most recent technological advances. Daily affirmations, weekly sermons, spiritual articles and other content are delivered for free via the Internet and email. Recently the company launched Today's SBNR Affirmation, a website that delivers short spiritual but not religious (SBNR) affirmations Monday through Friday. "Our purpose is to promote wonder and the rapture of truly being alive," says Ian Lawton. "These short affirmations are designed to remind the SBNR community that the Divine is accessible in all the ordinary moments of our day."

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